Let me start this post by saying - I may be completely wrong in the way I've titled this cake : Orange & Silver Mehndi Henna Cake . When I first saw the design that the client wanted, I called it Henna. But then after further digging, I saw similar designs called Mehndi or Mehndi Henna. So I'm not sure what's correct. Forgive me.
But the name aside, this was one of the most intimidating designs I've ever been asked to do. Initially I planned to pipe the design. But with my chronic hand pain these days, I was not sure I could pull it off.
Then I came across some cake lace designs that were so similar - I decided to go that route instead. And my confession below might surprise you...
But first, let me back up and give you a little background story on this cake. I was not in direct contact with the clients - I was actually hired by Abagail from á deux events in Natchez Mississippi and all of details of the cake were handled through her.
I've worked with Abagail before and she's just a joy - I was thrilled to be doing the cake for her (or rather, her client)! Also, everything she touches is beautiful, so I knew I had to be on my game to provide a cake for this event!
Anyway, Abagail told me that this cake was for an Indian couple celebrating both of their 50th birthdays along with their 25th wedding anniversary! It was a huge party with all the details of an exquisite wedding.
Now, let's get down to the details of the cake (and one tidbit that might surprise you)...
Orange & Silver Mehndi Henna Cake
First, the cake was 6", 9" and 12" tiers - for a total of 100 servings. I baked the tiers in my favorite Magic Line pans and the cake was displayed on an 18" round silver cake stand. The flavors of the cake were lemon cake for the top tier, strawberry for the middle tier and mandarin orange cake for the bottom tier.
They were all filled and frosted with vanilla buttercream, then covered with the different shades of orange homemade marshmallow fondant.
I also added strings of pearls around each tier of cake using these First Impressions pearl molds.
Now let's talk about the cake lace. And this may surprise you.
I didn't make or pipe the lace.
I bought it. Let me explain.
A couple of years ago I bought some lace mats and the mix to make cake lace. And I actually had some success with it when I made the lace for these Valentine's cookies (my first attempt at lace)- and this Shabby Chic baby shower cake.
But it was hard ya'll. Like really hard. For every piece of lace I successfully made, I had 2 or 3 pieces I had to throw away. Maybe I didn't practice enough or maybe I need to try another brand of lace mix, but whatever I was doing, it was wrong.
It stressed me out beyond reason. So when I landed the order for this cake, my first thought was to pipe the lace. Now you may or may not know, but piping is not my forte. Not only is it not a strength of mine - it also leads to me being in excruitiating pain for days following any piping work.
So then I started researching cake lace mats. And I strangely enough, I stumbled across the exact cake that the client had sent me for inspiration... on an Amazon page where a cake lace product was being sold. The lace they were advertising didn't appear to exactly match the cake they were using in the picture. But it did convince me that cake lace would work for the design.
And when I looked closer at the product on Amazon, I realized that they weren't selling the lace mat/mold - they were actually selling the premade pieces of edible lace. It took me all of 2 seconds to decide that I would buy the premade lace vs. buying all the mats to make it myself.
Now I know for some of you, that may be a cop-out. I know there are cake decorators who would never buy pre-made cake lace. Or pre-made sugar flowers (which I've also done). Or pre-made anything.
But I'm not that girl. Pre-made is my friend.
Why I bought the pre-made lace.
Here's why. First, there's the fact that I'd have spent a lot more money on buying all the lace mats and the mix to make the lace. Plus I'd have also spent a lot more time making the lace. And quite possibly failing at it and throwing it away multiple times. It just wasn't worth it to me. And if the pre-made lace didn't work out, I knew I could fall back on my original plan to pipe the design.
So I bought lace pieces made from 3 different mats. Then I puzzled them together to get a design that I loved! If you want to buy the mats and make the lace yourself, the lace I used was made from this mat, this mat, and this mat. If you want to buy the lace already made, I got it from Food Deco Art (no longer in business, sadly).
Now let's talk about applying the lace. After I had the tiers covered in marshmallow fondant (3 shades of orange with a little pink), and stacked up (see how I stack cakes here), it was time to put the lace on.
A thin layer of shortening rubbed over the fondant made it sticky enough to just lay on the lace pieces. I used bigger pieces of lace first - cutting the original pieces to make them fit the tiers. Then I started cutting out individual curls and paisleys and flowers to add to either side and broaden the pattern on the cake.
I used scalpels to cut the fragile lace and then I'd play with it in different positions until I found a full pattern that I liked. This is how it looked with just the white lace, no borders yet and no silver:
Next, my original plan was to paint the lace with silver luster dust mixed with lemon extract. But I quickly realized that it was going to be a mess. So I put plan B into action.
I individually removed each piece with tweezers, sprayed them with PME Silver Spray, then a little Pearl spray over that, let it dry for a couple of minutes and put it back on the cake. Then I took off the next piece (or two or three - depending on how big they were). I didn't want to remove it all at once and have to reconfigure it. Instead, I worked in small sections until I got it all done - like a puzzle!
I was thrilled with the outcome!! And once it was set up in the venue - the whole look was just breathtaking! After I left, Abagail sent me a picture of the cake with succulents added by the florist!
Do you have any questions? Leave me a comment!
Happy Caking!
Rose
Lea
Love it. How many pieces of lace did you have to buy?
Rose
Hi Lea - I mention in the post how many of each I used when I linked to them.
Chloe
It looks stunning.A pity you are not in Australia..I would love to order from you when it is my 15th wedding anniversary..
Rose
Awww, thank you!
Kerry Montgomery
It is absolutely gorgeous! I dont blame you for buying the premade lace. Time is money and a happy customer is a repeat customer! I have a couple questions, can you share the cake recipes you used & what type of filling was used? Also, I assume this was used indoors in A/C, do you think the lace would hold up outside in high heat/humidity?
Rose
Hi Kerry! I linked to the recipes, except the mandarin orange which I've never published (this was my first time to bake/sell mandarin orange cake). I also linked to the vanilla buttercream that I used for filling. Just click in the post where they're mentioned. I added a touch of lemon extract to the buttercream filling for the top tier, a little strawberry flavoring for the middle and a little orange extract for the bottom tier. Surprisingly, the cake was displayed in a tent outside, but they were pumping in cold air like nothing I'd ever seen before and it *felt* like an indoor event, even though it was outside.
Kerry Montgomery
Thank you! Wow! I too live in the south & heat & humidity is a constant battle. What a great idea! I just love everything about this cake from the outside in- the beautiful decorations & chosen colors to the flavors inside. I just may have to give it a try!
Suzanne
I may be missing it, but how long is each piece of the lace? Thank you so much for sharing this information.
Rose
The big pieces I bought were around 12" long.
Denise
It's lovely!
Rose
Thank you!!
Sheri C
Beautiful cake Rose! I love the color of the fondant!
Thanks for all of the tips! Like yourself, I'm not opposed
to a little "pre-made" help when needed either 🙂
Great job!
Rose
Thank you Sheri!
Joyce
Exquisite!!!
Rose
Thank you!
Heshani
Wow!!!!!! That's one stunning cake!! Love the color combinations and that lace design is perfect! Buying the pre-made lace was the best decision! That cake stand rocks too.....
As for the name, I think Mehndi and Henna are synonymous, so maybe just use 1 and I would go with Mehndi becoz henna is the medium or rather dye you use to create Mehndi and you actually didn't use the actual dye. Just my 5 cents on it since you mentioned it.
This is by far my favorite cake of yours and I LOVE everything you do!
Keep up the good work and thank you for sharing all the details with us as always!!
Rose
Oooh, thanks so much for the clarification on the title!! And all of your sweet compliments! xx
Karen (Kakesby Karen)
I had no idea you could buy the lace pre-made. I have used it one time for a cake and it was very time consuming. I will definitely look into the pre-made for future cakes.
b.j. samual
rose! you are a life saver! i bought the mats, mix etc...and it was a complete mess for me! i wasted so much time and effort and material that i just said forget it, i just won't do lace cakes! but...i really want to do a lace cake, they are so beautiful...so trust that i will be visiting amazon for these pre-made lace panels! and the cake you made is stunning!!! thanks again for the tip!
Rose
Awww -so glad to help BJ!!
Roxy Morgan
This cake is absolutely beautiful, awesome and greatest in the form of cake. I just love that you used the premade lace sheets. Sometimes premade is just the way to go. By you using it and then sharing, it gives the rest of us the confidence we need to be able to use premade products without feeling like we've cheated! Thank you for sharing.
Rose
Hugs Roxy! Thank you 🙂
Diane Puddester
Breathtaking Rose. And I love your colours.
Rose
Thank you!
Alicia Lynch
I love it and understand your decision. Thanks for everything you do.
Sharon Harless
Such a work of art, thank you for sharing. Lovely!
Daniel
This cake looks amazing!
I live the orange coloring you got in the fondant and the silver lace compliments it so well, thanks for sharing!
Sorry to hear about your hands, I don't see anything wrong with buying premade stuff especially if it helps you do something you're passionate about and not leaving you in pain for days.
Gina
Could you please share the mandarin orange cake recipe? Thank you!
Rose
Gina - I'll try to post it soon!
Kathy
Beautiful. I also buy pre-made stuff as well. Easier and it saves the clients some money.
Dana
Doing the same cake but in teal how many sheets did you buy for whole cake?
Susan
Hi Dana, thanks for stopping by the blog! Rose gives links to how many she bought of each under why she bought pre-made, "If you want to buy the lace already made, I got it from Food Deco Art here. I used two of these pieces, one of these and one set of these." Hope that helps.
Palak M Dave
Dear Rose,
I absolutely Love how you write your blog. Simple and very easy to understand for anyone everyone. Beautiful cake indeed.
Rose
Thank you!!
Bohdana McCall
Hello Rose, this it's one gorgeous cake. Can I use Swiss marinque buttercream instead of American buttercream under your marshmallow fondant? Do you have any experience putting edible lace on Swiss or american buttercream?
Rose
Awww, thank you! I have zero experience with Swiss meringue. But yes, you can put cake lace on American buttercream for sure.