Great Gatsby Cake & Wedding Shoot: Plus a Fondant Sugar Brooch Tutorial

NOTE: Sara’s blog has moved to a new location: http://saraelizabethcakes.com. Feel free to browse around my tutorials here, then come check out my new site!

I am so excited to have been a part of a gorgeous Great Gatsby inspired wedding shoot hosted by Bethany Petersen of BP Film, that's being featured today on Le Magnifique Blog! Featuring shades of jade and gold, and located at the amazing McCune Mansion in Salt Lake City, it was absolutely stunning. Go check out this amazing wedding to get your dose of sophisticated Roaring 20's glamour!

Le Magnifique Blog

This cake design was inspired by the flapper, art-deco feel of the 20's. Handmade gumpaste feathers and a hand-made sugar gem/gumpaste brooch adorn the top. The geometric top tier was inspired by the cover of the Great Gatsby Soundtrack, while a contrasting gold scallop trim on the bottom tier brings a softer but lavish edge to the cake. The scallop trim is also fondant, hand-painted with gold-dust. 

A huge thank you to Bethany Petersen of BP Film for the gorgeous photos of my cake!

Here are some of my favorite behind-the scene shots from the day:  

Photographer and film artist Bethany Peterson prepping models for the shoot

Photographer LeeYen Lobendahn at work

Dani of Danani's Handmade Adornments makes the most incredible custom headpieces. 

And now, a quick tutorial!

Fondant Sugar Brooch Tutorial

Making sugar brooches are a piece of cake (I love a good pun!). Begin with making your sugar gems, using a hard candy mold, and melted, colored Isomalt (or your favorite candy-making technique). The only lesson you need to do that, is the video and tutorial posted by Elizabeth Marek of the Artisan Cake Company. 

Once those are dried and ready, begin making your brooch base: a round ball of gumpaste. This was about 1 inch or less in diameter. 

Next, lightly flatten your gumpaste ball, keeping it shaped in a circle. 

Gently push your selected sugar gem into your gumpaste. Push hard enough that the gem looks as though it's sitting IN the gumpaste, not on top of it. I used latex gloves to do this part, so as not to leave fingerprints. 

Using fondant tools (my tool kit is from Wilton), imprint a design around the edge of the gumpaste. I made two so that I could choose my favorite. 

Allow it to dry, then paint it carefully with Global Sugar Art's Gold Highlighter mixed with just a few drops of vodka or a clear flavoring extract. Once dry, it's ready for your cake! If you'd like to add feathers, I highly recommend the McGreevy Cakes YouTube tutorial. 

To get a perfect shine on your gem,  gently steam it after you are done handling it. Since this topper was assembled on-site, I wasn't able to do this last step. 

Happy Caking!