DIY: Wedding Cake On A Budget

Do you ever find yourself speechless at the price of a wedding in this day and age ? I find myself lost for words when people start listing all the prices of things for their wedding (usually in the thousands). The truth is any time the word wedding is tacked onto an object the price appears to increase ten folds ! Wedding cakes are a big one. Ask for a cake for a party and it may cost you under $100 , ask for a cake for a Wedding and you see yourself forking over hundreds , even into the thousands. Why ? It is all about demand , cake stores almost know you are expecting to pay a lot so when they give you a ridiculous price they know you may hurt a little but inevitably accept it.

I am here to show you how to DIY your wedding cake. Stress free and without the hefty price tag !

What the top layer of cake should look like - Overdoing it with flowers? No such thing!

What you need : (Depending on the size and amount of people you need to feed this will vary )

For around 80 serves : 10 inch cake, 8 inch cake and 6 inch cake (3 tiers)
- Store bought cake (I suggest plain chocolate mud cake, don't mention wedding!- I wouldn't suggest making it yourself either, it's too much stress and work  and the less stress the better!)
- A few small bouquets of flower (You only need it for the top tier and a few in between- I get mine from a nice flower van down the road and I spent $15 all together on a bunch of roses, stock and free babies breath)
- A simple sugary buttercream (Butter,lots of icing sugar and some gel food colouring)

You can prepare this cake around 2-3 days in advance (I would ask someone you trust to assemble the decorated cake layers at the wedding venue to avoid any last minute cake travelling disasters- bring spare buttercream with you)

What to do : 

1. Choose your colours!
2. Cover the cake in a thick layer of sugary buttercream , this will seal in the moisture of your mudcake and keep it perfect and moist for a few days
3. Keep it looking rustic , a few swirls or peeps of the chocolate mud cake underneath is fine! People pay good money for that rustic chic look!
4. Plan out how you want it to look, draw a little picture if that helps you.
5. Cut the flowers as you go making sure you wrap the bottom of each flower stem with florist tape so you don't have any stem moisture leaking into the cake
6. Just get in there, start with a ring of flowers on the bottom and work your way up
7. Babies breath is your best friend if you want to go for that rustic vibe. It also covers up any holes and turns any cake into a whimsical work of art.
8. There you have it , a wedding cake! Something that normally cost hundreds you now have for around a hundred. Don't forget the calming bit of decorating therapy you get from this.

* If you make any mistakes don't stress! Buttercream covers everything! :)

What all the bottom layers should look like: Just iced in the coloured buttercream

P.s. This cake is actually for someone really special , my beautiful friend Zena!! Happy Birthday gorgeous!

Enjoy!

xx Mel.