Getting There

Sometimes the anticipation of doing something is far worse than actually doing it. I have this bad habit of setting seemingly impossible goals for myself and then fretting myself to death as the deadline for the goal to be accomplished draws near. The latest goal has been that of making wedding cakes for two very dear girls.

Even as I type, the first 14" cake base for the white cake is baking in the oven and should be ready to come out in several minutes. I made one chocolate wedding cake yesterday that was only two layers and it is now frozen in a neighbor's freezer. There are three more layers to bake of a white cake today and then these too will go in the freezer. I have the bases that the cakes will rest on already bought. Now all I need is the dowling in order to hold each layer up from the other, and to figure out what I am going to do as far as decorating.

You can forget fancy scrollwork in icing. The chocolate cake will have a rich chocolate pudding type of filling and a chocolate glaze on the outside. I am also thinking of using chocolate shavings to decorate it. The white cake will have a rich, fluffy buttercream icing that is delicious and not too sweet and a vanilla cream type of filling. Both cakes will have either real or silk flowers for toppers, and I am thinking of making white chocolate leaves for the white cake. The only thing that is really troubling me now is the making of the icing for the white cake. I have no idea how much I will require. I have some made up in the freezer which I am going to thaw and try working with. If I can make it up ahead of time and it freezes or refrigerates well, that will relieve a lot of my anxiety. Then I have to decide on what type of sugar syrup to use on each cake. I am thinking creme de cacao for the chocolate one. Grand Marnier for the white? Or just plain sugar syrup? I have two weeks to decide.