2D Finalist
Bloombox
by Melissa Schmalz @MistressMissy · submitted Jul 28, 2011 · 2011 contest
1 / 15
Description
Since my 3D Threadcake was all fondant and gumpaste, I decided that my 2D cake should be all icing! I love the Bloombox design. Though I have a brown thumb myself, I could make this musical plant green with frosting! Well, teal anyway!
I mixed up a vanilla bean cake and set it to bake. Once it was cooled, I angled it on my cakeboard and hacked and slashed till I had the boom box design. I added a butter cream crumb coat and went to bed. The next morning, I whipped up a new batch of butter cream and layered that on top. I mixed together some (way too much) teal icing and got ready for the long decorating process.
I thought about trying to draw it out first, but decided to do it freehand instead. I started with the largest pieces first. I did the bar, then the speakers, and worked my way out. Sometimes my spacing was off, or I couldn't quite see was was on the original so I improvised. Add a swirly thing here, a scroll like thing there. It still looked good.
I'm going to guess it all took me about 8 hours. Despite distractions of an 18 month old sticking his finger in the frosting, setting my mircowave on fire, and making dinner, I finally finished the actual cake part at about midnight.
By the end my hand was so cramped from squeezing, I thought about leaving out the bottom leaves all together. I knew though it wouldn't be a box in bloom without them. At first I tried to make them all precise. Then I said, screw it and made it all scribbley. I think that turned out looking better anyway, and was much faster.
The next day, I donated the cake to the Starving College Boys Foundation, aka my awesome friend Jake, and his roommates. Jake is also a fan of Threadless, but more-so a fan of cake and was happy to help out. He cut into it so quick I didn't even have a chance to mourn it's passing. Goodbye Bloombox cake. You were delicious.
I mixed up a vanilla bean cake and set it to bake. Once it was cooled, I angled it on my cakeboard and hacked and slashed till I had the boom box design. I added a butter cream crumb coat and went to bed. The next morning, I whipped up a new batch of butter cream and layered that on top. I mixed together some (way too much) teal icing and got ready for the long decorating process.
I thought about trying to draw it out first, but decided to do it freehand instead. I started with the largest pieces first. I did the bar, then the speakers, and worked my way out. Sometimes my spacing was off, or I couldn't quite see was was on the original so I improvised. Add a swirly thing here, a scroll like thing there. It still looked good.
I'm going to guess it all took me about 8 hours. Despite distractions of an 18 month old sticking his finger in the frosting, setting my mircowave on fire, and making dinner, I finally finished the actual cake part at about midnight.
By the end my hand was so cramped from squeezing, I thought about leaving out the bottom leaves all together. I knew though it wouldn't be a box in bloom without them. At first I tried to make them all precise. Then I said, screw it and made it all scribbley. I think that turned out looking better anyway, and was much faster.
The next day, I donated the cake to the Starving College Boys Foundation, aka my awesome friend Jake, and his roommates. Jake is also a fan of Threadless, but more-so a fan of cake and was happy to help out. He cut into it so quick I didn't even have a chance to mourn it's passing. Goodbye Bloombox cake. You were delicious.
Baker’s site: www.facebook.com/itcouldbesweet
