1Wedding cakes have become bigger and more elaborate over the years.
2Today's wedding cakes are multi-tiered and even multi-flavored.
3They're typically covered in fondant icing and decorated with ornate sugar flowers.
4The finished product is an edible work of art, perfect for that special day.
5These customized wedding cakes are covered in fondant.
6This special icing acts as a canvas on which delicious designs can be created.
7The baker starts by making chocolate cakes for the bottom tier.
8Once the cakes come out of the oven,
9she transfers them directly to the fridge.
10The cool, firm cakes are easy to slice into layers.
11She spreads buttercream frosting between the layers.
12The frosting ingredients include lightly salted butter, icing sugar, and Dutch cocoa powder.
13Layer by layer, she builds the tier to the desired height.
14She puts the tier back in the fridge.
15While it's solidifying, she makes the gum paste that will be used to craft the edible flowers.
16First, she adds icing sugar to egg whites.
17Then thins out the mixture with a teaspoon of water.
18Next, she adds food coloring.
19She mixes the ingredients for a couple of minutes until they're thoroughly blended.
20She adds tylose powder, a synthetic version of gum Arabic to harden the mixture.
21After another 15 seconds of mixing,
22the gum paste is ready for kneading.
23The baker rubs some vegetable shortening on her hands for lubrication.
24She sprinkles some icing sugar on the table to prevent the gum paste from sticking.
25Then she kneads the gum paste for 5 to 10 minutes.
26Now, the artistry begins.
27She uses a set of modeling tools made of food-safe, nonstick plastic.
28First, she makes a little hat out of the pink gum paste,
29then she rolls out another piece until it's paper thin.
30The baker uses a gum paste cutter to cut out several teardrop shapes.
31One at a time, she lays the teardrops out on a hard foam mat.
32She thins and curls the edges with a ball tipped modeling tool
33to create a natural-looking rose petal.
34Then she switches to a scribe tool.
35She curls back the edges to make the petal even more lifelike.
36Then she applies tasteless edible glue.
37She adheres the first petal onto the point of the gum paste hat.
38She wraps it all the way around to create the center of the rose.
39The baker attaches the next layer, this time using two petals.
40She adds several additional layers using two more petals each time
41until the rose is complete.
42She snips off the base of the hat,
43then lets the glue dry for 15 minutes.
44The baker uses green gum paste to make the leaves.
45She rolls the paste thicker at the base and thinner at the top.
46Then she presses the sheet against the top of the board to produce vertical veins.
47She centers her leaf shape cutter over one of the veins and cuts out a leaf.
48After attaching a wire to the base,
49she uses a silicone stamp to imprint smaller veins on the leaf.
50This makes it look more realistic.
51The baker curls the leaf's edges with a round tool.
52She uses a different tool to deepen some of the veining and complete the leaf.
53The baker sets her decorations aside
54and removes the cake tiers from the refrigerator.
55She firmly applies the fondant over the chilled chocolate frosting.
56She made the fondant earlier with melted marshmallows, butter, icing sugar, vanilla extract, and food coloring.
57She applies fondant to the remaining tiers, then stacks them.
58She begins decorating this cake with ribbon and Italian lace.
59She attaches the flowers with stiff edible glue made from egg whites, icing, sugar, and lemon juice.
60She can also make edible ribbons and lace
61by pouring liquid gum paste into the appropriate molds.
62This special gum paste uses corn syrup and cornstarch to reach the right consistency.
63A magnificent custom-made cake is designed to be a showpiece at the wedding reception,
64admired, devoured, and always remembered.