We are one whole week into 2011, and I'm sure with all the engagements of 2010, wedding planning is on a lot of people's minds. I hope all the happy couples remember me and my cakes when it comes to their happy celebrations to becoming Husband and Wife (or Wife and Wife/Husband and Husband). Last month, my good friend Anne requested a simple cake for her engaged sister, Aileen that was Green Tea flavored. She informed me that the bridal shower had an Asian tea party theme with blush colored flowers and cherry blossoms all around. Anne expected a simple round cake, but I took this opportunity to do a cake that I've been wanting to make...a topsy turvy teapot!
As with most of my cakes, I sketched this one out to help with the planning process...
In my mind, the Green Tea flavor made this a true Teapot cake. The recipe calls for Green Tea Powder which you can find at any specialty tea shop. It is treated as any other dry ingredient, and provides a nice green color.
I used a 6-inch round pan for the teapot, and a ball cake pan to create the teacups. I didn't fill the ball cake pans fully to create a more realistic teacup shape and more proportional to the teapot. The 6-inch round cake puffed up nicely during baking to create a natural dome shaped top....it made the round teapot shape very easy to achieve.
I frosted each of the cakes and prepared them for stacking.
I even drank some Green Tea while preparing this cake :)
While the cake chilled and firmed up, I worked on the handles and spout. The handles and spouts are curvy and vine-like in nature, so I figured that Green would be a good color for them. They would also complement the blush colored flower decorations. In order for the handles and spouts to hold their shape, I created armatures out of lollipop sticks...that also helped me stick them on the bodies of the cup and pot.
All that was left to do was pipe on the blush colored flowers and decorations. I placed the cake on a doily which I think added a nice little touch.
Aileen married her husband Thao on December 18, 2010...best wishes to them both. And good luck to those of you planning their own wedding celebrations in 2011.
Thanks again for stopping by....and I guess it's still safe to say, HAPPY NEW YEAR!
~Abs of Cakes~
