Buttercream verses Fondant icing is the ultimate debate when choosing wedding cakes, or any cake for that matter.

Most couples come to us not wanting fondant at all. Their memories are of thick layers, tasting of what can only be described as medicine, on a fruit cake that their grandma made. I’m really selling you on it, right?

Well things have definitely changed over the course of a decade. We don’t use marzipan, which is what you would remember as a child. Fondant is now a virtually tasteless icing which can be very versatile in designing cakes. It basically just tastes like sugar, and who doesn’t love sugar?

We can get the outside fondant layer wafer thin which means it doesn’t take away from the cake flavour itself. You still get those delicious layers on the inside but with a smooth traditional exterior.

Now buttercream icing also has its place in the cake world. It’s great for creating texture on a cake for a more rustic finish. Its taste can also be altered by adding flavouring. The use of buttercream is not limited to the outside of the cake but can also feature within the layers of the cake.

We will outline a few pros and cons to ensure you choose the perfect cake finish when deciding between the two for your special day.

Buttercream Pros

1. Creating texture and semi naked styles of cakes for more of a rustic charm. We can also stencil patterns onto buttercream cakes.

2. We can fill the layers of your cake with buttercream and flavour these easily.

3. We can arrange flowers on buttercream iced cakes.

4. Buttercream cakes are a little more cost effective as they don’t require as much labour.

Buttercream Cons

1. If you have an outside venue and plan to get married in the hotter months of summer buttercream icing probably isn’t the icing for you. (Discuss this with your cake stylist during your consultations if you have concerns).

2. Your design is limited. Some designs just don’t work on buttercream as it’s a soft set icing. Take the pattern pictured below, if we did this on a buttercream icing finish after a couple of hours the pattern would slide off the cake.

3. Heavily coloured buttercream will stain just about anything it touches. Not a great look for a wedding and photos of your guests. There are ways around this, as demonstrated in the pictuire below, we have iced the cake in fondant and then created the buttercream texture on top. That way the kitchen can pull that fondant layer off in one piece removing the coloured frosting before cutting slices.

Fondant cake Pros

1. Fondant iced cakes can stay out of the fridge virtually all day in the heat without melting. Great for backyard or beach weddings where there isn’t any air conditioning.

2. We can colour fondant cakes any colour as this can be easily removed from the cake before serving. No more brightly coloured mouths or hands on your wedding day.

3. The possibilities are endless in terms of design. Stenciling, impressions, lace work, piping work, texture or smooth, the list goes on. We can also pair fondant with buttercream cakes for the best of both worlds.

4. We can also wire fresh or icing flowers to fondant covered cakes.

5. We can get the fondant icing layer super thin so it’s virtually tasteless leaving the cake to speak for itself.

Fondant Icing Cons

1. We cannot create semi naked or naked designs using fondant as the cake has to be exposed. You can however choose to have both as pictured below.

2. Clients tend to love the taste of buttercream over fondant due to the texture. Buttercream is soft and fluffy verses fondant which is hard.

So ultimately the choice is up to your styling and taste preferences. As a cake decorator I love working with both mediums. Fondant is ultimately more flexible with design, but if you are going with a simplistic design there is no reason buttercream cannot be an option.

We cannot wait to talk more in a consultation. Head to our contact us page to enquire today!

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Our Favorite Part – Hearing how the Couple Met!

Michael and Tammie were both out one night at a bar. Tammie’s friend saw Micheal standing at the bar and asked him to follow her and she brought him over. Tammie got tapped on the shoulder midway through busting a move, she turned around and a tall handsome goofy man stood there and said, “Hi I’m Michael” and they never looked back.

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue!

Were there any sentimental choices in styling?

Tammie chose to have a luxe, timeless look that would never date. Very simple, but attentive to small details. 

Funny enough Michael ended up wearing a pair of his Dad’s cufflinks from when he used to work as a chauffeur,  as he realised last minute that he needed a set for his shirt. Strangely they had the brides initials on them – spooky, but such a cool detail!

The Cake.

Simple but stylish. Tammie and Micheal opted for a blush toned fondant covered cake. It was finished off with a hand dyed silk ribbon sourced from Songbird Silk, the perfect luxe touch to finish the cake! Inside two flavours were chosen; chocolate orange for a jaffa flavour and a classic Vanilla. The best of both worlds!

What words of wisdom do you have for our Brides to be?

Some great advice here,

“Do exactly what you want and don’t let people influence your choices for the day. 

Michael and I invested so much of our time coming up to our wedding day to make sure everything was perfect for us. For people that have very high attention to detail, all the little things mean a lot to us so we tried to make everything perfect for us so we could enjoy and not stress on the day. 

One piece of advice for the day is to make sure you take a makeup bag for touch ups before the Reception and try to have your hair done a couple of times in trials before the big day. Looking back at photos from the evening, I was a little upset that I didn’t have my stuff with me to re-apply and re-do my hair.

Oh and one last thing – have fun and soak up every little moment… I haven’t had a happier day in my life … the memories are just gorgeous to replay in my head”

Tammie  xxx

The Supplier List

Cake: @boutiquecakeart

Venue – @Halfacre_melbourne

Photographer – @Ellenitoumpasweddings

Florist – @clover.flowers

The post Tammie & Michael – Half Acre. appeared first on The Flour Shop Academy.

After years of studying Pharmacy at the same university Patrick and Ally had actually never spoken, although Ally had noticed Patrick around Campus. After graduating however, they were properly introduced by mutual friends.

From there the rest is history. They both signed off on the most important prescription of their life. A prescription for love!

With a theatre and two gallery spaces @fortyfivedownstairs was the perfect blank canvas Ally and Patrick needed to express their personality and style.

Ally asked her mum, who is an artist, to paint a piece that they could feature on their wedding invites. This artwork ended up featuring on all the wedding stationary and even made an appearance on their wedding cake [we’ll tell you all about this soon]!

As it was an autumn wedding, the couple opted for an autumnal colour palette for their floral arrangements, which also complemented the colours in the stationary art.

The team @goodgraceandhumour clustered vases with rich burgundy blooms and natives with touches of cotton and foliage on the tables and hung installations which draped from the high ceilings.

The couple were also lucky enough to have their portraits painted by artist Robyn Rich whose beautiful artwork was exhibiting in the gallery during their ceremony. They didn’t tell any of their guests about the portraits so they got an amazing surprise when they recognised the couple’s faces on the gallery wall among all the other artwork.

In keeping with the art theme, Ally’s mum also painted the couples portrait for their welcome sign which greeted guests upon arrival.

Now we haven’t forgotten about the wedding cake. We often get told our cakes are pieces of art and well … this is literally the case. Ally’s mum’s artwork which had been previously used in designing the invites was also the main feature of the cake.

We took this piece and printed it using edible ink onto edible paper. We seamlessly wrapped the bottom tier and tied in the fresh blooms used in the venue and bouquets. A sentimental touch that will long be remembered by both the couple and their guests.

We adore this parting wisdom from the bride and groom themselves.

“Planning a wedding can be overwhelming and all consuming. The process should be fun so it was important for us to have wedding-free weeks where all wedding talk was off the table!”

Your wedding day should be a reflection of you as a couple so focus on what is important to you and don’t feel pressured to follow trends or tradition.

The wedding team involved to create this magical day!

@boutiquecakeart Wedding Cake

@longwayhomephotography Photography

@goodgraceandhumour Flowers

@fortyfivedownstairs Venue

The post Ally & Patrick’s Art Inspired Wedding. appeared first on The Flour Shop Academy.

Meet Sarah and Sean. Loved up since they locked eyes at basketball training during their adolescence youth. Ahh.. young love! Fast track to the present where they are both playing in puddles at the gorgeous Yering Station Winery about to exchange their I Do’s and enjoy one hell of a party.

The styling brief was simple, romantic rustic chic. If that wasn’t a term it now should be. The couple wanted their styling choices to reflect the feel of the venue. Bringing in cascading flower and foliage installations with romantic blush and burgundy tones. The team at Sassafras Flower Design nailing the brief.

The little modern touches sprinkled throughout the day helped refine the styling brief so it didn’t get too “swing your partner round and round” rustic. If you know what I mean. The geometric arbor, white linen/ black chairs and fondant marble wedding cake really took things up a notch creating a classic look which will last a couple of decades.

Now, a wedding wouldn’t be complete without the sentimental touches that make the day as special as it should be.

SOMETHING OLD; A little silver diamond trinket (pictured below) that used to be belong to Sarah’s grandmother that sadly couldn’t attend the day

SOMETHING NEW; A stunning Martina Liana wedding dress of course!

SOMETHING BORROWED; A pair of silver diamond earings also being to Sarah’s Grandmother.

SOMETHING BLUE; A simple navy blue ribbon wrapped around the bridal flower bouquet

The cake!

Last but not least was the cake. We briefly spoke about it’s fondant marble finish which created a refined classic look, and we coupled this with elements of 21K champagne gold foil. Freshly wired flowers tied the whole look together blending seamlessly in with the whole space.

The bottom tier of this cake was fake as the couple didn’t require as much cake on the day. This didn’t stopped Sarah though from eating the delicious sweet fondant on the car trip home the next day. Now that’s taking ‘enjoy every last mouthful’ literally, but we love it!

Words of wisdom from the Bride

“The greatest words of wisdom I could give would be to take a few short moments during the course of the day to allow yourself to feel present in the moment and absorb the experience. The day itself can feel quite overwhelming with organising suppliers, mingling with guests and stressing that everything will run smoothly, so it’s important to stop, breathe and reflect. Even if it’s only for a few minutes to take in a beautiful view or share a few intimate moments with your partner.”

Sarah and Sean’s favourite suppliers

Photographer @ashleighhaasephotography

Flowers @_sassafraswedding_

Cake @boutiquecakeart

Venue @yeringstation

The post Sarah & Sean- Yering Station appeared first on The Flour Shop Academy.

Their venue along with their love story is a modern day fairy tale. Meeting on Tinder just over 6 years ago their relationship started like so many others. Swiping right, many texts back and forth and then FINALLY organising that very first date.

Oh course, as with so many fairy tales things don’t always go smoothly. With a date secured, but no confirmation from Monty what was a girl to do? Stay at home in her PJ’s of course! Meanwhile Monty was waiting at their date location texting Tennille on her ETA. [Turns out Monty wasn’t the greatest at texting- even to this day!]. With the world’s quickest costume change, Tennille was up and out the door to what was the first day of the rest of their lives together.

With any modern love story comes the day you gather all your loved ones around and celebrate. You celebrate your love as a couple and the love you have for friends and family. Although not necessarily celebrating in a traditional sense Tennille, Monty and their family did want to honor the memory of those that couldn’t be there. Engagement rings owned by her Gran and Nanna were gifted from Tennille’s parents on the day for her to wear. Along with a gold bangle engraved with “The Captain and Tennille” in memory of her big brother Westley, who passed away several years ago.

Monty also surprised her with a gorgeous antique locket [pictured below], complete with a picture of her big brother. They were able to wrap it around the stems of her bouquet so that he was with her all day.

With traditional touches and dream wedding vendors behind them Monty and Tennille’s wedding flowed seamlessly. The industrial minimalist vibes of @eventseastelevation set the scene with the team @flos.botanical.studio softening the space for a more intimate setting.

Cascading vases of lush pink and caramel toned blooms flourished on the tables and walls. The colour pallet tying in seamlessly with the rough brick walls and exposed timber beams. Elements of copper, ceramic and wood also helped tie the look together creating a classic yet also modern feel.

Then came the cake! Last, but certainly not least. Pavlova, dark chocolate and raspberry were the flavours of choice. The cake styling team here @boutiquecakeart helped Monty and Tennille tie in all the aspects of their styling on the day to create this beauty. It’s base was an ivory smooth frosting for a classic look with freshly wired blooms and foliage to create a natural and organic feel.

The team here look at all aspects of your wedding to help create a piece that reflects your personality and style.

The cake, for Monty and Tennille, provided an opportunity to sit down together at the end of the night and reflect on the day, whilst watching their guests party.

The most amazing wedding team!

@hellochloemay Photography

@boutiquecakeart Cake

@flos.botanical.studio Flowers

@eventseastelevation Venue

The post Tennille & Monty’s Chocolate Factory Wedding. appeared first on The Flour Shop Academy.

A perfect summer’s day on the hills of the Peninsula was definitely a scene setting moment for a romance that started just a few years before at a mutual friends party. Ben had asked Greta to visit a restaurant he was working at and after sending her lots of free food, he finally asked her out.

On their first date, when Ben went to the bathroom, Greta paid the bill!  When he texted his friend to tell him Greta had paid for dinner, his friends response was “MARRY HER”.

The colour palette and styling was a classic and perfectly obvious choice given the coastal feel of the venue. The couple had a marquee sitting amongst rolling fields, filled with vases of wildly arranged florals by the team @thestudiobyfleur in pastel peach and pink tones, powder blue crisp linen tablecloths and Bentwood chairs.

Tying in this coastal vibe was important when styling the couples cake. Powder blue, although an unconventional colour palette for a wedding, was really striking against the flower design which flowed up the bottom two tiers. Each flower touching another, almost resembling a lattice look, with an edible pearl sitting in the centre of each flower.

As a final touch and to create a little extra height to the cake we arranged a halo of wild flowers between the top and second tier. These florals were individually wired and arranged to reflect the table arrangements and brides bouquet.

Also important was what was inside the cake. After all it’s what’s inside that counts, right? The couple chose our classically moist chocolate cake with layers of gooey chocolate ganache. This beauty definitely looks sweet and innocent, but all those layers of ganache are devilish!

Parting advice from Greta herself,

“Make sure you get to eat the cake! Enjoy the day as it goes by so fast, and remember even if everything goes wrong if you’re there with the right person nothing is wrong ”

Greta and Ben’s Favourite suppliers:

@baieweddings Venue

@boutiquecakeart Wedding Cake

@katie_harmsworth Photography

@thestudiobyfleur Florist

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