Pretty Black Wedding Cake

Our contributor, Erin Gardner of Wild Orchid Baking Company, is sharing a fabulous new design with us today…

A few years ago, after the Vera Wang black wedding gown collection came out and rocked the bridal world, I became obsessed with the idea of doing a black wedding cake.  Here in preppy/rustic/vintage/nautical New England that was highly unlikely to happen.  I see my fair share of modern contemporary brides, but black is still considered way over the top!  My black cake ideas had always been very dramatic, ruffly, and somewhat goth inspired.

Then one day it dawned on me, what if I used black as a “pretty” color?  Take a traditional design and use black in an nontraditional way.  Black was being used all around me, from chalk board table numbers to the gorgeous black floral invite suites from Rifle Paper Co.  So why not make a pretty black cake?

The smooth black fondant base is finished with electric yellow royal icing piped dots.  The dots are flanked by fondant leaf and floral swags, another traditional touch done in a cool modern way.  In keeping with black as a pretty color, I paired it with brights, but left lots of space for the black to shine through.  The topper is wire bent in the shape of a heart, then covered with more fun fondant leaves and florals.

VENDORS & CREDITS:
Cake:  Wild Orchid Baking Company
Photography:  Mark Davidson Photography