It’s our third annual holiday series…. The 12 Cakes of Christmas!! We’re oohing and aahing over twelve marvelous cake designs, created especially for this series! All brand new, never seen before, and created by some of your favorite bakers! For our theme this year, we’re taking a moment to reflect on our favorite Christmas memories and traditions. It’s a feel good month, celebrating the little things that make this season shine bright. Each of our featured bakers was asked to create a cake based on a classic Christmas tradition.
We’re moving into the final week of our series with cake number seven. Our seventh cake celebrates classic Christmas decor that can be spotted on the front door of homes near and far. We’re decking the halls with bright red berries and shiny green leaves. The Seventh Cake of Christmas was inspired by…. boughs of holly!
The seventh cake in our series comes to us from Erin Gardner, owner of Wild Orchid Baking Company in Dover, NH. This is Erin’s second year to join our holiday series after wowing us with her vintage Christmas garland cake in 2012 . After two years of us loving her fabulous designs, Erin recently started teaching us her clever techniques as well. That’s right, you loved Erin’s cakes so much that we happily invited her to join our talented list of blog contributors this year. You probably remember her fabulous rose stamp tutorial or her rainbow heart cake that became an instant classic. And who can forget her oh-so-pretty black cake! Seriously, there’s just too many gorgeous cakes to count, but you can catch them all HERE. And today Erin is back with a modern take on a traditional classic. With a bold graphic pattern that is sure to deck the halls, she’s taking boughs of holly to a new level! It’s time for The 7th Cake of Christmas!
Erin of Wild Orchid Baking Company shares the inspiration for her design:
“Here in New England wreaths can be found hanging on most front doors this time of year. While wreaths can be made from just about anything these days (I recently pinned one made of pvc piping), nothing says Christmas like classic holly and berries.”
Erin of Wild Orchid Baking Company tells us about her technique:
“To translate this idea into cake I broke the classic wreath down to it’s most basic elements – holly leaves, holly berries, and a bow. Lining the leaves up gives the cake a cool structured feel, while the random berries add a modern whimsical touch. Finishing off the design is a large fondant bow that I brushed with a crimson luster dust for a velvety effect.”
Thank you to Erin Gardner of Wild Orchid Baking Company for creating this hypnotizing holly cake for us today. And to Mark Davidson for the gorgeous images.
Erin’s all about taking concepts from everyday life and translating them them into fabulous cake designs. From the rose stamping tutorial she shared with us last May to the techniques taught in her new Crafsty class, her methods are clever and completely achievable. Her class is definitely one to put on your Christmas wish list! You can check it out HERE.
VENDORS & CREDITS:
Cake: Wild Orchid Baking Company
Photography: Mark Davidson Photography
Stunning cake!
I just love this! Simple and understated, but great impact.