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Dip Dye Macramé Cake

September 9, 2015 by Erica OBrien

Our contributor, Erica OBrien, is back for the next post in our Trending series.  Join Erica as she goes from inspiration on Pinterest to cake concept and then the final cake design.

Macrame Cake with dip dyed shades of green and gold accents | by Erica OBrien for TheCakeBlog.com

My childhood was, both literally and figuratively, quite crunchy.  In the 1970s, long before farm to table was a trend, my mom adopted a vacant lot in our Queens, New York, neighborhood and planted a thriving garden.  Her lifelong commitment to healthful living manifested itself in my school lunches, when she insisted on sprinkling wheat germ on my peanut butter sandwiches.  My objections to her attempt to increase the fiber in my diet met with her claims that the addition of the germ made the sandwich more “crunchy”.  I often wonder if she now looks back with regret about adding extra gluten to my diet.  My mom placed little emphasis on organized sports (way too competitive) and instead encouraged more creative pursuits like art and music.  So I developed a solid appreciation for all things crafty… and a deep aversion to wheat germ.
Macrame Cake with dip dyed shades of green and gold accents | by Erica OBrien for TheCakeBlog.com

Many of the arts and crafts I loved as a child are now popular again, and make great inspiration for cake designs.  Macramé, the art of tying knots to create textiles, was very popular in the 1970s and is now trending once again.  I wanted to create a macramé cake that both embraced my bohemian roots but also appeared more modern.

Macrame Cake with dip dyed shades of green and gold accents | by Erica OBrien for TheCakeBlog.com

I considered making a macramé design out of modeling chocolate or fondant and placing it directly on the cake, but wanted to stay a little more true to the medium.  So, I created a macramé cake topper with the help of a tutorial I found online.  After finding the perfect twig and peeling the bark off, I used bakery twine (which I have plenty of) and made the hanging with a square knot and a reverse square knot.  I wanted to dip-dye the twine to make it a bit more contemporary, and actually used food color diluted with vodka.  Initially I thought the topper would work best on a white cake, but after affixing it to the top with skewers, I realized the cake needed some contrast.  I decided to echo the dip-dye design of the macramé on the cake, and then make it even more contemporary by pairing it with gold.

Macrame Cake with dip dyed shades of green and gold accents | by Erica OBrien for TheCakeBlog.com

This cake is both a nod to my hippie roots – thanks Mom – and a celebration of modern cake design.

Macrame Cake with dip dyed shades of green and gold accents | by Erica OBrien for TheCakeBlog.com

VENDORS & CREDITS
Cake : Erica OBrien Cake Design
Inspiration Pin #1: Sol Linen Duvet at Anthropologie 
Inspiration Pin #2: Macrame Wall Hanging at Free Creatures


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September 9, 2015 by Erica OBrien

Erica OBrien , CONTRIBUTOR

Erica OBrien has been a cake designer (and avid cake stand collector) for almost twenty years. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and two spunky daughters. Read more about Erica on her bio page.

connect with Erica :

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Comments

  1. Michelle Chan says

    April 9, 2017 at 8:56 am

    Hi Erica!

    I love how stunning the cake is although it is a simple one. Sometimes, simplicity is truly the best, right? I have also always wanted to try my hand on making macrame on cake. What would be the best sugar medium to use since it requires a lot of tying and knotting? Would fondant work? Looking forward to your reply! Thanks in advance! 😍

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