3 TELL-TALE SIGNS THAT YOU NEED TO KISS (KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID)
Let me introduce you to my favourite design tip.
KISS <<< Keep It Simple Stupid.
Here’s the reality: cluttering your cake with different decorations and ideas makes your cake appear unprofessional and overwhelming.
The thing is though…it’s hard to look at your own cake objectively. How can you tell if you went completely overboard with your fondant decorations and gone completely off track??
Well, here are three tell-tale signs that you need to KISS:
You can’t focus
You’ve got too many ideas going on that your eyes don’t even know where to look (it’s so overwhelming!) and there’s no visual flow to guide your eyes around the cake.People have to think too much
If people have to think too hard and ask questions to understand your cake design, then unfortunately you’ve missed the mark. It’s important to develop one clear main focal point or overarching idea to draw people in and create a lasting impression.Going in with no clear plan
Decorating your cake with no clear plan means you’re 85% more likely to throw different ideas together with no thought process.
Definitely not the impact you’re hoping for, right?
Which is why it’s time to get more intentional.
Filter yourself before you even get that cake in the oven. Get a clear direction for your design by drawing up your ideas, stepping back and looking at the design objectively. Be intentional with your decorations and make sure every element has a reason to be there.
But here’s where people tend to trip up…
Keeping things simple isn’t about subtracting elements from a design just for the hell of being minimal.
The POINT is to reduce the non-essential ‘fluff’ elements to create a clear focus, smooth visual flow and produce a design that’s clean and impactful.
THAT’S the key to creating a show-stopper cake that people can’t stop talking about.
It’s true what they say…less is more. So remember to Keep It Simple Stupid!
Then to top it all off, I hadn’t sized out my flowers properly. The three flowers I promised the bride were WAY too big for the top of the cake – I couldn’t glue them all together without damaging the flowers or having them topple off the cake. Definitely not that upmarket ‘look’ I was going for.
So here I was, standing in my kitchen, pretty damn sure that I was about to ruin this brides wedding with a dreadful cake.
So what should you do when you find yourself in this ‘cake fail’ situation?
Firsty, take a step back and breathe. When times are stressful, you need to step away and clear your head. Seperate yourself from the situation – go for a walk, have a shower or just make yourself a cup of tea and take a break.
Come back to the situation at hand with a ‘can do’ attitude. I know that’s easier said than done, but believe me when I say that the right attitude can help in any situation.
If you have time to fix your mistakes – like re-baking a cake or making more sugar flowers – then go for it. But if your situation is time sensitive (eg. the cake is due in 2 hours), then it’s just one of those ‘you have to make it work’ situations.
Focus on what you CAN do. There is always a solution, even though it may not be the solution you want or hope for. Most of the time, you can turn a disaster into a win. Just know that you’re not alone – cake fails happen to EVERYONE.
To help avoid a cake disaster in the future, always:
Research and practice your cake design before the ‘real deal’
I strongly encourage everyone to try new cake designs and decorating techniques. However, your first attempt a geode cake should NOT be on your sister’s engagement cake. ALWAYS research and practice new techniques before using them for ‘real’ cake orders.Plan ahead
Slamming a cake together a day before the big event is not doing you any favours – it’s stressful and it’s easy for mistakes to happen when you’re in a rush. Plan your time thoroughly in advance to give yourself enough time to get everything done. This also allows you a bit of ‘breathing room’ to fix any issues that may crop up in the cake making process.
What did I end up doing in my situation?
I called the bride on the day of her wedding – yep, I was THAT ballsy – and asked her permission to change the design of the cake. I was lucky that the bride was very understanding and accommodating!
With having no ribbon to use to hide the elephant skin, I covered the bottom of the cake with cake lace (which hid most of the fondant scarring), and I used only one of the three flowers I created for the top of the cake.
You know what? The cake lace ended up being a major win and the bride LOVED her cake!
