Confections of a Pastry Artist: Gracie's Haloween/Wedding cake!

Sooo,..Gracie (my neice) just turned 5 years old this past October!..WOW, 5. Anyway, She was so detail oriented, it was hysterical. At first she wanted a Cat cake..and then it just went downhill from there. Nothing pleased her @ first! So we sat down at the table and set up her first "Cake Consultation"..we talked face to face and we both drew out our ideas. She was so precise from the blue squiggles, (which believe me!..they HAD to be there OR ELSE!) the orange cake, to the Cat making it's debut somewhere. (lol)..So I started with a White Cake recipe, which is in my FCI recipe book (Lev. 2). I chose white cake because it's the most sturdy of cakes to hold tiers.

*So having (2) 8" Rounds, (2) 6" rounds and (2) 2" rounds..I decided to make her a mini Haloween/Wedding cake!..which is totally up her alley, being the "diva" she is. :)
Originally I just made those extra cuts for scraps in case I needed to play around..make shapes, cats, ghosts, witches..who knows!

*I started a chocolate ganache and let that chill. Along with an Italian Style Buttercream!..my fav.

*Also made a coconut simple syrup which is used to add moisture to a cake. **Especially if it is wrapped up in the freezer and loses its moisture!** :).

*When everything was all in place, with fillings in their piping bags, the cakes leveled out, the ton of buttercream still cooling off in the mixer..I started the show!

*Starting with the bottom 8"..
-brush on the simple syrup with a pastry brush (or big enough CLEAN paintbrush ;) )...just enough, especially around the outter edges.

-Now in the center of all 3 tiers, I started with the ganache first (Think Target sign)..and one ring around Choc. Ganache, then buttercream, ganache, buttercream..etc.! (I think you get it!, i hope...).
-Next layer, same thing..Simple syrup, filling..
All the way up to the top tier!

*Now was the process of buttercreaming this sucker!
-Usually piping up and down all over, using a scraper and turning the cake table at the same time..chilling, next coat, same thing until smooth and just enough buttercream has been applied.

*I used Duff (from Ace of Cake's, for those who don't know him..he is the man ;) )..My sister and I were in Michael's..and found his own line of cool gadgets and VUA-LA! spray on color!!! yes!..I picked orange, just like Miss. Grace insisted on.

*So my sister started melting the chocolate (white)..and making cake balls with the extra cake crumb we had. While I sprayed the cake, added the "blue squiggles"...the "purple flowers"..and applied eyes to my sisters great job at sculpting a black cake from Devils food cake leftovers. She is a sculpter (literally)..So I applied green m&m eyes to her and a red smile with some gel color.

*We then stuck some pumpkins and ghosts all around the cake. (cake crumbs dipped in white choc. and then decorated in coconut flakes - for ghosts, and white choco. dyed orange for the pumpkins.

Time was running out..FAST! and we had to leave 10mins. to 12 in order to make it there for her OWN bday!

GOT THERE 2mins. EARLY! *woohoo!..it looked a bit "rushed" I guess you can say, but we got there just in time and the end result was flattering! Everyone loved it (parents, owners of the horse stable - YES! her bday party was @ the Equestrian (?)..where all the little guys and girls got to ride a horse, very cute. But most of all the kids loved the cake, as well as I!..the little indoor sunroom in which we did crafts and had the pizza and cake in was rather chilly. So the choc. ganache was chilled inside and gave it a melt in your mouth effect when taking that blissful bite. Mmmm, now I really want cake.