Of Luscious Buttercream and Dainty Sugar Pearls and Antique Cake Stands

Pastry Chefs will always have their own way of decorating cakes, more like a signature style so to speak. I've watched and learned, tried and adapted. Eventually I created my own way of decorating the cakes that I make. Practice, practice, practice.. until you get the hang of it. A good friend of mine, asked me once if I was right-handed. I am. And then I realized after I was done with piping the border of this cake, I remembered her asking me that question. She has excellent decorating skills, too. Precision skills. I learned looking at them work on the cakes.

I like my decorating medium - Italian Buttercream. And there is a way of making it smooth and luscious and not sweet at all. Everything goes down to the basics and attention to details. The more often you make it the more improvements show and the quality improves as well. So for me it's always a 3-step process - First, know the basics, understand the hows and whys. Second, proper execution and practice. Third, perfect it, if not improve everyday and maintain it. My decorating skills are far from perfect but I try to improve every time I get the chance. 

The second thing I like to adorn my cakes are sugar pearls. To me they're sexy to look at, but used sparingly and properly. I don't like strong colors, though. These little green pearls worked pretty well with the off while buttercream they add shine and makes gives a little bit of flair. Something Fancy. 

And what's even fancier, I was able to find an antique Cake Stand from a second hand store! They make the cakes look so grand. I think I've started collecting antique cake stands already.

So what's this cake all about, you might ask. For this beauty right here - Dark Chocolate Cake brushed with Frangelico (Hazelnut Liqueur) syrup, cake layers are filled with Dark Chocolate Nutella Spread and Vanilla Buttercream, frosted with the same buttercream. A very rich and indulgent cake, this is!