style="font-size:15px;"> The Necessities (pages 11–12)
Templates for Dress Top, Skirt Panel, and optional Hanger (see Templates, page 115)
Small and medium flower cutters
Flower veiner tool
Piping bag with #2 cake decorating tip
Paring knife
Ingredients
One 16-oz (455-g) box cake mix (any flavor) prepared, or batter for one 9-in (23-cm) cake
1 recipe Vanilla Frosting (page 17) or 1 container store-bought frosting
1 lb (455 g) white fondant (see Resources, page 114)
1 recipe Royal Icing (page 17)
Three shades of gel food coloring (a base color, a complementary color, and an accent color)
Prepare to decorate
Color 6½ oz (185 g) of fondant using the gel food coloring for the desired base color of the dress. (See tinting instructions on page 16). Color 7½ oz (210 g) of fondant with a contrasting but complementary color for the skirt, waistline, and optional neckline. Color 1 oz (28 g) of fondant a strong accent color for the center of the waistline and the corsage. Wrap each color separately in plastic wrap or a zip top bag until ready to use.
Make the dress top (two days prior to decorating)
1 Dust a clean, dry work surface with cornstarch. Roll out 2½ oz (70 g) of the base color fondant to ⅛ in (3 mm) thick. If you want to embellish the dress top by pressing it with a texture sheet, do it now.
2 Place the Dress Top template on the fondant. Use an X-Acto knife to cut out the form using the template as a guide. Place the dress top on a piece of parchment paper and set aside to dry for 2–3 days at room temperature out of direct sunlight (to keep the color from fading).
Make the hangers (optional)
1 Attach a #2 cake decorating tip to a piping bag. Fill the bag with white royal icing.
2 Use the Hanger template to trace 3–10 hanger shapes onto a piece of parchment paper (the extras are in case of breakage). Flip the paper (you should still be able to see the lines you drew) and pipe the icing along the lines. Allow to dry for 24 hours. Keep your extra hangers for future dress projects in a Tupperware container for up to six months.
Bake the cake
1 Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray each of the mini dome pan cavities to be used with non-stick spray (you will need one mini dome cake for one cakelet). Fill each cavity being used three-quarters full with batter. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
2 Allow cake to cool for a few minutes in the pan. If the cake rose above the pan, use a serrated knife to cut away the top to make it level (set the knife across the top of the pan so you can use it as a guide). Run a knife around the edge to loosen the sides. Invert the cake out of the pan and place it on a wire rack to finish cooling.
Prepare the skirt
1 Place the mini dome cake on a square piece of parchment paper. Using a tapered angled spatula, apply a smooth crumb coat of Vanilla Frosting over the cake. Use enough frosting so that the spatula doesn’t come into direct contact with the cake. This will keep you from dislodging too many crumbs.
2 Dust your work surface with cornstarch. Roll out 5½ oz (160 g) of complementary-color fondant (I used white on the dress shown on the page 26) to an 8-in (20.5-cm) circle that’s ¼ in (6 mm) thick.
3 Slide your hands underneath the fondant using open palms so as not to poke a hole in it. Pick the fondant up and gently lay it over the mini cake and smooth it down. Alternatively, you could allow the folds to naturally drape, which gives the impression of draped fabric. Use your pastry wheel to cut away excess fondant around the bottom of the dress.
Assemble
1 Using the dried dress top, gently press an indentation into the top of the fondant-covered cake to give yourself a guideline for cutting.
2 Using a paring knife, cut through the fondant along the indention. Insert the dress top.
3 Dust your work surface with cornstarch. Roll out 4 oz (115 g) of base-color fondant into a sheet ⅛ in (3 mm) thick. Place the Skirt Panel template on the fondant. Use an X-Acto knife to cut out eight triangular panels, using the template as a guide. Brush the panels with a little water and press lightly to apply the triangles at regular intervals around the skirt.
4 Dust a work surface with cornstarch. Roll out 2 oz (55 g) of the complementary-color fondant until it is ¼ in (6 mm) thick. Cut out a strip that is 4 in (10 cm) long and ½ in (1.25 cm) wide to make a waistband, and a strip that is 2 in (5 cm) long and ½ in (1.25 cm) wide to make a neckline (optional).
5 Roll out 1 oz (28 g) of accent color fondant until ¼ in (6 mm) thick. Cut out a strip that is 4 in (10 cm) long and ¼ in (6 mm) wide to complete the waistband. Cut out another strip that is 2 in (5 cm) long and ¼ in (6 mm) wide to complete the neckline, if using.
6 Brush the contrasting-colored fondant strips with a little water. Center the corresponding accent-color fondant strips on top, pressing lightly to adhere.
7 Using the paint brush, apply a little water around the base of the dress top. Wrap the waistband around the base of the dress top with the seam in the back. Repeat with the optional neckline strip.
Finishing touches
1 Dust a work surface with cornstarch. Roll out the remaining accent color fondant until it is ⅛ in (3 mm) thick. Use the medium flower cutter to cut out one flower per dress (for the corsage). Optionally, cut an additional 15–20 flowers per dress with the small flower cutter to form a floral hem.
2 If creating a hem, brush the bottom of edge of the skirt with a little water. Arrange a row of small flowers along the bottom of the skirt. Using the veining tool (pages 11), poke the tip of the veiner into each flower, pressing the flower into the bottom of the dress. This will result in a seamless flower border around the bottom of the dress.
