As part of an 80th anniversary celebration on June 14, 2008, Wilton Industries in Chicago held a cake decorating contest at the Wilton School. The theme of the contest was "Past & Present", so I looked back to the start of the company at the end of the Roaring Twenties. I found my inspirations in the flapper dresses of the era, cloche hats with egret feathers, Erte Art Deco prints, and the jewels that symbolize an 80th anniversary--diamonds and pearls.
The 3 tier, elongated octagonal cake was done in shaded fondant from dark purple to pale violet. The settings for the jewels were made in fondant from original 1976 Wilton Baroque Gum Paste Molds. The diamonds were done in 2 shapes in a silicone mold that I made from scrapbooking jewels. The egret feathers were hand cut and veined gum paste. All of the draping was done free-form in fondant. The finishing touch was beaded fringe trim on all 3 cakeboards.
I was delighted to be awarded 2nd place out of nearly 30 entries in the non-professional (i.e. don't make a living selling cakes) division .
I've taken the Wilton Master Course and many other classes at the school and I attribute many of my skills and my keen interest in cake decorating to the wonderful people and instruction at Wilton.
