This was quite the unusual request, & I have to admit I was a bit ‘skeered’! She wanted me to replicate her father’s grist mill that he had purchased in a state of disrepair, & restored it to working condition—& they grow & grind their own corn! She wanted something very special for his 80th birthday. It does have a working waterwheel, but on this mill it is underneath the mill instead of on the side.

The first picture is the real mill & the cake mill. My client was shocked—-she said she had no idea how realistic it would look & said I even got the color of the water in the pond right. She was so thrilled she nearly cried, & that’s the best reaction ever!

I fretted & fretted over how I was going to do that waterfall. I finally settled on creating the fondant rocks, painting with a vodka corn syrup mix for shine, & then ‘splatting’ piping gel over it, with white piping gel stippled in. I was fairly pleased with the result, as it maintained the clarity so you can see the rocks like on the real waterfall, but still at least kind of looks like water.

The little mill is lemon pound cake with white chocolate buttercream filling. Everything is edible. The main cake is vanilla buttermilk cake with white chocolate buttercream filling. Both are iced with almond white chocolate ganache & finished with fondant & modeling chocolate. (And I SWEAR the porch railings aren’t leaning in person—-but they look like they are in my pictures. My photography leaves much to be desired.)

Video at “Historical Grist Mill & Waterfall Cake” :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVsA1gCqhhI.