This is likely the last year I can do my own cake and do a style from my cake bucket list so here it is all…my Steampunk XLIV Birthday Cake!

XLIV is 44 in Roman Numerals which I think is fitting for the Steampunk genre as a lot of clocks and time pieces use Roman Numerals. And fitting too because this design ended up being so time-consuming – over 30 hours just on making the decorative elements and decorating the cake. This does not include the time to bake and make all the fillings, fondant & ganache, nor to fill and ganache the tiers.

I used Jo Orr’s (from Ciccio Cakes) edible sugar lace recipe & tutorial that is available at Operation Sugar Ltd (https://www.facebook.com/OperationSugar?fref=ts) to support a worthy cause. It was AMAZING and SO easy to use! LOVE it as it stayed so flexible even after a few days so will be doing lots more lace now hehe…

I used molds I got from Way Beyond Cakes by Mayen for the keys and locks as well as the intricate lacework inside the heart and on the top of the top tier.

Of course I had to use purples and I chose Pantone which is the Colour Trend for 2014, mixed with some darker hues to stick with the Steampunk look, however the colours show up a bit darker in the pics so it looks more like grapey or plum.

I ran into some troubles with the ganache – still too soft – keep trying to increase my ratios but doing it a bit at a time to get to the right consistency. So there is some bulging in the back due to the weight of the hat but oh well – at least you can’t see it from the front!

TFL – Violet =D