I think the fondant is slightly ivory. It is not buttercream. If I made this cake I would cut out many little circles out of fondant, let them dry a couple days then airbrush them gold and let them dry. You could hand paint them too. I would do it this way because on cake decorating day it would be a huge time saver. These little circles could be made days even weeks in advance and saved until they are needed. As for the back I think the gold dots come out from the front and side flowers towards the back but that’s it. It doesn’t make sense to put flowers at the back unless it will be seen by all the guest. Usually cakes are on tables by walls so I wouldn’t worry about the back. But do have gold dots spread out into/towards the back following the pattern.
Hope that makes sense and helps.
Teri, Ontario, Canada http://www.TeriLovesCake.ca
