She sells seashells..

A really sweet couple I know was married in June in San Francisco.  Their wedding's theme was a sort of seashell, nautical type of decor and the bride asked for a simple cake with seashells (she was making the cake-topper).  She also really like a batch of Italian buttercream I had whipped up, so we decided to use it for the cake!

Making Italian Buttercream is a rather fun adventure.  This is the frosting that requires you to boil sugar and water and add it to egg whites in your mixer.. all while beating the heck out of it while it cools.  I found the challenge rather fun and watched as the frosting went from a curdled looking mess to a very delicate and not-too-sweet, spreadable icing.  

Since this was my first time using this frosting on any cake order- let alone a wedding cake!  I learned lots of little lessons and would, of course, do things better next time.  But the cake had a little whimsy feel, and I thought it came out pretty good for a first run.  

I decorated the cake here and there with white chocolate shells (to match the bride's tiara) and marshmallow fondant pearls I painted with luster dust.  We also had a bunch of matching cupcakes that turned out gorgeous, but, alas, I forgot to take a picture of them!  Maybe one will turn up in the next few weeks. :)

cake: 8"/12" chocolate cake with layers of fudge and whipped cream filling with fresh strawberries inside. Iced with vanilla italian buttercream.