Step by Step Guide to Baking and Decorating a Wedding Cake

Now comes the fun part - decorating the wedding cake! If you have experience with a piping bag, you may wish to add piped icing in a basketweave pattern, shells around the outer edges, or dots along the inner edges. I don't recommend this if you don't have much experience with a piping bag.

Since this cake has raspberry filling, you may wish to place fresh raspberries all around the inner edges of the tiers. When you are filling the layers, simply set aside the most beautiful berries for decorating.

Another simple decorating technique is to pin a riboon around each layer, such as that seen here. Cut each ribbon to length and wrap around wedding cake tier, tucking the end under and securing with a pearl-headed pin. Make sure that the cake layers are cold and firm when you do this so that the buttery icing won't stain the ribbon.

I've chosen perhaps the simplest and most elegant decoration of all - decorating the wedding cake with fresh flowers. Ask your florist to order extra unsprayed flowers for decorating the cake, matching those they will use in the bouquets and centerpieces. Then lay the flowers around the cake in an even fashion, or cascading down one side. The flowers seen below are pink and white roses, and purple mini calla lilies. Mini calla lilies work well because you can wrap the stems around the tiers. For roses and other flowers, cut the stems short and insert them barely into the cake. If you have any trouble getting flowers to stick, use a hairpin!