Lindy’s Kissing Ball Cake Workshop May 2011

This was an eagerly anticipated workshop by Lindy and the workshop team, and we weren’t disappointed. The new Lindy Smith ‘Kissing Ball Cake’ workshop was an absolute joy!  The ‘Kissing Ball Cake’  idea is based on the Victorian wedding tradition of hanging handmade balls of flowers in archways, doorways or outdoors. They were also carried by flower girls at weddings. Lindy based her own design on this traditional floral arrangement giving it the Lindy contemporary colourful twist, of course!

This is how they did it…

The first part of this workshop focuses on the covering of the cakeboard. Our students covered their boards then stencilled them using royal icing and lustre dusts. Lindy then moved on to the covering of the ball shape. We had a mixture of real cakes today and ‘dummies’. The ball shape cake is achieved by baking your cake in a ‘Silverwood ball tin’. A fabulous tin which creates the perfect ball shape of a cake! No carving required! And it is so important to get this shape right because it forms the base for the flower decorations.From here Lindy demonstrated using a variety of  moulds to make flowers….remarkably easy and stunningly effective! We’re in love with impression moulds! Each flower can be given definition by using different coloured paste for the centres or hand painting detail on the centres or petals.  One student gave her flowers the ‘bling’ treatment with edible glitter! Once you have created a collection of flowers you will begin to place them on the covered ball shape. Each flower will sit snugly or overlap slightly,  working your way around the ball until it is completely covered. Voila…a ‘Kissing Ball’ cake.  They are lovely…well done ladies!

As you know we are trialing workshop lunches. Today our lunch caterers Whitewaters Deli & Cafe in Wendover created a luscious lunch of Spanish Tortilla, plus Tomato,Mozarella Cheese, Olive & Basil Salad and a Rocket Salad. We also had a mouth watering selection of fresh fruit and Medjool dates supplied by Andrew at Sycamore Fruit & Veg, Wendover. We are loving our lunches and judging by the leftovers…none… and from the ooohhh’s and aaahhh’s from our students we are, so far, getting it just right! Do let us know what you think.

And finally, here’s Lindy’s ‘Kissing Ball’ cake. Colourful and quite stunning!

We are thrilled with what our students achieved today. I think I can safely say that this cake will feature on our workshop programme again! Look out for it Cakefriends!

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KiwiRachel