boho ruffles

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STACKING CAKE tierS OFF CENTER creates more room on the ledges to place decorations, or it can also produce an unexpected look if you leave the ledges bare. Here, the combination of the off-centered tiers and various ruffled textures produces a romantic, fresh sensation as your eyes move around the striking layers.

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To TIER AN OFF-CENTERED CAKE,follow the steps on pages 120 to 123, but instead of centering all the straws, insert them off-center, where the next cake will be placed. It’s still helpful to use a cake board to trace the positioning of the straws, so that they will be even in diameter. Insert a center dowel through the entire cake, orienting it through the center of the bottom tier.

TO CREATE THE APPLIQUÉ ON THIS CAKE,which is inspired by the way birch bark dramatically curls and naturally strips off its trunk, cut various sized strips out of thinly rolled white sugar paste. With a utility knife, cut fringe on either side of the strips, then ruffle the edges using a small ball tool. Attach the pieces to the cake tiers, using a mixture of equal parts water and corn syrup as glue and applying the ruffles in different directions, layering some on top of one another for added depth and texture. To add more dimension to the ruffles, gently dry dust the edges using a soft paintbrush and a mixture of ivory and brown powder dyes.