Pink Sweet Sixteen Birthday Cake with Sugar Gardenias

This pink sweet sixteen birthday cake with sugar gardenias is a perfect feminine cake for a girl any age be sixteen or sixty. This simple and easy sponge technique used here would make a wonderful Mother's Day Celebration cake or a Wedding Anniversary cake.

This sweet sixteen birthday cake was super fun and simple to make. I really couldn't wait to hear back from the birthday girl after she took the cake. Was happy to hear she loved her cake very much.

Well, I have some cool stuff to share with you about this cake, the techniques I used and the new Flexabet mold fonts I used.

About this cake

• The bottom is two tiers of 7" round cake each 4 inches tall. - One is my Double Chocolate Chocolate Cake and second is Butterscotch Cake with butterscotch buttercream. Both cakes are then frosted with Ganache to make one tier.
• The Top 5 inch round cake is my carrot Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream
• I used my Marshmallow Fondant to cover both cakes.
• Stacked them using bubble tea straws.
• There is a center dowel right thru the center of that cake.

My gorgeous gardenia sugar flowers

Aren't these just the most gorgeous gardenia flowers. I love making these very much. In fact, I've had a few request to add more sugar flower tutorials to my already existing collection of tutorials. I plan to do that this year. So stay tuned for some gardenia, tulips, Daisies and more coming soon.

The plaque on the bottom

You can create a plaque using fondant or simply by covering the center like I have done here. I cut a piece of parchment paper in oval in the size I wanted. After I finished the sponge technique I explained below I simply removed the parchment paper.

The pink sponge technique

This is a simple painting technique I used - with gel colors and a piece of clean sponge.  As you can see on this plate below I have some pink, violet and white gel colors. A little vodka (alcohol) and a small piece of sponge.

I've mixed white gel with both the pink and violet to lighten them up. Add a little vodka just enough to make my sponge wet.

Then quite simple I dip the sponge in my colors and use a dap dap dap method. Yup, just press the sponge to the cake lifting and dabbing every where. The more I dab the more different my sponge imprint.

This is a very versatile technique and every single time you can create a different look by just the way you dab the sponge.

Here you go, This is both cakes finished with the sponge technique.

The lettering using Marvelous Molds Flexabet  molds

Now, I've shared some of these in a previous tutorial when I shared how to make some Fondant Plaques and Name Tags? Remembers. Guess what? These have been so popular that Marvelous Molds have been creating more additional fonts to their already existing Flexabet collection. Recently I got this Western Collection and this Action Comic Collection. I was so excited to receive this set.

Now I'll be honest I was suppose to use two of my fonts from the previous collection but when I saw these? Had to use this Action Comic fonts. In fact, to make my life a little easier? I used the Happy Birthday set to create the full set.

How to use the Flexabet molds

When I made the video for the fondant Plaques you saw how easy it was to use, Right? So this was exactly the same. Pretty simple and straight forward.

• Use gumpaste -
• Roll quite thin.
• Leave it to air dry for about  5 to 7 minutes.
• Dust mold with cornstarch, dust off any excess.
• Place paste on the mold
• Press down with your hands so it adheres to the mold.

• Use the rolling pin to press out any excess paste.
• Neaten the edges with your fingers.
• Stretch the mold so the paste is released but leave the letters in the mold.
• Either place the mold on the cake just like an onlay.

A tip (trick) I use

Or Here's a little trick that I use often and that's mostly because in summer using the mold like an onlay tends to be difficult. The molds leaves a slight impression in summer because the fondant always stays soft. Right?

• Remove the alphabets on a parchment paper.
• Place the parchment paper in the fridge for five minutes
• Keeping the alphabets in the fridge will firm the fondant making it easier to hold them in your hands
• Then I pick each one with my finger and place them where ever I want
• These few minutes gives me enough time to decide where and how I want to place them on my cake.
• If the alphabets thaw and become soft - put them back in the fridge for a few minutes.

As you can see while I used the onlay to make the words Happy Birthday - I simply just used my fridge trick to buy enough time to enjoy the process

And voila!! That's my finished cake!! I do love how this turned out and so did my sweet sixteen birthday girl. She loved the sponge effect and here gorgeous gardenias. What did you think of this technique? Have you used the Flexabeth molds yet? You must check them out here on the Marvelous Molds Website. The whole collection is truly unique. I love going to their website - my mind just explodes with inspiration of what I can do with those molds. I honestly love each and every little mold there especially because the quality is the best.  Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.