Cake toppers. They’re so much fun. They add a unique touch to an otherwise generic wedding cake. They carry a personal message on a birthday cake. They are sometimes, however, an absolute pain!
My attention was drawn to the problem when 3 disaster areas struck in 1 week.
You can't see it but next year's Oscar will go to the best supporting cocktail stick.
The first one I just didn’t see coming.
I was making a wedding cake for a couple who had decided to buy their toppers elsewhere. They opted for a clay bride & groom that would be robust and able to stand the test of time. What I hadn’t considered was that the toppers would be made by someone who had a rather slender grasp of the law of gravity.
In other words, the toppers wouldn’t stand up.
Not only were the bases of each topper comparatively tiny, but the angle of the groom slanted back a good 20 degrees. In the end, the only thing for it was to put a cocktail stick up his backside and then pile on top a mound of fondant disguised as flowers.
butterfliesMy second problem came in the form of rice paper toppers. The bride had her heart set on a butterfly theme and had ordered the toppers herself. It just didn’t occur to me they wouldn’t come pre-cut.
Cue 2 hours of cutting out the fiddliest of toppers, worried I’d accidentally take off minuscule antennae or rip a wing in two. (I didn’t, and they looked stunning, but in future I shall be wary when a couple says they want their own toppers.)
What do you mean you've never heard of it?
The last one is the one I shall now refer to as ‘the spelling horror’. My spellings are usually pretty good so I was surprised to get a request that meant I had to double-check every single letter on the cake. Think you’d be able to do better?
Take a look and then comment!
Have you had a topper nightmare? Do tell below!