So this past weekend I made a wedding cake for two very special friends. They requested the top tier with spiced cake and apple butter filling; the lower tier is hummingbird cake with cream cheese filling. I used Sugarologie’s American Dreamy Buttercream for the crumb coat and final frosting.
Unfortunately the weather in St Louis over the weekend was steadily over 95° and humid. The wedding and reception was on Saturday, I completed construction of the cake on Friday and delivered it to the venue, which was an outdoor venue with a reach in cooler. The cooler was struggling to keep up and was dripping condensation the whole time.
The day of the wedding I went to check on it and saw that a lot of of the sugar agate slices I used for the topper were melting and the green coloring I used on the rock sugar was also dripping off. (See photo of cake as it was displayed below in the comments)
Ultimately, I feel like I pulled the cake off and it came together the way I wanted. The weather unfortunately was not cooperating. (besides the decorations melting, the buttercream recipe I used is very solid and it did not budge, plus it’s super delicious!) I got lots of great feedback from the guests about how delicious the cake was (lots of them had never had hummingbird cake before), so I’m happy with the way things turned out. Wasn’t the prettiest cake but I’m proud of what I made for my friends.
Any of you cake decorators have tips on dealing with hot and humid conditions? Has this ever happened to you? Let me know in the comments! 🎂
First pic is the cake after it was dropped off at the venue; second pic is the lower tier after it was completed in an AC controlled kitchen.
by Motor_Telephone8595
15 Comments
This was how the cake looked after it was displayed at the reception. Notice the puddle of green on the bottom. 🫠🫠🫠
https://preview.redd.it/4veu9vzk6sjf1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7bf0950db18102e51c97c41c0a807ab94f8e1d4f
That’s so stressful! Regardless, it looks fantastic both before and after. Good work.
I also wanna give a shout out to Sugarologie’s American dreamy buttercream recipe. This is the second time I’ve used this buttercream recipe for a cake that was to be displayed in warmer conditions and both times the buttercream held its shape and its structural integrity. Check out the recipe [here.](https://www.sugarologie.com/recipes/american-dreamy-buttercream)
The sugar decorations were leaking not because of the heat but because of the high humidity and condensation. To avoid this, it was necessary to decorate the cake at the last moment or store it in a box to avoid contact with the air in the refrigerator.
I’m so sorry it melted, this is such a beautiful work and I’m glad the guests loved it!
Damn – what a shame!
Gorgeous work though, and a box will make all the difference. Always box when refrigerating after applying the final coat of frosting (or any coating, really).
It’s gorgeous. Sorry the weather was so mean!😢
I’m so sorry that happened! But OH MY GOSH your cake is AMAZING!!
That looks amazing in both cases!
Beautiful colors. The whole cake is lovely
Just wanted to say this is extremely well done. I’ve seen so many geode cakes that resemble vaginas. You have zero hint of genitalia.
Hi!! As a suggestion, you can try making the crystals out of isomalt next time! It’s still edible and sweet, but much more resistant to humidity than sugar, so it won’t melt of become sticky. That’s what pastry artists use for building sugar sculptures!
It’s more expensive and a bit hard to find but you should be able to find it online. Definitely worth it for a wedding cake.
Regardless, you did a beautiful job! I’m so sorry it melted, but it still looked stunning!
you could always say it was a glacier and then it’s just melting 😀
jokes aside that was very well done and I’m sorry it didn’t turn out well
Congrats on making one that doesn’t look like a vulva, though!
I still can’t see where it melted in the pics. Looks amazingly perfect. I wonder what the happy couple expected for a cake in a heat wave. It must have been very delicious for the guests to be eating in such hot weather. I hope there was at least a breeze. Just amazing cake! 😍