Radiant Orchid 3-Tiered Fondant Cake

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1. Make cakes. Prepare batter following recipe directions. Bake and cool two 6 in. cake layers, one 8 in. cake layer and two 10 in. cake layers. Prepare buttercream icing following recipe directions. Level, fill and stack cakes on cake circles: 6 in. and 10 in. cakes are 2-layer cakes, 4 in. high, and 8 in. cake is 1-layer cake, 3 in high. Use spatula and icing to ice cakes smooth.
2. Tint fondant. Tint fondant 11 oz. dark orchid, 8 oz. medium orchid and 18 oz. light orchid.
3. Cover cakes with fondant. Use fondant roller with orange guide rings to roll out 54 oz. white fondant and light orchid fondant, separately, 1/8 in. thick. Cover 6 in. and 10 in. cakes with white fondant; 8 in. cake with light orchid fondant. Reserve remaining white and light orchid fondant.
4. Make mini flowers and leaves for 8 in. cake. Use rose icing color to tint 3/4 in. ball of light orchid a pinker color. Use fondant roller with blue guide rings to roll out fondant 1/16 in. thick. Use flowers and leaf mini cut-outs to cut out three blossoms, two small blossoms and six leaves. Use large and small ball tools to cup flower centers on thick shaping foam. Use veining tool to mark center veins on leaves on thick shaping foam. Set aside.

5. Decorate 10 in cake with ruffles. Use fondant roller with blue guide rings to roll out dark orchid fondant 1/16 in. thick. Use straight edge of second smallest (1 5/16 in.) heart cut-out from set to cut 230 hearts. (Recommend cutting six to eight at a time and storing under flap of storage board until needed.)

   Use large end of ball tool to form ruffle edges of top half of heart. Use damp brush to brush back of heart by tip. Place heart against 10 in. cake with tip up, starting at the bottom of the cake. Continue adding hearts, overlapping hearts. Move up ¾ in. to next row and repeat process. To achieve a ruffled effect, alternate overlap. Continue for five rows, coming up and over top of cake edge. Add two more rows on cake top.

6. Make pattern on 6 in. cake. Use fondant roller with orange guide rings to roll out medium orchid fondant 1/8 in. thick. Use pattern embosser with quilt pattern roller to emboss pattern on fondant. Use fondant trimmer to cut strip 20 in. long x 4 in. wide. Use brush and piping gel to attach fondant strip to cake side, making sure cake top is level.
7. Stack cakes. Prepare cakes for stacked construction. Stack cakes.

8. Decorate cake. Use fondant roller with orange guide rings to roll out medium orchid fondant 1/8 in. thick. Use ribbon cutter with 1/4 in. spacer to cut out fondant ribbon, 20 in. long. Use damp brush to attach ribbon to bottom of 6 in. cake. Use knife to trim, if necessary.

   Prepare thinned fondant adhesive. Roll reserved white fondant into three balls, 1/8 in., and two balls, 1/16 in. Use brush and thinned fondant adhesive to attach balls to center of cupped blossoms. Use brush and thinned fondant adhesive to attach flowers and leaves to center of 8 in. cake. Hold in place until set, about 1 to 2 minutes.