Tropical Getaway Retirement Cake

Click to mark complete

1. Bake cakes. Prepare cake batter following recipe instructions. Bake and cool three 6 in., three 8 in. and three 10 in. cake layers. Trim one 6, 8 and 10 in. layer to 1 in. high for three 5 in. high cakes.
2. Tint icing. Tint 5½ cups white icing dark teal and 2¼ white icing light orange using color combinations provided. Combine Teal, Kelly Green, Sky Blue and Black icing colors to get dark teal color shown. Combine Golden Yellow and Orange icing colors to get light orange color shown. Reserve remaining icing white.

3. Ice cakes. Using dark teal icing, fill and stack 10 in. cake layers; ice cake smooth. Using white icing, fill and stack 6 in. cake layers on 6 in. cake circle; ice cake smooth. Reserve remaining white icing.

   Using white icing, fill and stack 8 in. cake layers on 8 in. cake circle. Prepare two decorating bags separately with light orange and remaining white icing. Cut 1 in. tip off each bag for ½ in. opening.

   Place 8 in. cake on cake turntable. Divide cake into fifths. Pipe alternating light orange and white stripes around sides of cake. Using icing smoother, smooth out sides. Using angled spatula, ice top of cake with light orange icing. Reserve remaining light orange icing.

   Prepare cakes for stacked construction. Stack cakes.

4. Tint fondant. Tint 4 oz. white fondant medium orange, 4 oz. light green and 4 oz. dark green using color combinations provided. Combine Golden Yellow and Orange icing colors to get medium orange color shown. Combine Leaf Green and Lemon Yellow icing colors to get light green color shown. Combine Kelly Green and Black icing colors to get dark green color shown.

   Using Pink, Black and Lemon Yellow icing colors, tint 1 oz. white fondant pink, ¼ oz. black and ½ in. ball yellow. Reserve remaining fondant white.

5. Make oranges and flowers. Using fondant roller with purple guide rings, roll out medium orange fondant. Using smooth side of round cut-outs, cut four “B” circles and four “D” circles. Use craft knife to cut small intent in each circle.

   Using fondant roller with purple guide rings, roll out light and dark green fondant, separately. Using smooth side of “C”, “D” and “E” leaf cut-outs, cut 20 leaves. Cut some leaves in half vertically, creating leaves that are half light and half dark green.

   Using remaining light and dark green fondant and palm pattern, cut out palms, two of each color.

   Using fondant roller with purple guide rings, roll out white fondant. Using Rose Calyx gum paste cut-out, cut six small and six large orange blossom flowers. Roll small balls of yellow fondant; using damp brush, attach to centers of orange blossom flowers.

   Position oranges, leaves, palm trees and orange blossoms on sides of 10 in. cake.

6. Make sun. Using fondant roller with purple guide rings, roll out 3 oz. white fondant into rectangle, measuring 4½ x 8½ in. in size. Thin small amounts Pink, Orange and Lemon Yellow icing colors with lemon extract. Using decorating brush, paint fondant with thinned icing colors (first pink, then orange, then yellow). Let set until dry, about 2 hours.

   Using craft knife and sun pattern, cut out sun and rays. Position on side of 6 in. cake.

7. Make flamingo. Using fondant roller with purple guide rings, roll out pink fondant. Using craft knife and flamingo pattern, cut out flamingo. Using damp brush, cover small part of beak with white and black fondant. Attach tiny ball of black fondant for eye. Position on side of 8 in. cake.