Our contributor, Miso of Miso Bakes, is back with some lovely cakes for us today….
Ombre. Gradience. Gradation.
Regardless of what you like to call it, this color trend is in. I see it everywhere starting from nail art to hair color to interior design to cookies, cakes and dessert tables. I first learned of it several years ago while getting a manicure in Seoul. The nail artist asked if I wanted gradation on my nails. Huh? Did I want what?
I shrugged as I had not a clue what she was talking about. She smiled and painted a sample on my pinky nail. The inner and darkest color was a rich magenta and the color gradually faded to a nude pink as it got to the tip. I loved it and decided I must have all ten nails painted in this manner. Even after returning to the States, I got my nails done this way. Sometimes purple. Sometimes blue. Sometimes pink. Sometimes black. Of course this all happened before my baking days. Now, I just have ugly (but clean), short, sad nails.
I have decorated desserts and cookie pops using the gradience in the past, but decorating a cake seemed a bit overwhelming. However, I finally decided to give it a go.
I could not decide if I wanted to give the cake a subtle (and single) color gradience, or if I wanted incorporate different shades. Therefore, I tried both. And, of course, gave the cakes my own twist.
As you can tell, I incorporated different shades of purple into this cake. Instead of the horizontal gradience as seen in many cakes, I wanted to be different and went forth with a vertical gradience. I aligned the side strips with the top and repeated the pattern for the sides. The cake turned out to be very Lisa Frank-ish, so I just kept the decoration simple and topped the cake with a white sugarpaste rose.
To give the cake a less heavy and modern look, instead of using colored strips, I used dots this time. Unlike the purple cake, this one has a very subtle, single hue fade that is almost hard to notice. To give it a more modern touch, I piped a few dots which I painted gold.
I was going to leave the cake the way it was, but I really wanted to see what it would look like with a green apple topper. I tried, and I loved the cake a little more. (I’m biased because green apple green is my favorite color.) The apple was a simple touch, but it definitely added a little more personality to the cake. Don’t you think so? : )
To make an ombre cake:
1. Start with color of choice.
2. Add more food coloring or white fondant as you go.
I usually start with a small amount of the darkest color and incorporate white into it as I go. I like doing this because the left over fondant is light and can be easily tinted to a different color. Another reason is because I like to work bottom up. However, this is just my personal preference.
Happy Caking,
Miso
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Miso is a regular contributor for Half Baked. She is a talented and upcoming cake designer with a big passion for cakes. Read more about Miso on her bio page. |
