NEEDED: See the Supply List for items you can purchase here, plus our Gum Glue Adhesive Recipe. Check out the Techniques tab to learn how to marbleize fondant and create a stacked construction. You will also need:

• Your favorite cake mix or recipe (54 cups batter needed)
• Ruler

Fondant to be tinted. Use Color Right base colors and QuickCount color formulas to tint fondant in the following shades:

• Light Purple: 9 oz. white fondant + 12P + 2B
• Southern Sunset: 24 oz. white fondant + 9P + 3Y + 2R
• Light Crimson: 24 oz. white fondant + 1C
• Reserve remaining fondant white

Two days in advance, make peony. Using white gum paste, make one wired peony following instructions in cut-outs set. Let dry following instructions.

One day in advance, bake and cool cakes. Use your favorite cake mix or recipe to make 54 cups of batter. Bake and cool three 6 inch, three 8 inch, and three 10 inch cake layers. Trim one layer in each size to 1 inch high to create three 5 inch high tiers. Fill and stack layers; ice smoothly.

Cover bottom tier in fondant. Roll out white fondant to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut panels to fit sides and top of 10 inch tier. Attach immediately.

Helpful Hint: If icing has crusted, use piping gel to attach fondant to cake.

Cover middle and top tier in fondant. Marble approximately 1 oz. light purple and 2 oz. crimson and sunset orange fondant with approximately 6 oz. white fondant. To marbleize, twist colors together, then fold and twist again. Marbleize eight more batches using the same measurements.

Roll out marbleized fondant to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut panels to fit 8 inch tiers and attach immediately. Repeat step for 6 inch tier. Reserve extra fondant.

Stack cakes. Use our technique for stacked construction.

Create ruffled cake border. Roll out reserved fondant from middle and top tiers to 1/16 inch thickness. Cut 16 strips measuring 10 inches x 1 inch. Using large ball tool and shaping foam, ruffle long side of strips. Use gum glue to attach first row, ruffled edge up, 2-1/2 inches from base of cake. Place next strip approximately 1/2 inch below last strip. Repeat for third strip. The final strip should run along base of cake. Repeat on all four sides of bottom tier.

Helpful Hint: You can also use piping gel or a damp brush to attach strips to cake.

Create ruffled corner. Roll out reserved white fondant to 1/16 inch thickness. Using medium peony petal cut-out, cut 24 petals. Ruffle edges with extra-small ball tool. Using gum glue, attach one petal with ruffled edge up over bottom corner of middle tier. Attach second petal on right side of first and third petal on left side of first. Continue pattern up side of second tier, allowing petals to flop outwards away from cake.

Decorate cake. Insert peony with wires in flower spike into top tier.

*The smallest tier is often saved for the first anniversary. Number of servings does not include smallest tier.