Sleeping Beauty (Aurora/Maleficent) Cake

Recently, someone asked about a tutorial for the Aurora/Maleficent cake that I made for my niece's third birthday in January.  At the time, I just didn't have time to create a tutorial, but I've got a few extra minutes now, so here it is! :-)

This cake is a three-layer, six-inch vanilla cake with vanilla frosting.  I purchased most of the fondant pre-colored from Amazon.  The purple is Fondarific Purple and the other colors are from Wilton: hot pink, black, and white.  The Aurora and Maleficent toppers are part of a figurine set that I also purchased from Amazon.

Instructions:

Bake, cool, fill, and stack three six-inch layers of cake (this cake was about 4.5 inches tall).  Cover the cake with a thin layer of frosting and then use a knife to mark the frosting where you want the two colors of fondant to meet (approximately in the middle of the top and sides).

Roll out some purple fondant.  (Note: the Fondarific brand is a little bit softer than the Wilton fondant, so you may prefer to add a little bit of tylose powder or GumTex to stiffen it up, although it isn't necessary).  Use a rotary cutter or knife to cut a straight edge on one side of the fondant while it is still lying flat, then drape the fondant over the cake so that the straight edge goes across the top of the cake.  Press the fondant around the edge of the cake.

Use scissors or a sharp knife to trim away the excess fondant on the sides, and then use your rotary cutter or knife to trim the excess away from the bottom.  

Repeat this process with the pink fondant.  The seam and bottom edge do not need to be perfect because they will be covered later on.

 Next, create the divider image.  Print this template of the background images for Aurora and Maleficent.  If you are unable to open the template, you can print the following images:

 Cut a piece of cardboard to match the size and shape of the template images and then glue the images to the cardboard (ensure that the grain/ripples/channels of the cardboard are vertical).  Trim the divider/images, as needed, and then insert two skewers into the channels of the cardboard.  Here are some photos of the front and back:

To create the Maleficent side, roll several "logs" of black fondant (various lengths and widths) with one wide end and one pointy end.  Attach the black fondant to the purple with some piping gel, edible glue, or a small amount of water, and then use a small pair of scissors to make several cuts into the logs to create thorns. (I started with with the thicker pieces, and then added thinner pieces afterward.)  Use thorny vines to cover the seams on the sides of the cake and around the bottom edge.

I used a clay extruder to add a rim of black fondant around the Maleficent side of the divider and a pink rim of fondant around the rim of the Aurora side.  Once the black fondant had hardened a little bit, I brushed a thin layer of shortening over the thorny vines to make them shiny.  Here is a picture of the finished Maleficent side:

Unfortunately, I did not take many pictures while I was creating the Aurora side, but this side did not take nearly as long as the Maleficent side.  

To make the swags for the front of the Aurora side, mix a small amount of the hot pink fondant with some white fondant.  Then roll a small piece of the light pink fondant and drape it over some wooden dowels to create the pleats (the length doesn't matter, because you can cut it later).  Fold the top and bottom edges under so there are no "raw" edges, and then pinch the left and right ends together while removing the fondant from the dowel.  

Attach it to the front/center of the cake with some piping gel and then repeat the process to create the other two swags.  The edges where the swags meet do not need to be perfect, because they will be covered by buttons.  To make the buttons, I used a silicone mold, but you could use whatever type of design/mold that you prefer.  You could also use balls of fondant or flowers.  If your edges are neater than mine, you won't need to cover them up with anything. :-)

Next, create the drapes for the sides of the cake using the same process that you used for the swags, except you only need to pinch one end and then let the other end hang freely.  Attach them to the sides of the cake to help cover the seams.  You can either allow the drapes to overlap the swags where they meet, or you can allow the swags to overlap the drapes (I chose the latter).  Adjust your swags and drapes to your desired preferences while they are still pliable.  I dusted my swags and drapes with a little bit of silver luster dust, but later regretted it because it didn't cover as evenly as I would have liked.

Add a row of pearls around the top edge, if desired.  I used a small pearl mold, but edible pearls or small balls of white fondant would work equally as well.

To create the name plate for the front of the Aurora side, I used this template and adjusted it to the size of the name that I was using.  Again, if you are unable to view the template, you can use the following image and resize it to meet your needs:

Print the template (preferably onto cardstock) and then cut it out.  Roll out a thin piece of white fondant onto some wax/parchment paper, lay the template on top, and then use a sharp knife to cut it out.  Attach it to the cake with some piping gel.

I used the Funky Alphabet Tappits cutters to create the letters for Lily's name.  Then I painted the front of each letter with some edible gold paint.  At this point, I also decided to add a thin, light pink border around the frame using my clay extruder.  It was a barely noticeable addition.

To make the ruffles along the bottom edge, I used the same technique that I used for my princess cake tutorial:

Roll a strip of fondant to your desired level of thickness.  Initially, I rolled my fondant really thin, and it didn't hold the shape as well, so I ended up making it a little bit thicker.  Cut a long strip of fondant (length doesn't matter right now) that is about one inch wide.

Cut the strip into smaller sections (mine were about 3 inches).

To create the pleats, use your finger and thumbs to create three pleats (or more, if you want) in each strip.

 Pinch the pleats together at the top.

 Cut off the excess pinched portion at the top of the ruffle so that the ruffle is flat on top.

 This is what a finished ruffle looks like: 

Add some edible pearls, Sixlets, or some balls of white fondant in between the ruffles.

Lastly, add a strip of hot pink fondant (the same thickness as the strip that goes around the top) where the bottom of the divider meets the cake to give it a more finished look.

We're done!

And Lily loved it! :-)