After 18 years, my mom and step-dad recently got married. It was a small gathering, twelve of us in total, including the bride and groom. Rings, flowers, food, music and photography were all selected from local shops months in advance so that by the week of the wedding, everything was pretty much set. Everything that is, but the cake. With only a few days to go, it was up to me to come up with something mildly resembling a wedding cake. My mother's only requests: it had to be a spice flavour and it should provide a good platform for the bride & groom snow globe that she'd picked up at the dollar store. I should point out that I am not much of a baker. My talents generally tend to fall on the side of baked goods consumption. But who can say no to their mother? Besides, it was too late to pay someone to do it for me. I had to come up with a plan. Step 1: Seek advice One of my biggest fears was that I was going to have to pipe flowers. Can you imagine? The cake would have looked like a Jackson Pollock by the time I was done with it. Thank goodness for the Test Kitchen. Adell taught me the basics of fondant and suggested I use real flowers instead. So much easier! Step 2: Shopping I never like to begin on a new hobby without first acquiring all the right tools. The Bulk Barn in Carleton Place was perfect for that. I asked a lot of questions but the woman in the store was super patient and she suggested I use those tube-y things that stick in the cake so that the flowers don't die of thirst. Amazing! Step 3: Rally the troops It started off slowly (just me and my step-sister) but as the night progressed, more an more people trickled in to give their two cents. Suddenly all the guests were gathered around the kitchen island rolling fondant, debating decorating methods, calling out suggestions and/or photographing the process (thank you Aunt Dani). Here's the final product. It's not crazy cakes quality but my mom was pleased which really, is all that counts. If you're like me, and your're new to cake making, here are some handy links to get you started: For ideas to get you started, and to see what other people have done, check out the Cake Central gallery Wilton has great tips and tricks for working with fondant. And finally, this is an oldie but a goody. Erika Kern at The DIY Wedding shows you how to make cake toppers from wooden clothespins. So cute!