A Cake for Every Season
Erica O'Brien
Class Preview
0:51
- In-depth Instruction; over 237 mins
- On-demand video access anytime
- Bonus downloadable PDF resources
- Access to class Q&A
Winter Cake
42:36
Meet your instructor, cake artist Erica O'Brien, and preview the four seasonal cakes you'll create in this class. Then, dive right in and make the Winter Cake, complete with knitwear texture, a pieced Nordic star and adorable pompoms covered in icy sprinkles! Erica will take you step by step through all of the techniques you'll need to make this amazing cake, from texturing fondant to using templates and attaching 3-D elements.
Spring Cake, Part One
33:28
Learn how to make eyelet lace using gum paste and a paper punch, then pick up tips for attaching it to the cake so that it looks level and seamless. Then, make the vibrant sweet potato leaves that you'll use in your cherry blossom bouquets. Erica offers professional advice for coloring and shows you how a paint-chip fan deck will revolutionize your coloring process!
Spring Cake, Part Two
33:35
Finish up your Spring Cake as you turn your attention to beautiful and delicate cherry blossoms and buds. You'll learn how to thin and assemble your 12-petal blossoms using floral wire, cutters and a ball tool. Discover how to blend petal dusts to get the exact color you want. Then, create buds that look like they're just about to open. Finally, Erica offers advice for arranging your blossoms, buds and leaves into beautiful bouquets and placing them on the cake.
Summer Cake, Part One
27:49
Work with one of cake decorating's trendiest materials as you create sherbet-colored wafer-paper confetti. Learn techniques for painting your confetti custom colors as well as cutting and attaching it to the tiers. Then, uncover the secrets for using metallic dust to paint a bold tier that's free from bare spots and streaks!
Summer Cake, Part Two
33:10
It's time to turn up the drama as Erica shows you how to use confectioner's glaze to create a patent-leather effect on fondant. Use Erica's templates to cut out and form the loops of the oversized bow that is the focal point of this cake. Erica offers tips for assembling and attaching the bow to the cake without the use of skewers or wires. Finally, use a clay extruder to make the rope-textured fondant button at the center of the bow.
Fall Cake, Part One
34:58
Discover one of the newest mediums used in cake decorating, Mexican paste, as Erica demonstrates how to make elegant lace doilies. You'll learn how to make Mexican paste, use it in a lace mold and then attach the lace to a tier. Then, create eucalyptus leaves colored in cool tones as you cut, wire, thin, dust and assemble these botanical baubles.
Fall Cake, Part Two
31:08
Finish your final cake with a flourish of delicate lavender sprigs and sage leaves. Erica will show you how to add veining texture to your gum paste using real sage. Then, master techniques of fine sugar work as you form your lavender sprigs using tiny cutters and a light touch.
Evoke the delicious charm of every season using cake designer Erica O’Brien’s unique techniques and cake decorating ideas. Deliver a Winter Cake with the inviting texture of a knit sweater, a classic Nordic star motif, and pompoms with playful movement. Create a Spring Cake wrapped in flirty eyelet lace and blissfully accentuated by sweet potato vine leaves and cherry blossoms made from gum paste. Make a Summer Cake bursting with colorful confetti, shining with a bright gold tier and topped with Erica’s signature patent leather bow. Decorate a Fall Cake with toasty, neutral colors and lace doilies accented with a sugar bouquet of eucalyptus leaves, lavender, and sage. Use the skills you learn to create cakes that tap into the feel of your clients’ favorite seasons.
Erica O'Brien
Erica discovered cake decorating quite by accident in 1995 and quickly fell in love with the art. After moving to California in 2006, Erica began designing cakes full time and quickly gained national recognition. In 2011, she moved to Connecticut where her business, Erica O'Brien Cake Design, continues to grow. Today, Erica's designs have been featured in Brides Magazine, The Knot and many others as well as on many noteworthy blogs. She lives with her husband and two spunky, cake-loving daughters.
Bonus materials available after purchase