1.Trim cakes. Secure deep 25cm cake on largest board, top with remaining large cake, joining cakes with a little jam or ganache. Stack and secure the two 15cm cakes to same-sized board in the same way. Secure 20cm cake to same-sized board. Prepare cakes for covering with ready-made icing.
2.Knead ready-made icing on surface dusted with a little cornflour until icing loses its stickiness. Tint 500g of icing ivory, enclose in plastic wrap. Tint remaining icing using brown colouring and a touch of black colouring.
3.Roll 375g of the brown icing on cornfloured surface until large enough to cover 15cm cake. Using rolling pin, lift icing onto cake, smooth with hands then smoothing tools. Trim icing neatly around base.
4.Use 750g of brown icing to cover large cake in the same way as small cake. Use ivory icing to cover medium cake in the same way. Dry cakes overnight.
5.Push 3 trimmed skewers into centre of large cake to support middle tier. Push 3 trimmed skewers into centre of medium cake to support cake stand and top tier. Using the large make-up brush, brush the small and large cakes evenly with shimmer powder. Secure medium cake to larger cake.
6.To make royal icing, sift icing sugar through a fine sieve. Lightly beat the egg white into a small bowl until mixture is just broken up (do not whip into peaks). Beat in the icing sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, until it reaches desired consistency. Using a wooden spoon mix in the lemon juice.
7.Tint 1 tablespoon royal icing brown to match the cakes, tint remaining royal icing ivory to match cake. Half-fill piping bags with 1 tablespoon of royal icing to match the cakes, pipe around base of same-coloured cakes. Use fingertip to blend icing into any gaps where cakes join the boards. Dry cakes overnight. Cover the surface of the remaining royal icing with plastic wrap to prevent it drying out.
8.Secure large stencil to side of large cake with pins. Use spatula to spread royal icing over stencil, remove excess icing with scraper, return to bowl. Gently remove pins and stencil, wash and dry stencil before using again. Repeat until stencil is completed around the large cake. Stand cake about 1 hour to dry.
9.Use the smaller stencil to make a lace pattern on opposite sides of the small cake in the same way.
10.Wrap ribbon around middle cake, secure with a little royal icing. Make a bow using some of the ribbon, secure the ends with a little glue. Attach brooch to bow, attach bow to ribbon with glue.
11.Secure crystal trim to edge of cake stand with glue, wrap trim around cake stand twice, if necessary, so crystals hang close together. Secure small cake on cake stand with a little royal icing. Secure stand to middle cake with royal icing when assembling.
The shimmer on the cake and the crystals on the stand capture the light, giving this stunning cake an eye-catching sparkle. The cake stand needs to have a flat base so it can be supported by the skewers in the middle tier. If the base of the stand is not flat, cut a piece of strong white cardboard to fit the base of the stand, glue in position. It’s best to position and secure the cake stand (holding the top tier) when the cake is positioned at the event. Stencilling is an easy yet effective way to decorate a cake, especially if the covering is not quite perfect. The tricks to using the stencil are to use the royal icing sparingly and to remove the stencil gently. Practice using the stencil on a cake pan before decorating the cake. Using a new make-up brush, dust shimmer powder all over the large and small cakes. Secure stencil to side of cake with pins. Use spatula to spread the royal icing evenly over the stencil pattern. Use the metal scraper to scrape away the excess icing. Remove pins from stencil. Gently remove the stencil from side of cake. Use a little coloured royal icing to hide the pin marks. Cut a length of ribbon to fit around the middle-sized cake. Make a bow from the ribbon. Secure the ends with craft glue. Secure a strip of ribbon over the centre of the bow with glue; allow to dry. Attach brooch to the bow with the brooch pin. Secure crystal trim to the edge of the cake stand with glue. Wrap and glue trim around the cake stand again to thicken the layer.
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