CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM A stacked wedding cake is covered with rolled fondant and icing flowers.

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With this cake
I thee wed

It's not easy, but you can
create a wedding cake to
match your colors and theme

The students (mostly eligible-looking young ladies) heard these warnings: "If you're a Type-A personality, you'll be OK with this, but severe Type-As, take aspirins now." And, "You can decorate wedding cakes at home, but your kitchen must be cool, well-equipped and without dogs, cats or children."

The advice prefaced the Kahala Culinary Academy's class, "Decorating Wedding Cakes." The speaker, Bradford Hull, executive pastry chef of the Kahala Mandarin Oriental, was all encouragement after that, as he and Executive Sous Chef Milan Drager spent two hours demonstrating techniques and offering tips from their many years of experience.

Two basic cakes emerged: one tiered; one stacked (tiered means pillars separate the layers; stacked means the layers sit directly atop each other). One cake was frosted the traditional way, with buttercream, the other was draped with fondant, which covers the cake in a smooth sheet.

If there's a wedding in your future, these step-by-step instructions will provide the basics in both approaches. Note that you can bake your own cake or order the layers from a bakery, then decorate to fit your colors, theme and personality. Fondant may also be purchased ready-made.

A steady hand and a sense of artistry are required either way.

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Decorating with fondant

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CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM Roll out fondant on a board floured with powdered sugar to 1/2- to 3/8-inch thickness. Any thicker won't taste as good; too thin and the cake will show through. Chef Bradford Hull drapes the fondant from his rolling pin onto the cake layer.

CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM The circle of fondant must cover the top of the cake and the sides, plus a few extra inches. To remove wrinkles, pull edges out and away from the cake, then push back in. Working quickly so your hands don't warm the fondant, push out bubbles, then cut away outer edges. (Fondant scraps make nice flowers and cut-outs). Tip: In Hawaii, where condensation is a problem, keep fondant as dry as possible, or your decorations will slide off. Sealing with plastic wrap, both in and out of the refrigerator, helps.

CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM Chef Hull pokes wooden chopsticks into the cake to provide hidden support for the top layer. Insert the sticks, marking where they reach the top of the cake, then remove and cut at the mark. Reinsert into bottom layer.

CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM With the top layer in place, use a pastry bag to pipe a line of buttercream frosting over the seam between layers. The finished cake (above) has an added braid made from fondant strips. Tip: To color fondant, add just a drop of pastel color at a time to the dough before kneading and rolling it. This creates a subtle coloring and avoids that "teenagers' birthday cake" look.

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Bake it yourself

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease four cake pans with cooking oil spray.

Sift together sugar, flour, salt and baking powder.

Combine yolks with oil and water; beat on medium speed. Add dry ingredients and continue beating until partially homogenous. Beat on high speed until smooth and homogenous.

To make meringue: Whip whites, adding sugar slowly until soft peaks form. Fold into yolk/flour mixture by hand.

Bake at 20 to 30 minutes, until center springs back or a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Makes 4 9-inch cakes.

Sifted powdered sugar; add to water and whip with a whisk. Add butter and whip until smooth. Add shortening and whip until smooth.

Nutritional information unavailable.

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Decorating with buttercream icing

To begin, place a cake layer on a cardboard base and "glue" it to a turntable with heavy corn syrup, or use Scotch tape. Pile frosting on cake. To make tiers, you will need plastic pillars and a specially made plastic decorator plate to hold the upper tier. The pillars fit into the base of the plate.

CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM Use a clean, angled spatula and turn the cake to smooth the sides. The top "lip" of icing can then be removed with the spatula, and the layer leveled off.

CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM Insert dowel rods into bottom layer (mark the spots first, using the bottom of the decorator plate. The platform should be slightly larger than the cake layer it supports.

CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM A biscuit cutter may be used to mark semi-circular guides for piping. "You can divide the cake up mathematically, or just wing it with the scallops, the way I do," chef Bradford Hull says.

CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM Icing "scallops" are piped around the layers, using a ruffle-piping tip. For best proportions, don't decorate below the halfway mark of your cake layer.

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CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM The cake is finished with small scallops around the bases and a fresh flower crown.

Decorating toolbox What you'll need to decorate a wedding cake, besides the cake itself and the frosting: Basics » Angled metal spatula (13 to 15 inches) » Rubber spatula or wooden spoon » Ruler » Pen or pencil » Serrated knife » Bowls » Kitchen towel Specialty items » Cake boards for each layer » Dowel rods and separator plates for tiered cakes » Wooden chopsticks for stacked cakes » Disposable pastry bags with connectors and decorating tips » Decorating colorings Optional items » A turntable (borrow from your microwave) » Cake box (if transporting cake) » Gliding smoother for fondant layers Shopping sources Hans Weiler Foods (1329 Moonui St., 847-2210: Carries pre-made fondant in several colors, marzipan, mixes and baking pans, plus decorating equipment, including pillars and stands. Also, cake "drums," in gold and silver for transporting cakes, luster dust, gold and silver leaf. The Executive Chef (Ward Warehouse, 596-2433): Carries most decorating supplies, including icing sugars, marzipan and fondant. Classes in cake decorating offered on a regular basis. The Compleat Kitchen (Ala Moana Center, 944-1741; Kahala Mall, 737-5827): Carries pans in graduated sizes and other baking supplies, fondants, colors, flavorings, icings that harden for decorating, and mixes for buttercream icings. Many staffers are professional decorators who can provide advice. Ben Franklin Crafts Mapunapuna (2810 Paa St., 833-3800): Carries the basic Wilton line of decorating supplies, pans and icings. Note that the smaller stores have phased out these supplies. Online sources: wilton.com/wedding and pastrywiz.com/wedding provide baking and decorating supplies by mail-order, as well as instructions and tips. Compiled by E. Shan Correa, special to the Star-Bulletin