The Making of a Draped Aso Oke Cake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In this post, I will be showing you how I made this draped aso oke cake. Aso oke is the name of a fabric which is very common in Nigeria. This cake features this love fabric along with other stenciled designs and gold ornaments. To read more about this cake, click here.

THE PROCESS:

(1) First, make the brooches for the cake. A tutorial on how to make these can be found here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(2) Next, make the golden ornaments. Most of them were made using button molds. Some were made free hand. They were made using ivory fondant and brushed with gold luster dust mixed with vodka.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(3) This step is optional at this point in time. I however chose to make the topper for the cake ahead of time and left it to dry. This was then placed on the cake when it was designed. This step can also be done when the cake is being designed. I just love to do as much ahead of time as possible. To make the aso oke topper:

i. Roll out a long piece of moss green fondant about 6 inches in diameter.

ii. Cut strips of ivory fondant about 1/2 inch wide and place them on the green fondant.

iii. Use a wheel embosser to stitch the edges of the ivory fondant to the green fondant.

iv. Use a ruler and an embosser to make horizontal lines on the fondant. These lines were about 5 mm apart. There is a cake making tool which can be used to do this. I didn’t have the tool and thus did it the old fashion way.

v. Using a small round pipping tip, make holes in the fondant.

vii. Using a pizza wheel, cut out fringes on one end of the fondant.

viii. Invert a cake pan the size of the top tier and fold the fabric on it using tools to make folds, curves, bends, loops and other intricate designs. The fringe should cascade over the cake pan. Leave the topper this way to dry. When it is dry enough to stand on its own, take out the support and leave it to dry thoroughly. I made this a week in advance of the actual cake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. To design the cake, drape both tiers with fondant. The top tier should be draped in white fondant while the bottom tier should be draped in ivory fondant. Drape your cake board with white fondant. Place the bottom tier on the cake board, insert dowels and stack the top tier on it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Roll out fondant the height of each tier and make horizontal ridges on the bottom part of them using a ruler and an embosser. Wrap both tiers with these fondant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Make some white royal icing and stencil the bottom tier. I have a post here on how to stencil cakes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(7) If you have made the topper ahead of time, place it on the cake. Make another sheet of aso oke using the process above and cascade this from the side of the cake to the front. If you did not make the topper ahead, do everything now. Place the brooches at the points where the fabrics meet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(9) Next, mix gold luster dust with vodka and paint the ivory portions of the aso oke.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(10) Finish the look by placing the gold ornaments on the cake. These were placed in strategic locations on the top and base of the bottom tier. That’s all there is to it. Happy caking!