Is it Still Slimming if it's a Little Black Cake?

Putting the final touches on the cake

I went to this demo before I started my wedding cake project. I wanted to pick up as many tips and tricks as possible for making a wedding cake. I did pick up some general tricks on how to cover cake layers in fondant and how to stack them. I learned four specific tips I'd like to pass on:

1. Don't try to dye fondant black yourself. Buy pre-colored fondant. It'll save you a lot of work and keep you from dying your hands black.
2. Don't buy circle cutters for making dots, just use pastry tips of varying sizes. We did this in class to an extent, but I didn't realize just how versatile they could be until I saw the drastically different sizes Chef Ron was able to make with them. (I admit I didn't use this trick at school, I never needed dots, but I've used it since.)
3. To make even lines use a straight pin to tack ribbon of the appropriate width to the cake. That way you can line up your decorations by using the straight edge of the ribbon. For scallops, cut a circle of parchment to fit the circumference of the cake, fold it up into an accordion stack and cut a semi circle out of the top (it's just like making paper chains of hearts or little kids holding hands). Unfold it and tack it on. Then use it as a guide just like the ribbon.
4. Everything looks good in black, even wedding cakes. (Okay, that's not so much a tip as an observation. I hadn't expected a black wedding cake to be wedding-y, but with the simple white decorations and the single pop of color from the sugar paste flower this one really was.)

The ribbon and parchment paper guides in use

Chef Ron not only showed us how to decorate the cake, but also how to properly cut and serve it--in slices rather than wedges as you would slice a cake at home. The cake, if I remember correctly, was alternating layers of chocolate and white cake with alternating layers of buttercream flavored with strawberry jam and peanut butter. It was delicious!