Dance Manual--Negri's Le Gratie d'Amore
March, 2007
 |
This cake based on Cesare Negri's 'Le Gratie d'Amore / Nuove Inventioni Di Balli' (1602), and a similar one based on John Playford's 'The English Dancing Master' were constructed for the dessert revel at the SCA dance event "Terpsichore at the Tower XIII". The book is opened to the dance "Lo Spagnoletto".
The cake was baked in a book shaped cake pan and then iced in buttercream. The page edges on the sides were piped using tip 1D. The top page designs were taken from the online facsimile of the book, resized to fit the cake, and then I had them made into custom edible images at my local cake supply shop. Edible images are made on paperlike frosting sheets with an inkjet type printer, using food color for ink.
The edible images were carefully measured and trimmed to fit the top of the cake, then attached to the top. The edges were deliberately crinkled, and book was aged using cappuccino colored edible petal dust mixed with vodka to hand paint the edges of the pages. The cover was dark brown rolled fondant.
This cake and the Playford one were convincing enough that a number of people mistook them for real books, and tried to turn the pages.
The two books together:
Back to Magda's Cake Creations
Back to Cakes for SCA Events
To Magda's Castle Gate
Get your own Free Home Page