Masquerade Cake Ideas

The idea behind a masquerade cake is to create something that is zany and crazy, but in a controlled and tasteful manner. Imagine a masquerade cake as the centerpiece on the table, adorned with colorful sugar-paste frosting so thick you could almost taste it before the cake was cut. You don't need to host a Mardi Gras masquerade party to whip up one of these cakes; they're fun for any occasion.

Mardi Gras Masquerade Cake
To make your first masquerade cake, start with several box mixes; beginners shouldn't worry about creating a cake from scratch. Once you have mastered the art of decorating your cake in a Mardi Gras style, you can get a little more creative.

Materials:

• 2 to 4 cake mixes, depending on the size of the cake
• Masquerade costume mask
• Sugar paste frosting or fondant
• Small sharp knife and scissors
• Food coloring
• 2 or 3 different sized pans, square and round

The most essential decoration on a masquerade cake is a half mask, or eye mask. Find one, make one or bake one if you must, but make sure a mask appears on the cake. If you are able to incorporate it, a string of beads or ribbon trailing off one or both sides of the mask is a nice touch.

Frosting
Once you have decided on the flavor of the cake, choose your frosting colors. The frosting does not have to match the color of the cake. In fact, for a more dramatic look, you can choose opposite colors. Colors don't have to be vivid, but there does need to be good contrast. Blending is not a word used when making masquerade cakes. Everything is sharp and bold.

Cake Pops
A masquerade cake is intended to be a tall, layered cake. Two or three layers, plus a plume of feathers, cake pops or chocolate pretzel rods at the top would be an excellent choice. To make cake pops, bake one cake, cool it and then crumble it into bits in a large bowl. Use a spoon to mix in one tub of frosting. Start slowly and only use as much of the frosting as you need. Once the cake and frosting have been blended, mold the mix into balls that are about the size of a half dollar. Place the balls on a cookie sheet and place them in the fridge to harden a bit. Once they have hardened, dip a lollipop stick in melted chocolate and then insert it halfway into the cake pop. Place the cake pops in the freezer for a few minutes to harden and then immediately dip the cake pop into melted chocolate as a final coating. Insert the end of the stick into a Styrofoam form until the cake is done and ready for the dramatic cake pop toppers.

Candle Holders
Candle holders can also be made with cake pops. Candle holders are made the same way, except that candles are inserted into the cake pops in place of lollipop sticks. If making candle holders, you'll want to place the cake pops on a flat surface to cool, with the candle standing upright, so that the pop hardens with a flat side. The flat side will keep the candles standing upright, which will make it easier for the candles to be displayed around the base of the cake.

Decorating
A masquerade cake is usually decorated with frosting that takes the shape of checkered, striped or polka dotted boxes, similar to several hat boxes stacked on top of one another. If the bottom box is checkered, make the second box striped and the third box polka dotted or something similar. Place the mask on the cake at a jaunty angle and decorate around it with ribbon, beads, feathers, cake pops or chocolate covered pretzels. Colors should be vivid, the layers should be in different shapes and the design should be precise. If you're making a checkered pattern, be sure the squares are cut carefully and are uniform. Polka dots, however, actually look better if they are in various sizes and in different colors.