Help! I've got myself into a pickle!

[MaureenMLove]

I foolishly said yes, to making and decorating a vegan birthday cake! The cake bit is fine, I can manage that, but the decorating is proving a challenge!

The birthday lady has said she's happy with whatever I do, but the theme is black, white and silver. It needs to be a bit of a show stopper tbh, but I'm stumped so far!

Anyone got any ideas where to start? I'm a competent decorator, so reasonable difficulty is fine.

I'm sure I'm over thinking it, but I have to consider the ingredients in things and I'm worried about getting it wrong!

Considering doing a 2 tier number and just decorating it with black, white and silver vegan sweets of some kind. Maybe some bows. Icing bunting. But fondant icing isn't vegan, is it?

Oh god - help me!

There's a fair few vegan icing/frosting ideas here some of which are white / blackish in colour.

Assuming you can get vegan dark chocolate, I would go with one of the White (not)buttercream recipes from that link, with decorations in dark chocolate with some black colouring gel added, and liberal use of a silver spray.

Wicked, thanks!

I think I'll do some sort of kitch/shabby chic affair. I've got a bunting mould, which I can put anything in and I'll do bows and silver balls. Silver balls are veggie aren't they? Christ, why did I say yes!

Damn! The Asda ones have got pork fat in them!

I have Tesco purple balls (not silver ones, sorry) and they are suitable for vegetarians and I can't see anything non-vegan. Oh, except beeswax. Is beeswax an issue? The fat in them is coconut oil, anyway. HTH.

Think Ive found some! Who'd have thought it eh? Renshaws fondant, I've just discovered it veggie vegan safe, so I think I've cracked it!

I'm such a spur of the moment cake maker though! I make it up as I go along and add things I've got in the cupboard! I'll need to be so careful I don't use the wrong thing! She had a cake from a local shop last year, who knew it was supposed to be vegan. Looked lovely and she was really pleased with it. Cutting it open and it had butter cream in the middle!!

I think I'll give her a list of the ingredients I'm using, just so she can confirm that everything is ok.