This cake was inspired by a “brush-stroke” technique for cake decorating. Some will look at a cake like this, and say “I can’t do that” – but this cake went on my “to-do” list immediately! For me, it was an invitation to try something new, and beautiful! Let me know if you want the recipe to any part of my cake design!!

The idea for this post is to INSPIRE creativity! This cake can be made with any flavors you like, and any berries you like.

For my version of this cake, I started with the flavors of raspberry and lemon. I made 3 – 8″ layers of lemon poppy seed cake, topped them with my homemade lemon curd (seedless raspberry jam would go really nicely here as well), and some lemon mascarpone whipped filling. I find that a cake that is filled AND frosted with a whipped topping, is not very stable. (Especially for transporting!). SO, I also incorporated some lemon cream cheese buttercream for the outside and the top of the cake. This was perfect for increasing stability, and flavor!

White chocolate strips were made from white candy melts. The technique is called “brush-stroke”, but after a few trials with this, I found I prefer to use the back of a spoon better! The pastry brush tended to make “brush marks” on the strips. Using a spoon created a smoother strip. which I liked better. I placed these around the cake right after frosting it – so they were able to stick nicely.

I covered the top with more whipped topping, then piled on fresh raspberries. Finally, I used some leftover whipped topping and swirled a ring of roses around the bottom of the cake. A dusting of powdered sugar finished off this stunning cake!

Here is how I made the white chocolate strips:

You will want to make the strips at least 1″ taller than the top of your cake. Mine were 5″. Prepare your surface with parchment paper. Melt some white chocolate candy melts in the microwave, and stir til smooth. Working quickly, use a regular sized spoon and place a small amt of chocolate on the parchment (about a quarter size). Then using the spoon, spread the chocolate in 1 smooth motion, to your desired length. The strip will thin out towards the end, and be slightly irregular. This will create a nice edge to the cake. Remember you will need to slice the cake, so keep the strips to about 1″ to 1 1/2″ in width. I made about 28 strips for my cake. Allow each strip to dry completely.

Level your cake layers.

Pipe on a ring of buttercream, to contain the fillings. Spread the layer with about 1/4 c lemon curd (or your chosen filling flavor). Top with a layer of mascarpone whipped cream filling. Keep the filling level with the top of the buttercream ring. Place the next layer on the cake, and repeat.

Make sure the layers are level, and press down gently to secure. Refrigerate for about 15 min to set.

Pat the cake gently, with a paper towel – to remove most of the crumbs. Then crumb-coat the cake with a light layer of buttercream.

Refrigerate again for about 15 – 20 min to set.

Frost a second layer of buttercream around the sides of the cake. Don’t worry too much about perfection here, since the entire cake will be covered. Place the prepared white chocolate strips perpendicular to the cake, overlapping slightly – all the way around the cake. Trim them on the bottom before placing them on the cake, if they are too tall.

Pipe some rose circles with your leftover whipped topping, around the bottom of the cake, using a 1M piping tip. Pipe some additional whipped topping all over the top of the cake.

Next, pile on the berries!

Dust with a little powdered sugar – and there you have your masterpiece~! This will last in the refrigerator for about 3 days.