100 Year Anniversary for St. Peter's Church Cake

I had the opportunity to make a cake for my church's 100 Year Anniversary! What an honor! I've been going to this church since I was probably in kindergarten. Also went to the school that is attached. Also got married in the church! 

It is so beautiful inside. Take a look. 

This picture is from our wedding in 2012.

This is the inspiration for the cake here. I studied this photo for quite a while...

For the cake, I decided to go big and try something I hadn't before. I wanted to make a cake with a little extra on top of it. I made my own sculpted crisp rice cereal treats! I made sure to do a practice round first, just to make sure it was doable. Can you tell what I was going to make?!!

Yep, the steeple can be seen from various points in Delano. Here is a rough draft of the design of the cake, probably my third one or so. I really wanted to incorporate the gold color of the cross on top, and the green of the "onion" as my mom calls it, but unfortunately that kind of represents the Green Bay Packers colors. Oh well, what else could I do? 

I was originally planning on 10 inch rounds for the size of the cake, but at the last minute, I decided to go for the gold. I took out bigger round pans, I think they were 14 inches. I baked the cakes, let them cool, and got right to work. I made my own buttercream frosting (4 sticks of butter worth) and did two separate coats of the frosting. I put the cake in the fridge in between because that makes it easier and helps with the smoothness of the outside. Then it was time to start the details. I really don't have that much experience writing words on cakes. But I had to for this cake. I decided to write "St. Peter's Church" first, just in case it was not working out, at least I'd have the name of the church on there. I was pretty nervous about black writing on white. You gotta get it right the first time!!!!!!! I told God, "let Your will be done" because I was stressed out and was like ok it is what it is...and I started with the "S". It turned out pretty good. I'll take it! I kept going and there were no disasters!!! 

One of my absolute favorite parts of cake decorating is the frosting roses and leaves. Of course I had to put them on there. I put some  shimmery stuff on the roses for that extra sparkle.

Before I knew it, it looked like this.

I really wanted to incorporate some sort of religious decoration, so I put crosses on the sides, alternating large and small. And finished off the bottom with the decorative edge in green. 

And then came the steeple. You will not believe what that thing put me through!! I had to make a few duplicates of the individual parts "just in case" and glad I did. Because I had made the krispies so fresh, they stayed pretty malleable and didn't get hard like I was hoping (like they did in the test round a few days earlier) and overtime they would fall apart. Anyway, I used various pieces of krispies and frosted them and put them together with toothpicks. I put some shimmery stuff on the cross on the top. I decided to assemble it all at home, just before we left to drive to the church. I was really debating on when and where I should assemble it. I had my husband and myself both pray as I put it together. I have seen those Cake Boss episodes and know that anything can happen. Got the steeple on just fine and glad it was almost done. 

...and then it was the car ride. We decided to take the "back way" so we wouldn't drive so fast, which included multiple bumps and almost a heart attack from being so nervous. I did put a couple dowels in the main part of  the steeple, which definitely was the reason why it didn't topple over.

 And then Alleluia! We made it! Dropped it off and then it was DONE!! Woohoo!! 

Even the pope was there!! Just a few feet from my cake!