Delicious by Design: From the Runway to Your Dessert Tray

Sugar-sculpted flowers are a signature of Lael Cakes, the boutique cake studio owned by Emily Lael Aumiller in Brooklyn. Inspired by Karl Lagerfeld’s froufrou dress for fall, this pink fondant cake has row upon row of flirty petals. “The feathery fringe doesn’t have to be perfect,” says Aumiller, “so this cake is good for beginners.”

The Fringe Vanilla Cake

Inspired by: Chanel
Baker: Emily Lael Aumiller Serves: 10 to 12

How to Assemble:

1. Start with a round 8" x 4" vanilla layer cake from your local bakery; cover it with white fondant rolled out to 1/8" thick ($9/2 lb.; globalsugarart.com).

2. Mix 1 tsp edible petal dust in carnation ($5/4 g; nycake.com) and 1 tsp vodka (it dries faster than water). Using a small paintbrush, draw a crosshatch harlequin pattern with the pink mixture. Tidy up lines with a vodka-dipped cotton swab.

3. Tint ½ cup white royal icing ($4/1 lb.; globalsugarart.com) with 6 drops of super red gel food coloring ($2/ .75 oz.; nycake.com) and transfer it to a pastry bag fitted with a round No. 2 tip ($7/24 bags and $1/tip; wilton.com). Pipe on a dot at the intersection of each crosshatch.

4. Take 4 plum-size balls of white fondant. Leave one plain; knead 1 drop of deep pink gel food coloring ($2/.75 oz.; nycake.com) into another, 1½ drops deep pink into the third, and a mix of 1½ drops deep pink and 1 drop of super red into the last ball. Dust a clean surface with cornstarch. Using a silicone rolling pin, roll out each ball paper-thin. Place pieces under a damp tea towel covered in plastic wrap.

5. With a paring knife, cut out rectangles measuring about 1" x 2", and cut fringes into each. Use your fingertips to gently thin out and curl fringed edges.

6. Starting at the cake base, stick on each piece with a one-to-one mix of corn syrup and water, overlapping shades. To slice neatly, run a knife blade under hot water and wipe it dry between cuts so it glides through sugary layers.

Want more concoctions that are both scrumptious and oh-so-chic? See more of our runway-inspired desserts here.

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1 of 8

The Checkerboard Cake

Romulo Yanes, Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Inspired By: Valentino

Click here for the recipe! Poised yet poppy, the smartly swinging Valentino collection spurred this geometric masterwork—a graphic checkerboard cake artfully hidden beneath a glossy chocolate glaze. 

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2 of 8

Sparkling Stripes

Romulo Yanes, Danielle Oberrauch/Imaxtree

Inspired By: Marco de Vincenzo 

Click here for the recipe! Sugar sprinkles get sophisticated with a kinetic pattern play, an homage to Marco de Vincenzo’s delightfully quirky fall look. Whipping up burnt-caramel icing, N.Y.C. baker Emily Lael Aumiller reworked the designer’s palette by carefully pouring on tutti-frutti rainbow sprinkles. 

3 of 8

Pretty Pink Fondant

Romulo Yanes, Danielle Oberrauch/Imaxtree

Inspired By: Prada

Click here for the recipe! Highlighting the keen precision of Miuccia Prada’s kitschy-cool line, baker Emily Lael Aumiller worked in charming blush-pink fondant, sparkling with edible rhinestones. The results? A cake (almost) too pretty to eat. 

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4 of 8

The Ombré Crêpe Stack

Johnny Miller, ImaxTree

Inspired By: A Marc Jacobs violet ombré gown
Armed with a stack of store-bought crêpes and a pint of blackberries, confectioner (and InStyle assistant editor) Anne Kim re-created the lavender layers and gradient effects of Marc Jacobs? whimsical organza gown with this charming dessert. Click here for the recipe.

5 of 8

The Op Art Cookie

Johnny Miller, ImaxTree

Inspired By: A graphic Delpozo gown
Inspired by Delpozo's eye-catching collection with its playfully chic gowns, the sweets connoisseurs behind L.A.?s dessert kitchen Modern Bite, Greg Roth and Daniel Shapiro, created an amazing batch of graphic shortbread cookies. Click here for the recipe.

6 of 8

The Fringe Vanilla Cake

Johnny Miller, ImaxTree

Inspired By: A ultra-fem Chanel frock
Inspired by Karl Lagerfeld's froufrou dress for fall, this pink fondant cake has row upon row of flirty petals.Bake Emily Lael Aumiller of Lael Cakes explains, "The feathery fringe doesn?t have to be perfect,so this cake is good for beginners." Click here for the recipe.

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7 of 8

The Passionate Dark Chocolate Parfait

Johnny Miller, ImaxTree

Inspired By: Dries Van Noten’s elegant midi dresses and exuberant blooms
Taking her cue from Dries Van Noten’s elegant midi dresses and exuberant blooms, Valerie Gordon of Valerie Confections whipped up this decadent dessert of mousse topped with apricot jam and crowned by an exotic orchid. Click here for the recipe.

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