No name means more in the world of baking than Sylvia Weinstock—and with good reason: Proclaimed the “Leonardo da Vinci of cakes,” she creates confections that are not only unbelievably beautiful, but mind-blowingly delicious. So when the National Opera called upon her to craft Russian-inspired cakes for their annual ball, she went above and beyond expectations and created individual Fabergé eggs for each guest. We asked her how brides can up the ante on their own wedding cakes and serve a dessert that wows both the eyes and the taste buds.

Scroll through the images above for Sylvia's inspiration:

“We worked with a party planner who was doing the National Opera Ball in Washington, DC, and they chose to have part of the event at the Russian Embassy. What do you think of when you think of Russia? Fabergé eggs.”

“We designed four eggs in cake to stand 4 inches high, one per person. They were a big hit.”

“Everybody here worked on them, the whole team of 17 people. I’m very proud to say that because my staff is excellent. The people here are artists; they came out of art school.”

“There were gorgeous details on them, and it was spectacular. We used edible gold and sterling silver, which you paint on like gold leafing. Artists know how to do that.”

“When we designed them, we looked in books and did research. I think you look at Fabergé and you understand what it’s all about and take it from there.”

“There are too many decorators who don’t understand that this is food, and the quality of the cake is important. It has to be better than edible—it has to be delicious.”

“It has to be the kind of cake where you say, ‘I will never forget how great that was.’ You have to remember that it tasted fantastic.”