Little Big Planet Cake

For my daughter's 7th birthday, I created a Little Big Planet cake, per her request.  The pieces were made way in advance.  The actual cake was made in a mad rush!  I did not count on there being a banquet for my son's Academic Team on the same night as I was to decorate the cake.

Below are some of the items I created based off the game and the Strategy guides we own.

One of my favorites with regard to how it came out.

I also created a Sack Boy.  I love how he turned out.

I baked a round Wilton Ball Pan chocolate cake and covered it in fondant.

I then added some random green "land mass" shapes, added all the little round discs I created and added the little Sack Boy to the top.

Cute!

Next, I iced two each 10" almond butter cakes.  This was where the rush came in.  It was 10 p.m. and I was still making butter cream. That plus my icing skills stinking and you have a not-so-much smooth finish.

I piped a shell border, added some lettering and decorated some cupcakes (I had extra batter) and voila! 

Frozen Butter Cream Transfer: The baby shower invitation

I am making my sister's baby shower cake.  She showed me the invitation and I decided to try a frozen butter cream transfer (FBCT)  just to see if I could.  I have only tried it the one time, and it was a goopy mess.  I was much more successful this time.

This is the invitation I am copying.

If you want the image to be exact, you actually need to create a mirror image (kind of like I do when I am carving a stamp.)  If there are words, you definitely need to do a mirror image.  As there were no words, I decided to just leave it as-is.  The cake image will have the girl on the other side.

Take some wax paper, outline it in black or brown.  I chose brown because eventually, the cake this will go in will have chocolate frosting, and the brown will blend right in.  

After the outline, you have to do some logistical icing.  Things in the foreground (the lips, the sunglasses, the spots on the purse, the buckles on the shoes) have to be done first.  I was very unorganized and kept getting up to get more and more piping bags. 

Eventually, you'll have something that looks like this: 

Yes, it's ugly.  Notice you can't see her eyes, the spots on the purse, etc.  That's because what you are looking at above is what will go on the cake.  This is what will be stuck to the cake itself.  

What you don't see until I pick up the wax paper is this:

This is what will show once you freeze it, place it on the cake and peel the wax off.   It would look better if I have covered the whole thing is chocolate frosting, to match the cake.  The frosting would have "squished" or settled everything nicely, and it would match the cake it is going on.

You get the idea, yes?

I'm going to make the crib with the flowers too and just hand-pipe the mobile.  On the crib I will hand-pipe the cake's message.

I bet Buddy doesn't have to clean his *own* mess.

Oh Baby, Take 2

Take 2 was a little better.  Love this mold!

Oh Baby, Take 1

One of my younger sisters is pregnant.  It is a thing of wonder.  Pigs are flying, hell's looking for ear muffs.

I purchased an awesome baby mold  from Global Sugar Art.  I want to make my sister something special.  Don't worry.  She doesn't read any of my blogs.  Loser.

The Mold and Baby Take 1

You take gum paste, color it whatever skin tone you'd like, and place it in the mold.  Put it in the freezer for about 30 minutes, take it out and peel it out of the mold.

I had to let it "sweat" for a couple of hours.  Condensation makes it tacky to the touch. Unfortunately, I realized too late that I did not have the correct color petal/luster dust.  Grrr.  I decided to try thinned down gel colors.  Bad idea.  It made the gum paste tacky and looked bad.

The colors leaked and then I grabbed the wrong brush and brushed brown down her face.  DOH!  I gave the baby a rose for her hair, a ruffle diaper cover and made her some roller skates (this sister is on a roller derby team).

Well, this is why I practice!

On to take # 2!