Circus Cake

From the moment I first set my eyes on a fondant cake I knew that if I can afford it, that's the cake I want for my son's first birthday! But...I couldn't! The oven intimidated me. I remember the first time I baked out of the box - brownies hard as rocks came out. In the Philippines, we had this saying "Kapag binato ka ng bato, batuhin mo ng tinapay" (If a rock is thrown at you, throw a bread back). Basically, it means always avenge yourself using kindness. But, if I used those brownies?! It's like getting even, man!

After a couple of practice cakes, the moment has arrived for me to make my official first birthday cake for public consumption! How nerve-wracking!


I didn't want just a pretty cake. I also want one that people will actually eat. So, after gaining 5 pounds from eating all my practice cakes, I finally found a great recipe.

When the cake part was covered I started contemplating on a design. I found a Circus-themed photo cake topper at Michael's and wanted to make sure my cake colors complement the topper.

Here's my initial sketch and the Photoshop version with the Wilton cake topper.

The fun part begins...Here's how I did it.


TOOLS I USED

• 2 - 6 in. round pans
• 2 - 9 in. round pans from my Bakeware Set
• Round Cut-outs
• Star Cut-outs
• Rolling pin
• Smooth working surface or Rolling Mat
• Easy-Glide Fondant Smoother
• Fondant Ribbon Cutter/Embosser
• Wooden Dowel Rods
• Decorating Brush
• Big Top Photo Cake Topper 
• Alphabet/Numerals Icing Decorations
• 10 in. cake circle cut to size (by tracing 9 in. round pan on it)
• 6 in. cake circle
• 10 in. silver cake base
• Knife
• Ruler
• Pizza cutter

INGREDIENTS I USED

• Beatty's Chocolate Cake
• Marshmallow Fondant
• Rolled Fondant Primary Colors Multi-Pack
• Yellow Icing Color
• Blue Icing Color

HOW I DID IT

• 3 days in advance: Made Blue and Yellow Marshmallow Fondant

• 2 days in advance: Baked and cooled 2-layer 6 in. cake and 2-layer 9 in. cake. Filled and crumb-coated them and just let them sit on our counter covered by inverted bowls. Cakes will stay fresh at room temperature for upto a week. Refrigerating cakes will dry it out. Freezing will retain moisture but since I already frosted the cake I didn't want to worry about condensation when I thaw it.

• Night before the party: 

Cake cover. Rolled out Blue marshmallow fondant (MMF) and covered the 9 in. cake. And then rolled out the Yellow MMF to cover the 6 in. cake.

Red Zig-Zag edged Ribbon. Rolled out Red ready-to-use fondant and used the 3/4" spacers and zigzag cutters of my Fondant Ribbon Cutter/Embosser to make eight (8) 1 in x 6 in ribbons. Brushed a little bit of water at the back of the ribbons and placed them on the blue 9 in. cake. Tip: Always wrap or cover fondant with plastic wrap when not in use to prevent it from drying out.

Stacking. Stacked yellow 6 in cake tier over the 9 in cake tier. Here's a video I watched to get an idea of how to stack my cake.

Red Triangles. Rolled out Red ready-to-use fondant to cut ten (10) triangles with a 2 in. base and 1.5 in height. Brushed a little bit of water at the back of the triangles and placed them at the bottom of the yellow 6 in. tier.

Small Blue Stars. Rolled out Blue ready-to-use fondant and used the smallest star cut-out to put in between the red triangles on the yellow top tier.

Green and Blue Rope Border. On the box of the Wilton fondant were directions on how to make a rope. I followed that to make two (2) 10 in. long rope borders in Blue and Green. Basically, all you do is roll the fondant into logs with the palm of your hand. Lay the 2 pieces of logs side by side then press together at one end to join and then twist together.

Medium Yellow Stars. Rolled out Yellow MMF and used the medium star cut-out to put in between the ribbons on the blue bottom tier.

Rainbow Ball Border. For the rainbow colored balls border, I rolled out the Yellow MMF, Red, Blue and Green ready-to-use fondant into same-size logs about 1/2 in. diameter. I, then, used a knife to slice each log into 1/2 in. wide pieces. I rolled each piece into a ball then put them on the cake.

Happy Birthday. Used the Alphabet Icing decoration to spell out "Happy Birthday" and my son's name on the cake by brushing water at the back of the letters before sticking them on the cake. Rolled out Blue ready-to-use fondant and used the smallest circle cut-out to make the circles that I placed in between each word.

Cake Topper. For the finishing touch, I printed a 2 in. x 2 in. photo of the celebrant to place on the Big Top photo cake topper.

You may be interested in reading the Fondant for Beginners series:

• Tools to start decorating with Fondant
• How to make home-made Marshmallow Fondant
  
• Preparing your cake to be covered
• How to cover cake with Fondant
• How to make a Fondant Bow