Elmo Birthday Cake

I've decorated quite a few cakes over the past couple years. Of all the cakes I have made, though, the kids birthday cakes have been my favorite! Between bright colors and whimsical characters, it's hard not to smile when you are working on them. While character cakes can be difficult, it's a fun challenge to have.

It had been a while since I've made a kids cake, but I had one last week for a little girl's 2nd birthday. I had previously made treats for her first birthday including a ladybug smash cake and cupcakes. I also made bottle cap toppers for her dad's birthday. 

The girls birthday party was Elmo themed with pink and orange details. I looked around online for ideas and decided to decorate the cake with Elmo, polka dots, and a Sesame Street-style sign with the birthday girl's name and age. The Elmo took a couple tries to get right, but I think it came out looking like the beloved character.

To create this treat, I covered an 8 inch cake with buttercream and ironing it out with a fondant smoother and a non-pattern paper towel. I covered made small marble sized balls of pink fondant. I then created various sized pink and orange polka dots.

The front of the cake was decorated with a Sesame Street-style sign. The name was created with thin ropes of white fondant formed to create letters.

Of course Elmo was the main feature of the cake. He was made with fondant and edible markers. I used a printout of the character to ensure I got the details just right. You really have to pay special attention to even the minor details (for example, Elmo's fur) to ensure you capture the essence of the character.

I have another cake coming up soon, so make sure and check back! I also have some delicious recipes to share this week.