A Gift Cake

Hope found a picture of a cake that looked like a gift, and she asked that I make that for her birthday. It was suppose to have fruit by the foot candy and skittles used for the decorations. I wasn't impressed so I set out to find my own idea to wrap up her cake. I went to the cake decorating department at our local Walmart, and Wilton Cake Supplies had just the thing I needed. I purchased a box of Rolled Fondant Icing and a jar of Jumbo Sprinkle dots.

I made a 9x13 cake. After it was cooled, I took it out of the pan and used my Pampered Chef Baking Stone as a cake plate. I covered the stone in tinfoil. I made a pink buttercream icing (directions were in the Wilton Fondant package). I frosted the cake and then used the directions on the back of the box of Fondant to make the bow. It was so easy. (It was much easier than wrapping a real gift)! The fondant rolled out much like pie crust and it worked up a lot like play dough. I used a pizza cutter to cut the strips, but a sharp knife would have worked just fine. I then placed the jumbo sprinkles sporadically on the cake to resemble polka dots. I also used the sprinkles to decorate the bottom edge of the cake. It was beautiful, and Hope was thrilled.

I wish I would have thought to save some colored icing to use to make her a gift tag. I had plenty of fondant left over, and I could have easily shaped her a name tag. I just didn't have any icing to write with, and I wasn't about to make another batch of butter cream for that. This cake would also be great for a baby shower or even a wedding shower. On the box of fondant, they had a beautiful cake that was more elegant, but the same concept for a wedding shower. You could also make this cake for a boy. Just change the colors and the polka dots. There are lots of sprinkles out there that are cool designs for little guys that could be used instead of the circles.

I also thought that this idea could be used with a real bow. Ice the cake and then use real ribbon to make a bow. That would be pretty. The fondant bow was thrown away at our house because nobody really liked the flavor, but it was pretty!

grace and peace,

julie