Braeden's First Fishy Cake

by Kimberly Dyess
(Carlsbad, CA)

Hi! This was the first time I tried a major fondant cake. Everything you see is edible. I learned NOT to put gel icing on the fondant fishy on top, as you can see he started to melt in the park. I started with the largest Wilton oval pan, making two layers for the bottom. That cake was almond butter cream, for the adults. The second set of two layers were orange hazelnut. The third oval was only one layer of cherry vanilla cake, but a bit thicker. Then, the fish was the smallest Wilton oval (banana flavor) and the dorsal and back fin are simply chunks of fondant stuck into the cake with dowels.

I used the NordicWare seashell mini-cake/candy mold pan to make another set of shells that I stuck to the cake with frosting and dowels. I also used candy melts to make the fish on the second tier. Those stuck to the fondant simply by painting water on the back of them.

The bubbles from the fish are edible pearls and the anchor is fondant that I cut out from a wood piece for $0.25 at Michaels.

The rocks on the bottom are large jelly beans that I purchased at a cake store. The "seaweed" is blue/purple fruit-by-the-foot, stuck onto the fondant with water. The "sand" is sanding sugar in bronze.

I had to stick a bunch of dowels in the fish cake so it would stand up and make the trip to the park. Eventually, his back fin got too hot and started to fall - but just in time for my nephew to enjoy it for his first birthday!

My sister wanted an ocean cake, so that's what she got for her beautiful boy!