decorated 4th.birthday cake

[helloitsme]

Hello cake experts :-) I love to cook but zero experience of cake decoration. My dd wants a Charlie and Lola cake for her birthday. Argh! How would you do it? Was thinking I could just do two round cakes one with Charlie face one with Lola face, but so inexperienced I don't even know what icing to get. Any ideas gratefully received :-)

Since it doesn't sound as if you want something too complicated why don't you just make one round sponge, ice it and use something like this cake topper for the top?

Thank you...I've been thinking about a cake topper, but would quite like to try something myself, so long as it's not too complicated. I'm planning to keep a cake topper as my emergency solution if I can't cope with doing it myself!

The faces look quite straightforward actually, what about 2 small round cakes cut into the shapes of their faces and then use something like this flesh coloured fondant to cover it. Then cut out white shapes for eyes out of white fondant and a little black fondant for pupil. Black fondant for the nose and mouth or use one of these.

Hair could be yellow fondant, again with long thin bits of black?

You can get paler yellows, that last link showed the bright one for some reason!

Thank you! It was so kind of you to take the time to post, and I'm sorry it has taken me rather a long time to get back to you....I can only plead that I got completely caught up in the xmas/new year period, and we had rather a lot of children flying around.....I am in the process of ordering fondant icing, thanks....wondering if I am foolish not to order a cake topper too, just in case, but trying to be strong willed and Try Something New. But, questions: 1. how much icing would i need to cover a cake? 250g? 500g? and also, what kind of cake would go underneath it? ordinary chocolate sponge OK? (my DD is clear she wants chocolate). Thanks for your help and happy new year!

Happy New Year to you to!

I'm not very good at judging quantities, I usually end up with too much icing! It all depends on the size and shape of your cake, there is a bit right down the bottom of the listing of the yellow icing that gives you a rough guide. In the picture is a cake I made for my DSs birthday last month and that took 500g of red icing to cover. Cover it first in a thin layer of buttercream icing (made with icing sugar and butter), this acts as a "crumb coat" and makes the fondant easier to stick plus cake wont crumble as much.

Ordinary chocolate sponge should be fine, this isnt chocolate but I tend to use this recipe after seeing it recomended here as its a bit "heavier" than victoria sponge which makes it good for putting on another cake, fondant figures etc, it tastes delicious and has never let me down.

Good luck

I should have added Ive name changed out of my Christmas name in case you wondered who I am, Im the OP!

Thank you!
Like the look of the celebration cake, but it's GOT to be chocolate. DD is more than clear about it. Do you think I could just add cocoa to this and skip the vanilla?
Also, can't seem to see a picture. Did I misunderstand? Bought all the stuff for icing online today, but cake ingredients might need a top up shop.....am I over thinking this? Probably not, I guess this kind of thing needs a lot of planning.
I'm planning on doing two cakes: one Charlie head, one Lola head. I have 500g each of flesh coloured and white fondant. Thinking I can do white fondant for the sides and flesh for the top. How do I join the bits together? Just water as glue? The more I think about it, the more challenges I face! Thanks for the help, it's gratefully appreciated :-)

Just wanted to say thanks for the help. It all went very well in the end. I ordered, and used, all the things you suggested, and I personally thought the cakes looked fantastic. Maybe dd was a little too excited by her party to really appreciate it ad much as I had expected, but still, it was a labour of love and I'm happy I did it. So, thanks for your help and encouragement :-)