So Ive volunteered to make my dads 70th birthday cake

[MrsExtraOrdinary]

I'm an amateur! I'm good at actual cakes but my icing and piping is a bit rubbish! Or occasionally fluky but not reliable.

I've got until August, surely that's long enough for me not to make a fool of myself! I want to make a traditional cake. Dad lives fruit cake, so one cake fruit and one simple sponge. I'm thinking simple shape of 70 using shaped tins. But I want to look good, so any better cake makers or decorators than me I would really appreciate the help.

Have you thought of using a cake toppper with a photo of your dad doing a hobby for example? I use cake toppers for children's cakes eg Lego Starwars image or Minecraft? They come in circular and A4 sizes and as well as characters like Barbie etc, you can send your own photo to be printed on edible rice paper which you then place over fondant or buttercream. Just Google 'cake topper'. At church, I saw a cake for the priest who was leaving the country - there was a little fondant figure of him sitting on a couple of suitcases - simple but quite effective. Get a few books out from the library for inspiration.

I've googled lots of birthday cakes but want of to be just right for him. Both his parents died mid 50s and although he's perfectly well with a brother nearly 80, it might be his last big birthday and just want to make it special.

Also because when I was 16 he was dead against me going to art college but he swallowed his pride about it. When I started my interior design business he said he'd never been so proud. I somehow need to capture all of that in a creative cake. Knowing my dad if it's good he will say he can't cut into it

Are you on Pinterest? There are so many ideas on there, it's a fantastic site for things like this. Have a look.

I just made my first layer cake after being inspired by the ones is seen on Pinterest, and the dc declared it the best cake I'd ever made! Which is high praise coming from them :)