Alternative to fondant icing for novelty birthday cakes?

[Minesnotahighhorse]

DS1 is turning 3 and has requested a robot cake, my first attempt at a 'novelty' birthday cake. I plan to do two sponges in rectangle trays and make one the body and use the other to create head, arms and legs. Then cover in icing and add face/features with sweets. Most of the examples I've seen on Pinterest etc. use ready to roll fondant icing to cover the cake which looks good and would be simplest, but I really don't like it - I find it really sickly and synthetic tasting. Has anyone used homemade icing to cover a 'novelty' cake? Would a layer of buttercream covered in glacé work? Thanks!

Just do buttercream anyway and enjoy it.

You could make your own marshmallow fondant?

My DCs don't like fondant icing. I use buttercream and accept it looking a little more rustic. If you really want a smooth finish you could try royal icing or make a fondant icing (you can buy boxes of fondant icing sugar) in a thick pouring consistency but it's very tricky to get right (and not just pour off cake and into a puddle of the worktop!)

Yes, must remember that the point is for it to look good for DS, not taste good for me!! Going to do a trial run of the sponge this weekend so will maybe cover a leg in each and see whether buttercream looks too messy and if I can make my own fondant!

Ooh, I like the chocolate rivets idea, thanks!

You could try piping buttercream in a "rosette" blob way. It was how we had novelty cakes when I was a kid, when fondant icing for some reason wasn't used by anyone we knew. So it's more of an "impressionist" type look and not smooth, see the picture attached.

Also if you google "how to make buttercream look like fondant" there's loads
of tutorials, think you use a paper towel or something.

My kids don't like fondant, but they love fancy/novelty cakes. So I do a layer of buttercream covered in fondant, and they peel the fondant off and eat the rest. Doesn't really bother me too much - I accept that the fondant is mainly for "effect".

Marshmallow fondant is nicer than regular, I find. Do you like marzipan? You could use that instead?

You could do a white chocolate ganache and pour it on while it is still runny and it sets smooth, snd you could use it as a smooth background for your icing and sweetie design. I'm sure with the white chocolate ganache you have the option of colouring it using food colouring too. I hate fondant and dislike the way it is always wasted. Id rather make a delicious cake that everyone will actually eat every scrap off!

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Some great suggestions, thank you! I now forsee a trial with icing options on each robo-limb!

A birthday cake book I use suggests a "fluffy frosting" which is great for some sorts of designs. A bit of butter, icing sugar, beat together with a little milk or lemon juice - I go for more sugar and less butter. It is fairly easy to colour and spread, more forgiving on a crumb-y cut cake surface, and also easy to stick sweets to! It will set a little on the outside given enough time (eg overnight) but remain fairly soft. Absolutely agree with you about fondant - I've got a terrible sweet tooth but even so never been keen on it.

Cake sounds like it will be great - have fun!

Butter cream or royal icing would work