Cake decorating - I need help from know-it-alls with imagination!

[MoosMa]

I have a mental image of how I want DD's cake to look - a '2' shaped cake with a park scene on top. Brown butter cream on the sides to look like soil (sort of), green icing on top for grass, a little blue pond with yellow duck and.... swings and a seesaw.

I thought perhaps matchmakers for the supports for the swings but wonder if they'd be too chunky, and how can I make the chains for the swings and what can I use for the seesaw?

I'm going shopping on friday morning so need an ingredients list by then!

Wafer for the seesaw balanced on a chunk of milky way?

You don't fancy a roundabout instead of swings, wagon wheel maybe?

strawberry laces for the swing chains? somethhing very light for the swing seat - rice paper maybe? think matchmakers are the obvious choice for the uprights

I did think a roundabout might be easier but she's never seen one.

Keep coming with the ideas, all thoughts appreciated!

Cheat and use playmobil or similar on the top ?

don't use match makers - too chunlky.

melt some chocolate and drizzle it onto baking parchment in think lines - matchstich width. Then freeze!

Considering not posting cos I am not a know-it-all - but I can't resist!

You need pastillage for your seesaw - ask at local cakemaking shop. Or a chomp bar?

Curly Wurlys for a climbing frame?

I see a Cadbury theme developing here. You could build a fab playground out of chocolate fingers.

Top tip for grass - texture your green icing with a (clean) scrubbing brush and then paint green food colouring over the top. For a sandpit use beige icing, then paint with water and sprinkle over soft brown sugar.

(we did a golf course on a "6" and a "0" for DF's 60th )

This chocolate drizzling sounds like a good idea, I hope I'm not too clumsy! Do you think I could make a seesaw like that too?

I don't think I'm going to get time to go to a cakey shop though, I'm only going to Asda.

The chocolate drizzling thing is fine but fiddly if you haven't done it before - so practice and make lots to allow for breakages. I'd probably use Matchmakers. Google novelty birthday cakes and you'll find lots of ideas to "borrow"!
Another good way to do grass is to rub green icing through a fine sieve (a tea strainer's good)
If you do get to a cake shop, you can buy little plunger thing that make tiny flower shapes to scatter in the grass.

I had a go at drizzling tonight but couldn't get the chocolate to go runny, it got as far as spreadable but wouldn't go any further. It was Asda chocolate flavoured cake covering so maybe it will work better with actual chocolate. I shall get some tomorrow and try again. I'm running out of time though - the wretched thing's got to be ready for saturday! Argggggggggggggggh.

probably will work better with real chocolate, but if not how about a Chomp, or one of those v. small bars of Dairy milk - or do I have the scale entirely wrong?

Otherwise (thinking about supermarket ingredients here) if you roll out "ready to roll" type icing and cut out the shape(s) and then leave them to dry for as long as possible it should be OK but make some spares in case of breakages!

If you haven't done it before, then the chocolate will be impossible to use (unless you are extremely naturally talented), you might find that matchmakers snap very irritatingly as you try to push them into the icing. If you don't feel comfortable to do the following then use chocolate fingers and paper/ strawberry laces.

Alternatively, if you want to do it the trad route use sugarpaste which has been strengthened with gum tragacanth. Form your shapes, leave them on greasproof paper to dry overnight, paint following day and assemble when cake is in situ.

(Playmobil or lego shapes would look great, be very easy as dcs could make and much less hassle for you )

Sugarpaste which has not been strengthened will not dry sufficiently hard enough and will flop over, I've tried to cut corners before, it's never worth it!

For grass colour some dessicated coconut green and put it on top of some butting cream so it sticks! It looks fab!

Or for a water effect colour it blue!

If desperate, sugarpaste could be reinforced with a matchmaker "strut" underneath.

Back from Asda: I found Matchmakers for the swing structure if the chocolate doesn't work and wafers for the seesaw. I think I might be up rather late tonight....

I've never heard of gum tragacanth before and have no chance of getting some now but I shall make a note of it for next time.

Thanks for all your help, I shall put a photo up tomorrow with the results!

Good luck!

Good luck - look forward to seeing it!
Can give you recipe for making your own modelling paste if you're interested for the future - I got quite into it when mine were little so have all the equipment and books etc.
Live nr Nottingham - [email protected]

Thanks, I've emailed you!

Have emailed you back - good luck!

It's in the oven.....

There's a pic in my profile of it in its raw state, this is turning into a bit of an adventure for me!

It's getting there....

It's FINISHED!!!!