60TH BIRTHDAY CAKE

[knat]

my mother in law is 60 next week and fool that I am i've offered to make the cake. I've got an idea for the decoration but although usually good at baking whenever i make a birthday cake it never seems to rise goes burnt on the top and isn't level. Any tips please and how to ice it, ie marzipan and then icing and what icing to use. The decoration is going to be figures of a woman painting, gardening, bricklaying etc as my mil is a jack of all trades and we think this would make it quite personal to her. Any help please

Hi
I just chop the top off level, use vanilla buttercream to even out any lumpiness and then a thick layer of ready to roll fondant, avail in all cake dec shops even tesco. Make it quite thick, perhaps 2pound coin thickness, its less likely to split and crack. If colouring it use colour paste rather than liquid colour.
Roll it round the rolling pin and roll it over, make sure its plenty big enoough first
Good luck
Frankie