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

Is it a fruit cake? place a piece of parchment/greaseproof over the top to stop the burning. Level the top by cutting someoff and then ice it upside down. If it is fruit I would use marzipan and fondant icing. Are you modelling the figures out of icing too? fondant is best for modelling. HTH - are you going to post a piccie when you're done?

Freezing cakes before icing them works well and means you can bake it ahead of time. I always have to chop bits off to make them level (I blame my wonky oven shelves) and then fill in with extra buttercream to make them lie straight before fondant icing.
Agree with Rially that fondant icing works best - have you got a local cake shop who sell it ready coloured?
Dessicated coconut coloured green makes quite good grass.
And pics please!

if you colour the icing yourself, colour pastes are best.

thanks - i've got colour pastes. Its a sponge cake and i havent decided what filling yet!!! I've got normal ready icing for thefigures - is this ok?

what do you mean by normal icing? if it's what you usually use it shouldbe fine.

i mean ready to roll icing

I would have though that was fine (didn't read your post properly, sorry). Are you using a jam glaze to stick the icing to the cake?

i've been told jam or boiling water or buttercream? What do you think is best?

I wouyld use jam or buttercream, probably jam as my buttercream is always so sickly and I usually use it as a filling.

thanks - does it matter what flavour jam? justg tried some practise figures - not too bad!!! When using paste for colouring i understand you use cocktail sticks to colour - but i'm getting quite a marbled effect - is it just a matter of more kneading?

I have a feeling apricot for sticking the icing, but that's maybe what you use for fruit cake so I would think strawberry would be fine if that's what you're using in the middle (seedless)

Cocktail sticks with paste is right and just more kneading I'm afraid.

you can also freeze the figures - if you do them one at a time at your leisure, wrap them gentlyin cling film and put them in the freezer

thanks everyone for your help