First Birthday Cake Trial

I'm having a Barbie Sweet Sixteen Banquet in May. I love to bake, therefore I am baking my own cake!
The dream is this:
Three square tiers
Tasty, deep chocolate (like Jewel Osco Cake and buttercream!)
Fondant covered with fondant dancers on sides
Topped with a barbie

So this weekend I decided to do a little rehearsal. There were a few problems, but MAN could this cake be amazing!!

So this was the bottom tier.
Pros: Great texture, flavor, color, smell, difficulty level
Cons: I'm really impatient and its temperature caused it to break as I took it out of the pan... Oops... COVER WITH FROSTING  :)

 

Then I covered it in buttercream (Jewel Osco imitation- so beyond good) and homemade fondant

Pros: Tasted really good, slightly more attractive with fondant

Cons: I really messed it up. The fondant was too sticky and got all caught on the cake and wasn't smooth at all...Time to practice

 

Next I made the fondant dancers! These turned out pretty well, modified from a gingerbread boy shaped cookie cutter. I painted one black, left one white, and tinted one pink to see which I like best. I believe I'll be doing the pink on the final cake.

Pros: Look like dancers, good coloring, cute decorations, easy to make

Cons: Flopped over a bit- stupid pliable fondant!

 Finally I added a Pink Carpet, the dancers, a random bow I drafted, and the Magic Jewel Barbie!

The real cake will have another tier, and 2 layers of each tier. But I think it will turn out quite well! Just have to work out a few kinks- practice makes perfect!

 Finally, the easiest step: Cutting and EATING. This cake is delicious. My mom and I are devoted to the Jewel Osco bakery and this cake mimics it exceptionally well. The cake recipe is from Epicurious.com (featured on the Today show); the buttercream is an improvised recipe from my personal taste, and the fondant is a Wilton recipe. The cake slices perfectly and tastes rich without being painfully rich.

I had three slices.

No big deal or anything.