Strawberry Shortcake Cake

This past weekend I had the honor of making Miss Lauren's 3rd birthday cake. Lauren is a big Strawberry Shortcake fan and wanted a cake that showed off her love for this classic character. A recent trend in today's cakes is to have a small center cake and surround it with coordinating cupcakes. I kicked this concept into high gear and made a huge strawberry cake and planted a cupcake strawberry patch all around.

The center strawberry was made using the standard Barbie dress pan. I slightly shaved one side of the cake so it would lay on its side. The bottom of the pan does not come to a point so I made up the difference with red fondant. I iced the entire strawberry and and covered with red fondant. I used the rounded edge of a smallish paint brush to make the "seeds." I also formed the small strawberries out of fondant and allowed them to set up over night.

The leaves were free handed out of leaf green (Wilton gel color) fondant and placed on the large berry. I used water to make them stick. If placed just right the leaves are handy for covering any flaws in the fondant. In my experience I have found an inexpensive set of sponge rollers (never used on hair of course) is an invaluable tool for giving fondant a realistic depth and shape. The "three" was cut from fondant that had been mixed with a small amount of Wilton Gum Tex and was allowed to dry. The actual Strawberry Shortcake character was purchased from a major chain store. I made one out of gum paste and I like it, but because the cake was for a child and she is accustomed to a specific look I decided to go with the plastic character and Lauren gets a small toy to remind her of her 3rd birthday cake.

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