Several years ago I began making cakes for special occasions. One of my stated goals was to be able to make really neat cakes for my daughter’s birthday. While I’m not yet where I would like to be in that regard, this was the next in my attempt to make better cakes.

The chocolate cake recipe on the back of the Hershey’s dark cocoa is quite good, and so that’s what I used as the cake part. After letting the two 9” rounds cool, I added some frosting to join them, and then frosted the whole thing with vanilla buttercream. I always have problems making it as smooth as I would like, and this time was no exception.

After reading some more on the subject, it seems like the best way to solve this problem is to first add the crumb layer and put it in the fridge. Once cooled, add a second layer and to continue to smooth it with an icing smoother, and ideally a revolving cake decorating stand. Something to try next time.

After frosting, I put it back in the fridge to cool overnight before applying the fondant. I always make marshmallow fondant and it turns out alright. The application of the fondant over the top is always stressful. It’s best to wrap it up over a rolling pin and then unroll it over the cake. The difficulty comes when it comes time to reconcile the fact that it’s a 2-dimensional roll of fondant being applied over a 3-dimensional cake. Getting the sides smooth and without creases is an endless source of frustration for me. I suppose I just need more practice.

I had in mind making an owl cake, given my daughter’s love for the animal. While food coloring works fine to actually color the fondant, the process of mixing it in consistently is messy and frustrating. I can’t seem to get it to soak in well enough before I start kneading it in such that it doesn’t just squelch out of every fold of the fondant, squirting food coloring everywhere.

Still, the children seemed to mostly like the cake.