Decorating a Mermaid Cake

Watch the YouTube video HERE!

This cake was an absolute joy to decorate! I love stretching my icing skills a little further each time, and this one was a bit challenging with a lot of room for learning! The best part was knowing it was for a special kid celebrating a birthday in crappy times- so if she can't have a party with her friends, hopefully this cake made up for that at least a little bit!

To Do FIRST!

~This is a 6" three layer vanilla cake, get the recipe HERE

~I made the white chocolate mermaid tail and seashells, then gave them a little dusting with edible GOLD. Watch the YouTube tutorial HERE

HOW TO:

1.) Make the buttercream icing, get the recipe HERE

You might think this is A LOT of icing, but I'm a firm believer in making more than you think you need as you can easily freeze it. (I had enough left over for a batch of 12 cupcakes as well.)

2.) Cut the tops off the cakes with a serrated knife to make them nice and flat (make sure they are 100% cooled. I usually stick mine in the fridge for a while to make them a bit more firm as well

3.) Using a small amount of icing, attach your first layer to a cake board or plate (to prevent it from moving around)

4.) Use a liberal amount of icing to attach the bottom layer to the middle layer, then repeat for the middle layer to the top layer. ***Sprinkle some colourful non-pareils in between the layers as well if you want a pretty pop of colour

5.) Place a thin layer of white icing to cover the cake. This is called the crumb coat, and prevents the cake crumbs from being distributed in the top layer of icing.

6.) Decide on the "top coat" base colour and apply a layer of icing. I chose a pale blue and spread it on to an approx. 1/8-1/4" thickness

7.) Choose your colours and fill your piping bags with icing. I chose 5 or 6 colours. I would HIGHLY recommend buying a 12 pack of piping bag couplers and various piping tips. You can change tips once you have these couplers on your bag, and TRUST ME this makes the icing process SO MUCH EASIER, cleaner and more fun

8.) Using a variety of tips (I LOVE rosettes) your chocolate shapes and a variety of sprinkles, cover your cake in icing goodness! No rules here, just keep icing it until it looks complete!

***Apply them to the cake RIGHT AFTER you've iced, as the icing firms up fairly quickly

9.) Attach the mermaid tail using some buttercream. I used a couple of toothpicks to keep it upright as well