Max and Ruby Cake! Fun With Marshmallow Fondant

I did it. I made a Max and Ruby cake. Cami had decided months ago that she wanted a Max and Ruby cake for her 4th birthday. They are her favorite little brother sister duo- she LOVES watching them on video, and reading their books by Rosemary Wells. I think they're pretty adorable. Ruby is the bossy, mature big sister who tries to keep tabs on her mischievious little brother Max. It's a really pure, innocent little show, so I don't mind when Cami wants to get a different video from the library every time we go.

So ANYways...I was looking forward to the chance to try to create something cute out of marshmallow fondant. I searched online for inspiration, and found lots of super cute Max and Ruby cakes that were over the top and fancy. But one cake really stood out for me with its cute colors, adorableness, detail and also simplicity. See the cake here or on the amazing cake artist's website here.

I fell in love with it, and knew I had to try. I've never attempted to cover a whole cake with fondant, so that was something new I had to learn. I followed a couple good tutorials on how to make and color marshmallow fondant here, and then how to roll and decorate with fondant here. I baked the cake on Friday morning, and made two batches of marshmallow fondant. Then I separated it into whatever colors I thought I would need. First, I made a light green and rolled it out to cover a pizza pan for the base of the cake (that was my learning phase..I didn't roll it out nice and smooth, so it was bumpy and sloppy, but it worked.) Then I rolled out the light blue to cover the entire cake. I even used a ruler so that I knew it would be big enough.

I just used boxed yellow cake mix for the cake. I'm proud of myself, because I'm on the SCD diet and only eating meats, veggies and fruits, so tasting the cake or frosting or fondant was out of the question. I wasn't tempted though, I just pounded it out and made it like a champ. Lots of sugar for my little sugar loving girl on her special day...it's ok to make exceptions every once in awhile, right? :)

I ended up using 3 9-inch round cakes, stacked and frosted them. The cake is purposely set back a bit on the pan to make room for the walkway and yard decorations.

Then I sprinkled a teeny bit of corn starch on the blue fondant, rolled it up onto the rolling pin, and unrolled it onto the cake. It was ALmost centered. I tried my best to smooth out the wrinkles, but luckily it didn't have to be perfect because the bottom of the cake would be covered with a cute white picket fence.

Then, I went to town. This was all on Friday night, the night before her party. I spent about 5 hours playing with fondant, making each little aspect and decoration. The house didn't turn out like I wanted it to....the roof is supposed to be 3D and sticking up straight above the edge of the cake, with the chimney standing up. But I couldn't figure out how to make it stand up, so I just folded it over the edge and called it good.

I totally improvised with each little piece. For the fence, I figured out a way to use a pizza roller to make each line in the fence, and a knife to round off the tops of the fence. I loved making the bushes and trees, using a toothpick to make texture. It would be so fun to have actual cake decorating tools. :) I really didn't mean to make a patchwork quilt like the cake I was recreating, but I started and just went with it. That took longer than I wanted, and left little time for the stars of the cake, Max and Ruby!

I was tired and it was late when I made them, so I didn't perfect them in any way, but I was just glad they got made and they didn't fall apart! I was afraid I wouldn't get a picture of it all in tact the next day, so I took a picture of it in the fridge. haha

Tah Daaahhhh! The finished cake. Max and Ruby....Ruby and Max!

It's cute, it's colorful, it's happy.

Max and Ruby are having their own little birthday celebration! (I despise edible markers, by the way. Boo on Max's shirt and the poor bunny faces).

I used the end of a straw to make the little "cobblestone" walkway.

I had to throw Cami's name on there! Some day I'll learn how to make perfect fondant letters. For now, it's just free-handing it and playing with it till I'm satisfied.

Yay, I was proud of my ambitious cake!

The cake was a big hit at the party, and best and most important of all....

The birthday girl loved it!