Monkey 1st Birthday Cake

I wanted to start out my blog by showing some of the cakes I have created in the past. Cake decorating is a hobby of mine and I usually get my ideas from a combination of things I have seen online. When my youngest daughter (who is now almost 4) turned 1, we decided to do a monkey theme for her party. I made most of the decorations an her invitations using my Silhouette Cameo.

I decided to do a 2 layer cake because we have a large extended family and I love the effect they have! I found a monkey cookie cutter that I used to create the monkey faces on the cake. I used a sharp knife to hand cut all of the facial features of the monkey. I only did a few monkeys so it did not take that long. I had a flower shaped cookie cutter that I used for the flower on the monkey. I just used a small circle cookie cutter to create the circles all over the cake. Cookie cutters were also used for the design and letter on top. The piping along the edges help hide any imperfections in the fondant and create a finished look. I also do this step last so that I don't bump it when I am working. I used a wilton tip to create the shell pattern. I always use Americolor gels to color my frosting and if I decide to color my own fondant. I have found that most people just take the fondant off without even trying it. I just buy the cheaper Wilton fondant instead of the pricier fondants because they work well for me and I don't worry about the taste. I made this cake the day before and the fondant held up very well! I think it also helped the cake hold the fondant because it firmed it up. Hope you like it!