Icing Smiles Once Again! Xbox Cake

Last month I was approached by Icing Smiles to, again, donate a cake to a deserving child!  It was a double pleasure for me because it was for the same family I donated a cake to in February!  In February, I made a Blue's Clues cake for Alex.  This time I was asked to make a "Dream Cake" for CJ, Alex's brother, who has been battling Mitochondrial Disease.

CJ wanted an "Xbox Cake"... so an Xbox cake he got!

 Sixteen!  What an exciting birthday!  And what an honor it was for me to make his birthday cake!  The numbers are gumpaste with toothpicks in the bottom to attach to the cake.  I painted them with paint made from pearl dust, Electric Green Americolor and vodka.

The controller was sculpted with rice cereal treats!  After struggling to find a way to cover rice cereal treats with fondant and make it smooth, I think I've figured it out!  I cover it first with modeling chocolate and smooth that (you can also sculpt some detail) and then fondant over the modeling chocolate!  Genius!

 The console it's self was just a 13x9 cake (chocolate cake with peanut butter SMBC filling!), that I trimmed a little from the end to get the proportions right.  Then I contoured the front and back a little to give it the slight curve that the Xbox has... (We do not own a video game systems... so I spent HOURS staring at photo's of Xboxes to try and figure out if it did indeed have a curve!)

Working with Icing Smiles has been incredibly rewarding, both times now.  It feels good to know that I can offer a cake to a child who really deserves a reason to smile!  If you are interested in volunteering with Icing Smiles, visit their website or find them on Facebook!  You don't have to be a cake artist to volunteer, they often need home bakers, delivery drivers, fundraising or even just monetary donations.  

Happy Caking :)