Children's Birthday Cakes

Last Saturday I did a Children's Birthday Cakes class, a single three hour workshop like the cupcakes and chocolate ones I did last term.  We had a choice of making a butterfly or a snake, both of which could be easily made by cutting and rearranging a round cake.  We had to take our own lollies and whatever bits and pieces we wanted for decorating, but once again, the joy of classes... it's bit hard to know what to take when you don't know exactly what you're going to be doing.

I went with the butterfly, and while I was fairly happy with the shape, I could have done a better job with the design.  I usually spend hours planning any given cake, and more often than not, the design goes through several incarnations before I settle on a final design.  Coming up with something on the spot is definitely not one of my strengths!  Anyhow, the best tip I picked up was how to do a smooth finish on frosting or buttercream (I was wondering about this WAY back when I made Cameron's Bob the Builder cake)... use a hot spatula to smooth it over!  It didn't really work in the class because the taps didn't run hot enough, but I'll definitely try it next time I use buttercream at home.