Mario Cake

 I saw this Mario cake from @neuroticmom and I was sold on recreating it. Duke originally wanted a 4 tier cake with each layer being a different character and while that would have been a super fun challenge... it felt like a huge waste of time for 6 kids. He requested chocolate cake and I started working. I started iwth the bottom layer and things were going pretty smoothly. I couldn't find peach colored jelly beans so we went with white. I stuck the bottom layer in the fridge to freeze while I worked on the mushroom topper. We live in Kansas and it was 100% humidity outside and pouring rain. I set Mario on the table and 10 minutes later... this happened. 

I screamed.... not just like a little scream, like Mama Hulk escaping her former body scream. 

So we decided to place the topper and refreeze the cake, and in the morning we would pull it out and I would re-add the m&m's.

Well E helped me after picking off every single m&m... some twice because I started at the bottom like a ding bat and the top ones started dripping onto the bottom ones we remade Mario and  while I can see so many imperfections... I really am so happy with how he turned out! 

The white buttercream and I were not friends, so we didn't add any finishing details around the mushroom and honestly I think that mushroom is beyond cute! :). I couple of little figures really helped add those finishing touches. 

I had to photoshop these beauties to their former glory before the red rad allllllll down the side of the cake. They were so gosh darn cute!

This birthday boy was pretty excited about his cake and that right there makes it 1000% worth it! 

Things I have learned:

1. While fondant is disgusting, it it so much easier to work with (IMO)
2. Buttercream and KC in the summer just do not mix.
3. This is a four tier cake, the mushroom is 2 1/2 layers for the base and the top is 3 layers. The 7 children at this party plus Daddy and I only ate the mushroom. So Mario was given away. Not a bad thing but it was a lot of work, so next time I need to go MUCH smaller.
4. I love trying new things!! This cake was a lot of fun and I LOVED making a (somewhat) carbon copy from @neuroticmom. Takes so much of the guess work out of things! 
5. Cakes are a labor of love and I love how excited the kids get about their cakes. 100% makes it worth it!