Chocolate Fondant and Lilo & Stitch

A couple weeks ago I learned how to make Candy Clay aka Modeling Chocolate which can easily be turned into chocolate fondant. The main ingredient is Candy Melts which come in various colors and tastes deeeelicious!

 

I found this to be a very valuable discovery...it can be cheaper than fondant/gumpaste, it comes precolored, I can use the melts to make candies, and it SMELLS and TASTES LIKE CHOCOLATE!  The weekend after I learned this recipe I had a request from my Auntie Tett to make a birthday cake for her nephew, PJ, who happens to live in Oxnard.  I knew this cake had to sustain a 1 1/2 to 2 hour drive, so I had to cover the cake in some kind of durable exterior.  Buttercream or any type of cream frosting has the potential to melt if it's not chilled properly. So obviously I wanted to try out this new recipe on this cake.  All they asked for was a simple round marble flavored cake that read "Happy Birthday PJ" to feed 10-15 people.  So this is what I came up with...

Last year, on April 7th, two of my cousins had each given birth both at the same hospital in Bakersfield....one was a girl (Chloe Bella) and the other a boy (Edward Julius). We call these two cousins "The Twins" and "BFFs".  Since last month I had been anticipating their 1st birthdays and wanted to make their special cake.  To get the ball rolling on party planning, I started throwing out ideas to their mothers (my cousins)...they both really liked the idea of having a "Lilo and Stitch" themed party, so I made a Lilo and Stitch cake!

Here is their invitation... cute, right??

 I started off very ambitious with this cake especially since there's so much imagery to work with this theme....Hawaii, beach, surfing, flowers/leis, Elvis, hula, sand, and the many character of the Lilo and Stitch Movie. After some sketching I simplified the final design.

Since I worked on the Yo Gabba Gabba and Disney Friends characters, I felt a lot more confident working on Lilo and Stitch. It helps a lot that I'm a huuuge Lilo and Stitch fan...I even named my doggie Lilo :) First, I worked on Stitch.

Once I  painted on his eyes and details, it really made Stitch come alive.  I molded his ears but I learned my lesson from the Mickey, so I put them on last and adhered them on stronger.

Next, I worked on Lilo.  Luckily I have a figurine that helped me work out the details and body proportions of each character.  I decided to make Lilo with her Hula outfit because she would look more animated.

 After the figures were made, it was time to work on the cake. 

I knew that I was going to have two sized round cakes separated with cake pillars creating height and levels.  The concept for this idea was give an "island" feel...the bottom cake would be blue to represent the ocean and the top would be green to represent the land. The pillars would be turned into trees that are such a big part of the imagery in the movie.  

 I used surfboards to personalize the cake for each "twin" and gave Stitch his ears.

Time for the final masterpiece...

I took the previous pictures before delivery making sure the characters stayed on well and I could make the proper adjustments...so all I had to do was stick them in their places at the party.  They were taken off for damage control during delivery.  The party was in Bakersfield making this a 2 hour delivery like the last cake but with a lot more fragile pieces to worry about.  I'm happy to say that Stitch's ears stayed on and the only casualty was a couple strands from Lilo's grass skirt.

I also made cupcakes because I had Lilo and Stitch rings to place as toppers. The cake was Fudge Swirl and the cupcakes were red velvet with cream cheese frosting. I also made a reusable cupcake stand using decorative plates and a margarita glass as a platform.

Chloe Bella and Edward Julius had to take a nap before we sang "Happy Birthday" and present opening. 

 During the party, our other cousin Maggie gave birth for the first time and we were able to visit her at the hospital to welcome our new niece to the world.  Jahlizza Maguita Lodevico 4/10/2010 at 4:10pm, 6lbs 11oz, 19 inches long :) I'm pretty sure I'll be making her 1st Birthday cake.

Aloha and Mahalo for stopping by and reading my blog. Up next I'll be making a surprise cake, a baby shower cake, and hopefully an ice cream cake. Please stay posted.

~Abs of Cakes~