Adventures in "Firsts"

In this first year of Kyler's life, there have been many "firsts". now, granted, he's not quite 4 months old and so therefore, there are many more "firsts" to come. But today's firsts are mine.

I have come to the conclusion that when anyone on a You tube tutorial video says, "This is my first..." anything, they are lying. They have, undoubtedly, done the said "first" a dozen or so times before they get it right. Then they make the video of the finished perfect project and say, "This is my first..." whatever. Well, I will be honest. I think my first fondant cake looks ridiculous and as such, I will not be posting a picture of it. It's too embarrassing. Admittedly, I used one cake mix and poured out 2, 8 inch round pans then turned one pan into two tiny cakes (NOT recommended) and then cut the other cake in half and made a two layer half cake. Ha! What a joke. The two little ones were the hardest to ice because they didn't really have a crust to work with. The half cake was much easier.

So, what are the lessons learned for the actual cake?

Lesson Number One: When the tutorial says to ice the cake with buttercream before applying fondant they do not mean a thick layer that you would do if that was all that was needed for the presentation. In this case, less is more.
Lesson Number Two: Always tint the fondant when the marshmallows are melted rather than waiting until it is done and kneading in the coloring. That sucks and your shoulders will let you know why.
Lesson Number Three: Always, ALWAYS sketch your plan out first. There is nothing worse than sitting with a blank canvas and no idea what to do with it.
Lesson Number Four: A fondant smother is a lifesaver!!!
and Lesson Number Five: It takes TONS of black food coloring to get it really black and less blue coloring to achieve the desired color. Not enough black looks purple and too much blue looks purple. But white is perfect!!!

And don't forget the flavoring!!!!

Happy baking!