Butterfly Dreams

 On my siblings' birthdays, I usually let them choose the theme for their cake. This cake, which I titled "Butterfly Dreams," was requested by my little sister. She had it all thought out way ahead of time. The little girl and her net was top on the list. Immediately I sketched this cake out on a sticky note.

The cake is a two tiered chocolate, made with the wonderful Pillsbury cake mix. An 8 in. round cake pan was used for the bottom, and a 6 in. round pan was used for the top. The frosting is pale green and flavored with vanilla. I used white edging to border the cake, which helped bring out the pale green. (I'm planning on posting the frosting recipe that I use soon.)

The daises, butterflies, and drop flowers are all made out of fondant. (Eventually I plan to post more detailed directions for beginners on how to make fondant butterflies and flowers. It's super easy!) To add to the girly theme, I added edible sparkles to my butterflies. These butterflies also look elegant on cupcakes. I've had people actually believe the butterflies were plastic and throw them away because they thought they weren't edible.

Finally, I formed the little girl out of fondant and piped on frosting hair. I used edible marker to create her smiling face. The butterfly net is also made of fondant. Although, the handle I piped on since I was out of brown fondant. My sister loved the cake, my mom decorated according to the theme of the cake, and the party went well. Of course, it ended quickly; but it was well worth the work for that special person.