Carousel Cake - Looking for Some Good Ideas!

I have a small cake decorating busy I run out of my home.

If you are a novice baker, I would suggest you not get too carried away with the small details. Go for a more "basic" cake and the results will be far more stellar, I promise.

This cake on the wilton website would be my suggestion to a novice baker. http://www.wilton.com/idea/Enchanted-Carousel This one suggests to use gum paste for the decor and the horses. I would say to find the animals you want...and it can be any animals and do what is called a "frozen butter cream transfer". Instead of butter cream frosting, use candy melts. If you take your time, your figures will look terrific. And making them out of the candy melts will make them look a bit more like "real" shiny carosel figures and the will stand out against the cake. It will look more 3-D.

Here's a great video on the butter cream transfer.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CV2DZDuv9XA When I use candy melts, I don't always outline in black like suggested here.

Whatever you decide to do, your daughter will absolutely love. Good luck!

I would make some rounds. For teh top, you an do what Cake Boss does and make rice krispie treats, then form them into a pyramid and put that on top of the cake, a dowel running through the center may help. You can buy small craft mirrors and put those around the top than pip icing around them. Something simple, like this:
http://monkeysinmybed.blogspot.com/2010/09/carousel-cake....

This is a really cute idea too, a thick candy cane and licorice for the top:
http://ediblecrafts.craftgossip.com/carousel-cakes-and-cu...

You can pipe little poles, use cute sticks or candy straws. You can make cookies for the animals using cookie cutters, or even print them out on cardstock and stick them to the poles for icing.

The base of this one looks simple and cute:
http://carlyskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/02/cute-carousel-c...

This is pretty, and it doesn't even have a top:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4076/4940340706_2fd083f6ff...

Just break it down into basic steps. It doesn't have to be anything crazy fancy, like this!:
http://blog.girlybubble.com/2010/11/29/cake-of-the-day-pr...

For the animals, I've made sugar cookies cut ours and bake them on sticks. I frost them by outlining the outside and then filling in with a glaze. I then dictates with eyes, mouths and added embellishments. And then stuck them in the cake aground the edges.

You've got some great ideas....have fun!

How fun! We found some really neat carousel horses in the wooden paint yourself ornament section at Michaels a few years ago. You could paint them to match the cake colors. Or, if Xmas ornaments are out you could pick some cute animals to use. Glue or wire to painted dowels. Use candy canes as supports for the 'roof'. Or use the wedding cake tiers and snap in platforms. You could set a cake on top of the top platform to be your 'roof' and even carve it to have a slightly conical shape. (freeze the cake first, it'll be less crumbly to work with.) I think a small colorful flag to the tippy top of the carousel would be cute, or i like your idea of the curling ribbon cascading down. For the center mirror area, cut down a paper towel roll to height, paint or cover with colorful paper, and glue on some mirrors. Have fun!

I've also seen cut out cookies used as carousel animals. But be prepared to spend a lot of time decorating them to look really good.

In terms of how do you connect things, royal icing is like baker's glue -- I would use it to glue animal crackers (you can buy them with icing and sprinkles if you want) to old fashioned candy sticks and then put a dollop of icing on the top of the stick to attach a paper roof. I'd skip the mirrors and decorate the sides of the cake with diamond shapes of different colors.

I made one before. The base can be basic. I like to pipe yellow and red strips going up and down because it's circusy. Then buy those candy sticks, about 5-6 depending on size of cake. The swirl ones are pretty and place them around the top and then one big stick in the center. Take 5 pretty ribbons, attach all to the center main stick and then attach one ribbon to each "pole" on the edges. From there, if you set the poles with some edge space, you can place an animal next to each pole. If you set the poles so they are stuck to the edge of the cake, you should be able to "glue" the animals up and down like a carousel along the perimeter of the cake.

You can also buy swirl straws instead of candy sticks and that will reduce the weight if you don't have a strong frosting. I think one of those spiral candy sticks would still be nice as the center pole. If you want a easy out, use Mother's frosted circus animals. They are cute and simple.

Hope it works out!