DIY Painted Fondant Cake Toppers

The husband is turning fourty, and the girls and I surprised him with a big party.  We needed a cake, but having procrastinated past the point of ordering a cake, we decided to get creative. I have made fondant cakes before, but didn't want to get all into a huge project. So I recalled that fondant can be painted if the paint is dissolved in alcohol rather than water. That was worth a shot! (Pun intended)

I made fondant according to my tried and true recipe. Rolled it out in three pieces about 1/4in thick, one for each child to paint. 

Dissolved about 1/2 tsp food coloring in 3Tbsp vodka (approximate, judge by how saturated the color is), and dispensed in ramekins. 

 

 Each child got one brand-new, washed small paint brush. I instructed them to wash the paint brushes in the clear vodka, then dab dry on a rag, before switching colors.

The two year old went abstract:

The seven-year-old went floral

And the four-year-old went with lots of color, a flower and a rainbow.

After the 'paint' had dried, I layered each piece of art between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and stored them at room temperature. I put a generous layer of whipped cream cheese frosting on plain sheet cakes, and then laid the sheet of fondant on top, with the saran wrap on the painted side staying on until the last minute. Because I hadn't planned in advance, our fondant pieces were oval, but the cakes rectangular/round, so I put some strawberries around to 'frame the art'. 

I first considered piping the lettering with colored frosting, but then remembered that fondant really doesn't mix well with anything that has a water component... luckily I found some pre-made gel coloring I had left.

Happy Birthday, Daddy! Let them eat (strawberry short) cake!