Hello! I am by no means a professional or an aspiring professional here...I just want to decorate an adorable cake for my little girl's first birthday party in 2 weeks. I want to do a really fun, modern ladybug cake...I have found photos of cakes that I like, but no details on how to create it. Does anyone have an idea or tip for me? I would appreciate any help I can get! Thank you!

If you have the ball pan, bake 1/2 of it and put it on top of an 8 in round. Ice it in red - fondant is suggested for taste reasons. Use a cutter to do the black dots, using a large tip (think the round end) they work great. I used alum foil for the eyes then covered them in fondant. PM me if you need any more help!

if you use fondant, i suggest you order red fondant cuz it takes a ton of color. can't wait to see pics!

I use a football pan and add a cupcake on the front for the head. Maybe you could include some of the pics or links that you like and we could help explain how they are done? I would recommend making it pink and green or some combination other than red and black. Red and black taste bad and will color your mouth, clothes, etc!

Here is my ladybug: http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1222678
You could do this with fondant, buttercream stars, or just ice in buttercream like I did. The antennae are wire with fondant.

Thanks! I love the pink and green ladybug cake as well! I have never worked with fondant, but I love the way it looks! However, I love the taste of buttercream...I had read that you can bake the body part of the cake in a glass mixing bowl, so I was considering doing that. I guess my main issue is how to ice and which colors...oh and also, should I use fondant or buttercream??? I am also going to make cookies or cupcakes to match. Maybe fondant for the cake and buttercream for the cupcakes? Is fondant hard to work with? Can I make it or should I get it pre-made? Oh the questions! I want this cake to be so cute and I am determined to do it myself! Yay for determination!

Fondant isn't too difficult on a small scale like this. Try making some MMF (Marshmallow Fondant) and play with it. It tastes great.