I am going to make a cake for my 9-year-old and my 3-year-old nephew. It is going to be a simple sheet cake for the boys to share. I want to make the decorations a couple of weeks ahead of time since we are all going on vacation together. I am thinking of using gum paste since that can be make ahead well in advance. Does anyone have any suggestions of decorations that I can make well in advance? I would like to make the decorations ahead of time so then I can just place on cake after frosting and call it finished.

Any ideas of what to make would be appreciated?

i guess they wont go for flowers!
how about sports - different kinds of balls?
animals - zoo, farmyard, sea ceatures?
just polka dots
if you do flat shapes, you could just do them in fondant, like the dots or balls, as long as you dont try to bend them on the cake.
xx

No, flowers are out of the question! LOL! I don't think they would go for that!

I kind of like the ball idea! Does anyone have any tutorials on making baseballs/basketball/footballs for gumpaste or fondant?

i would take the easy way out, and make flat balls, just circles, with a bit of piping/ stuck on accents for the detail.
if they like something like base ball, you could do a 3d ball and bat. or soccer - a ball and shoe! i know there are shoe tutorials on here. for the balls, i would just copy a picture.
xx

Do you know what they are interested in? Do they like sports, is there a favorite team or show, or game they like? You could print any clip art off the internet, or page from a coloring book and do a frozen buttercream transfer. It will keep in the freezer for quite a while.

How do you do a frozen buttercream transfer that keeps in the freezer? Would that travel well in the car for 4 hours?

I made little animals out of gumpaste with cookie cutters and decorated them with some food coloring, it was really quick and they werent fragile so I was worried about them sitting or getting bumped before my sons party..

Oh, I didnt realize you were doing the cake while away on vacation, I was thinking you'd be coming home and it would need to be ready. No a BCT wouldnt travel. Sorry didnt read your question thoroughly.

What does everyone think of a basic polka dot design for a boys birthday cake?

How long would the fondant keep for? Would it be good if made 2 weeks in advance? Should it be refrigerated, freezed, or just stored at room temperature to prevent cracking?

polka dots are good for everyone! the fondant will dry, and if you then try to bend them at all, they will crack, but as long as they stay flat (lift them with a spatula) they will look great. id just keep it at room temp, in a box somewhere.
xx

Thanks!

If I bought an actual cake topper. What is the best place to buy one of those kits online?

you can buy those things at prety much any cake store, even ur local supermarket might have those things. especially if you go for something thats really just a toy, like some race cars. make a green cake (grass) and on the day, youd need some gray/ black fondant to make a race track.
xx

Do you happen to know a good web store to purchase cookie cutters?

im afraid im in the uk, so use different sites! but most cake decorating stores will have them, different ones have different cutters, so it might take a bit of looking to find something, if its a bit different.
xx

I suggest a large flat fondant decoration to place on the cake like a truck, ball, animal or something the boys like. Maybe a replica of a video game they like.

i just posted a coral reef cake on in my photos. check it out...a week ahead, i made the coral and fish in gumpaste and then just placed them on the cake the day of delivery. very easy!

You could do candy melts and decorate the cake with them.
I did this for a all sport ball cake, fondant with candy melts, or you can decorate with cookies also.



http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1313304

candy melts are a great idea! extra treats to enjoy!!

I love the candy melt idea! That does sound like an extra treat!