I am making a ladybug birthday cake today. I baked my cakes last evening, intending to carve and decorate today.

I have prepared two 10" cakes, with the plan to carve them into a ladybug. I have always been one to learn the hard way, but now I am seeing that a lot of people use a pyrex bowl to bake cakes that are going to be this shape. I did not do that. I will have to carve. I am looking for any tips or advice on creating a great rounded shape by carving with a knife.

Thanks so much! I always appreciate how much help everyone on here can be. I apologize if there is already a discussion on this somewhere. I did try to search "carving a ladybug" and didn't get any results.

I always carve my cakes. I usually start by tilting the knife at a severe angle and start with the edges to get the idea of my slope. Start at the top, going all the way around your cake. After that, I work my down each side, leaving more cake in the middle and cutting off more towards the bottom. It will look like a stop sign on the sides (kind of) whenyou are done. Then just go around the cake and clean up the sides and top. Sometimes I bring my knife upwards for the top to get a good dome. Do a little at a time so that you fix any mis- haps or uneven sides. I hope this helps!