Please help! I have been asked to create a Hello Kitty pull apart cake and through tutorials on the internet, I've learned how to place the cupcakes to make a cake and how to stick them together, but can't find any tutorials on how to decorate the cake.. Here are my questions:

- What should I use to trace/decorate the Hello Kitty head? Black icing? Piping gel? I'm trying to avoid having a licorice taste..it's for a 4-year old.

- My friend wants whipped cream instead of buttercream or frosting? How do I keep it from melting before the outside birthday party?

- Is there a cake board or a box that I can buy that would hold 36 cupcakes?

Any ideas are appreciated! Thanks in advance..

I would say go with your comfort level, it's hard to say because you have no pictures posted. You could frost each in a cupcake tip swirl, or ice as a whole. I personally don't like gel, and would do all bettercreme, or pastry pride. Depending on where your at for an out door event, keep it refrigerated as long as possible. You probably want to hit up a Michaels or cake supply shop, for a the box, and board you will need (maybe a half sheet)

You could do similar to what I did for the halloween cupcake cake that's in my photos.

I wouldn't use a whipped icing if it isn't going to hold in heat. You're the expert. You need to tell your friend that to do the design as requested, a proper buttercream is what you need to use. If she doesn't want that, then you may have to suggest an alternate design.

Anyway, You put all of the cupcakes on a large cakeboard in the shape you are using for the design. That board should be able to fit in a cake box. Stick them down with a bit of icing (or however you were going to do so). Ice the top of the cupcakes with a fairly thick layer of your icing. If the background is going to be white, just do it in white. But you need enough icing to fill in any gaps you have between the cupcakes. Smooth if flat. This is going to be the background of the picture, so as smooth as you can is better.

Take your Hello Kitty picture. If there are words at all on it, then you have to print it out in reverse. Place a piece of waxed paper or parchment paper over it and pipe out all of the lines, not just the outline, in piping gel. Take the waxed paper and turn it over so the design is on the bottom and carefully place it where the design will be going. Use a light brush (I use a clean paint brush) and gently brust all of the lines of the design. This will transer the outline to the iced "cake". Carefully peel off the waxed paper.

Take black buttercream, and pipe over the piping gel lines. No one will see the gel once you're done, and it's tasteless. The black gel colour doesn't taste like licorice. If you don't want the lines to be so obvious, then pipe the outline in white.

Then basically you can "colour" the design. Using the different colours of your icing that make up your picture, you can use the star tip and pipe in the colours. When you've completed the Hello Kitty picture, just pipe a border and you're done. As long as the remaining area of the cake is smooth, you don't have to do anything else. If you want, you can always continue and just pipe with the star tip so the background looks the same.


Just a suggestion..

@ pmarks0~ those directions were better than most tutorials! You just made me want to try it too!! Thanks so much for taking the time to write that all out!!

Thank you all for those GREAT tips!! I'm going to print them out and try to talk my friend into using buttercream instead of whipped icing...Also, I found a Hello Kitty template that might help others make a cake on this site:

www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/cartoons/hellokitty/cake.htm

Again, thanks!