Hello all. I am planning to make a round cake iced with buttercream and decorated with 2d fondant (sugarpaste as we call it here in the UK) images on the side of the cake. I plan to pre-cut the images (a fire station and helicopter- cake is for my daughter who is mad about the show Fireman Sam) so that they are all ready and dry before I have even made the cake and all I have to do is place them on the sides of the cake.

My question is, since the cake is round and the images are going to dry hard and flat, is it best for me to make the images when the cake is already iced, wait a few minutes then place the images onto the cake while they are still a bit soft (but not so soft that they become misshapen while being handled) so that they follow the roundness of the cake? I'd like to make the images well in advance (party is not till the 16th of Feb!!) because I am making 2 cakes plus 24 cupcakes (all with fondant toppings), which I have managed to do for everything else except my own daughter's cake while I figure out what to do first.

I am using fondant/sugarpaste so that the images can be eaten.

My other question is, the top of the cake will be a small fireengine, made with small squares of cake covered in fondant and placed on a small cake board. I dont have any dowels (is that the right term) to stop the fire engine sinking into the bottom of the cake. Can I use lots of barbeque sticks instead? I'd rather not buy any more cake stuff as we're a bit broke at the moment.

When I have fondant accents I need to contour to the side of a cake I usually make them after the cake is iced and let them set just a moment so they can be easily handled. This works best for me.

If you are looking to make them in advance , I have done that also, make sure once they are done you seal them in an air tight bag or container. Side note :I have found ziploc bags are not airtight. When I have done this I have made them up to 3 - 4 days in advance.

As long as the sticks you have are food safe , they will work. I use ****tail straws for support when I have a heavier accent piece.

Melanie, thanks for the advice. I'll be making my cake decor after the cake has been iced! One of these days someone will come up with airtight bags for storing sugarpaste :)

make them in advance and let them dry on the pan that you are going to bake in so they have the same curve. I just put wax paper on the outside of the pan, stand it on it's side with some objects to keep it vertical and just lay the images on it.  If the image in large, I put two pans together. Hope that helps.

Usually, depending how far in advance, I make them and put inside a double zip ziplock freezer bag and store that in a dark place and sometimes another sealed container. it will usually keep soft at least 24-48 hours. Kust make sure you get all the air out.

I dry them on the side of the tin also , use dried spaghetti to stop them from sinking instead of the ****tail sticks, much safer . 

Savannahquinn and Chellescakes, quite clearly I never thought of this. What a great idea and it means I get to make my cake decor in advance. 

Howsweet, I have never made sure I got all the air out of my ziplock bags, will do this from now on. 

What are ****sticks? Is this a brand so it cant be spelt out in this forum?

Baking Irene, thanks for letting me know. Auto nazi- lol- good one! 

I've pre made as much of the decor that needed to be a curved shape and they are all drying and ready to be placed on the cakes when the time comes. Crossing my fingers nothing snaps or breaks, as I'm still a bit heavy handed with fondant. I will be covering the cakes for the first time with fondant in two weeks time and I'm feeling a bit apprehensive about that. I guess I could practice on a cake tin before placing on the actual cake! 

Thanks everyone for all the tips :)

If you cover a styrofoam cake dummy in the size of your eventual cake with plastic wrap, you can use that to dry your pieces on and your pans will not be hors de baking when you need them. 

@ Irene,  Auto Nazi, good one and too true.