I am making a mickey smash cake for a 1 year old. The thing is that he doesn't have teeth yet, so I cannot use anything he needs to chew. Therefore I am using buttercream instead of fondant. What is the best product to make it a true black? Also, what in the world do I use for ears? I was thinking maybe pouring chocolate into discs, but how do I make the chocolate a true black as well? This cake is supposed to look like a mickey mouse hat when finished. I have read the threads on here about mouse hat cakes and I feel like there is another option

For the buttercream, start out with chocolate icing and tint it black.  You'll only need a little black coloring, so it won't affect the taste.  Ditto with the candy melts - start out with chocolate and use black coloring made specifically for candy melts.  The regular colorings will make the melted chocolate seize up.
 

Wilton makes black candy melts....

To make black buttercream I start with chocolate then I add a little "AmeriColor AmeriMist Super Black" air brush dye...

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0088B4IRY/?tag=cakecentral-20+AmeriMist+black

No one ever eats those hard decorations that are made out of fondant/gum paste, at least no one in my area does. It would be a lot easier to do black fondant mickey ears. The kid doesn't have to eat the ears. In my area they just throw away the ears after taking pics. But if you want to use candy melts (which dries pretty hard too), Wilton makes them...

http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E310A5F-475A-BAC0-513EBB4AAC195A7E&killnav=1
 

Thanks guys! I have decided to use black fondant for the ears. Ive always tried tinting white icing black, and it comes out purple. I never thought to use chocolate icing as a base! (but now I dont know how I didn't think of that) I have 3 cakes to make in the next month (maybe 4) and have a baby in that time too. I am just excited to be back in the kitchen!!!
 

Are you mixing the fondant with tylose? Fondandt will wilt...this is the voice of experience...use gumpaste or mix modeling chocolate in your fndant if its not going to get too hot. He will be a sad Micky if you use just fondant (unless the ears are laying down and not 3D??)

I forgot to say that you will need tylose powder in the fondant ears or they will never dry hard enough to stand up. It's best to use tylose so it doesn't change the color. If you add gum paste to black fondant it will make your black dull/dark gray.