Hi all. 

My name is Michelle  I own a gourmet cupcake business and have been doing pretty good for the past 5 years fulfilling cupcake orders, custom toppers & cupcake cakes. I have a regular customer who has requested a two tier ale for her sons 8th birthday on Sunday. I almost didn't exceot it but I figured who not break away from my niche a little. I know how to work with fondant and I have already started the toppers. My two concerns are shaping the cake? Should I place the cake in freezer before I shape it? Is that before or after filling? then how would you cover with fondant? This will be my first time covering a cake with fondant so I've watched a few videos. The shape is almost like a bucket but I would think I could just lay the fondant over it then shape it  or is there an easier way? 

I knew this would be the best place to ask my questions and received so expert advice. 

Going from cupcakes to a dimensional cake will be a challenge!  

 My advice would be to fill and do a thin crumb coat on the cake and then either refrigerate it for several hours/overnight or freeze slightly - in my years doing 3-D cakes I have preferred a firm cake or a slightly frozen cake-but not rock hard!

Use a good sharp knife -I always preferred a serrated knife - to do your carving.  Once finished, crumb coat again over the carved areas. Do your frosting and refrigerate again for a bit to firm up the icing....then you can proceed to the fondant stage.

I never really worked with fondant with my dimensional cakes, so I don't have much advice on the bucket shape...hopefully some of these folks that have made something similar will be able to give you some hints.  Me, I would probably just try the lay-it-over-and-shape-it routine.  :)