I've decided to make a Treasure Chest cake for my son's 9th birthday party next month and would like some advice.
#1 Any tips for a smooth and stress free construction? I plan on using a cake board under my cake for the top. I will use tall dowels to prop it open a bit, but how do I secure it from slipping off the back?
#2 The cake will only need to feed about 20 people...so what cake pans should I use? I was thinking two 9x13, cut in half and stacked. Maybe a bit more for a rounded top?
#3 I want to use a chocolate buttercream. Any good recipes for a crusting one that doesn't use cocoa powder?
#4 Any recipe ideas for fun cake flavors? I was thinking caramel and peanut butter would be fun.
#5 With chocolate buttercream and flavored cake, should I just use the chocolate buttercream for filling?
Last question, I promise! 
What would be the best way to get a wood grain look on the buttercream?
Thanks for any help you guys can offer!
I would like answers to pyseas' questions too as I want to do a cake that will have a lid on it. Here is a link to a picture of a cake that I would like to try to replicate into another design:
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=63544
I tried to PM the person who created the cake but they didn't remember how they did the cake.
So when you use rice krispie treats, do you have to put it on a board? I'd like to cover the lid with fondant. And how do you keep the lid from sliding off the back side of the cake? And is there any way to support the lid of the cake without having the skewers visible like you can see in some of the treasure chest cakes? Also if I need to travel with the cake, can I do the lid before traveling and it'll stay in place, or is it best to put the lid on at the destination?
When I made the treasure chest in my pics I put a styrofoam wedge (covered in freezer paper) with a cake cardboard under it between the chest and the lid. There were dowel rods under it and a no slip pad between the wedge and the lid to it would stay in place. Then I put dowel rods thru the lid and cake to keep everything in place. My lid was cake by the way. It was very sturdy and traveled well.
Carrie
I put my treats on it's own board and just slather the buttercream on.......the top pic....I put fondant over the bc but on the bottom one it was all bc....I actually heated my spatula over the stove burner for a second and ran it over the icing and it gave it a sort of suede look...it was completely accidental but I liked the way it turned out. As for attaching the lid....I let the candy hold the lid up off the cake and then I just drive a couple sharpened dowels down towards the back of the lid all the way down through the whole cake...I've never had the lid come off and the fondant covered one I traveled all over with it beffore taking it to my son's school for the cake walk
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