So we are singing a song in a competition called "Jesus be a fence" - about asking Jesus to protect us, as a fence protects a home or a yard, etc. Anyway, I'm trying to come up with a simple decorated cake idea. I was thinking I could have people behind a fence around the sides of the cake - but I'm not sure how to do that without it looking bumpy b/c of fondant over fondant or the fence "over" the people. I'm not much of a painter, so I don't think that's going to be a solution. Anyone have any ideas?

The top of the cake will probably be the logo for the choir competition. I'd love to figure out some way to incorporate Jesus too in the cake, but I can't think of a way to do that without being super cheesy and I'm not sure I really want to have a "sugar Jesus".....just seems a little wrong....

Happy to hear any ideas anyone might have!

What if you applied the fence first, then made flowers of various sizes growing all around the fence, in front, behind, above. Then large flowers you could give faces instead of trying to make people work. It's a little cheesy, I know.

If you want to do the people behind the fence thing, you could make a picket fence out of gum paste, let it dry for several days, and then apply over the people, so then the fence is flat but away from the cake. Be sure the people have dries some too and apply the fence with piping gel. You'll want to make sure your people don't stick out too far. When making them, think of making a normal figure and then cutting the back half off of them. So instead of a sphere for a head, you'll have more of a dome, and so on. Hope that makes sense. Use a grass tip to put some grass around the base of the fence here and there or all around coming out about an inch on the cake board. This will help it not seem like it is just floating out there. Of course this would work best on a square or rectangular cake.

Thanks for the ideas. Unfortunately, it looks like someone is going to be making sheetcakes, so I may have to come up with something else to make - maybe decorated cookies. But I appreciate the idea - might be able to use some of it another time! Thanks!

You could use as proposed above and the letters * J E S U S * J E S U S * J E S U S * ... in white (as a sign of purity) as fence planks, ie. every plank will be a letter, the letters should be on rather straight and a bit tall side to be similar to planks... in this way people are protected by Him in the form of fence and you don't have to make a 'cheesy' sugar Jesus figure. There could be plants climbing up the fence symbolizing people going up to Him.. Not sure if you like the idea.

I like the JESUS fence idea! Good one!

If you make cookies you could make some with a panel of a picket fence on it (or the Jesus fence) and then some of people's heads with their mouths wide open so it looks like they are singing.