Picnic Table Cake

My girlfriend sent me an email a while back with the greatest picnic table cake using all kinds of candy to fashion up the tiny burgers & hot dogs. She ended up throwing a memorial day BBQ and it was the perfect time to try it. I knew I wanted to use marzipan instead of gumpaste because it tastes better and I love how it stays moist longer to mold. Iknew the kiddies would bethere and they would love it. Memorial Day BBQ I made this picnic table cake.

I made the marzipan food the day before. The little popsicle stick is a noodle from a box mac & cheese.

I used gel colors to color everything. I find that gels give a

more vibrant color.

My graduated biscuit cutters worked wonders for the cutest little burger bun')

Everyone was asking me at the party how I made the ants. I used dark brown gel and rolled a little nugget between my fingers and then pinched it with tweezers to form a head. Black icing inside of a zip-lock and a pin hole poked into the corned to pipe the little legs directly on the cake.

I am never a fan of "the box cake" but I had a great idea to make it yummy and I was pressed for time with a million house projects going on. I made lemon cakes & baked two 9 inch cakes as directed because I had a little surprise for the middle.

Fresh lemon curd added to lemon pudding mixed together. I also added the zest of one lemon to the cake mix and substituted 1/2 the water for 1/2 fresh lemon juice.

After the cake was cooled filled & stacked I added a crumb layer of whipped vanilla frosting over the entire thing.

The fondant is pure white ready made from wilton. I rolled it out using the cake pan I used as a guide plus 3 inches for the skirting of the checkered table cloth

I carefully rolled the fondant on using my pin and then cut around in a natural swirly-wirly motion to mimick a table cloth

I used a square cutter and ready made red fondant to make the squares. I dabbed a lil water on the back of each to make them stick.

I placed all the food on the table securing it with a dab of icing. I made the popsicle look like it's melting with some sparkly gel blue icing.

I loved making this cake and the kids loved it even more. It was moist, lemony & delish. The first thing to get eaten was all the little ants. My favorite was the little hot dog. Can't wait till the next event.