j's birthday sushi cake

J's birthday was fast approaching, and I had my eye on fun cakes that were made to look like sushi platters. Since working with fondant (and making my own) was on my goal list I figured this was the best time to try it out.

It wasn't perfect, getting the fondant smooth over my cake was the toughest part. I made a 6 inch, 2 layer Hershey's Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. The Hershey's recipe is the one from the back of the cocoa container and it's always been my favorite. As always, I made the cake (and frosted it) the day before because day old cake is 100 times better than fresh cake.

I covered J's tiny little birthday cake with Marshmallow Fondant from Allrecipes. It was fairly easy to make and very easy to work with compared to the packaged variety.

Then it was onto the fun part...the sushi! It's J's favorite food so the pressure was on to make it realistic.  I wrapped my 'seaweed' around mini muffins, topped with a dab of frosting, 'rice' (coconut) and other sushi yummies.

J seemed pleased with my effort, and the cake was delicious...so we'll call this one a success - and check it off the list!

Oh, and we can't forget the Cream Cheese Frosting...

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
6 tablespoons butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
few squeezes lemon juice

Cream together cream cheese & butter until light and fluffy. Add in vanilla and lemon juice. Slowly mix in powdered sugar, one cup at a time until smooth.

Happy Baking :)