How to Decorate a High School Musical Cake

Fondant creates a smooth, seamless cake surface.

For this High School Musical cake, the focus will be on the team colors of the movie's "East High": red and white. Marshmallow fondant is used as a white base, with red candy clay cutouts for the decoration. Depending on your skill, the cake's main decoration can be a letter or number, a basketball or cheerleader stripes, or a more advanced advanced wildcat, representing the "East High Wildcats"

Things You'll Need

• 1 baked layer cake, cooled and stacked with white frosting in the middle
• Additional white frosting
• 2 pounds prepared marshmallow fondant
• 1 pound prepared or purchased red candy clay
• Rolling pin
• Zip-top or pastry bag, for piping frosting
• Sharp kitchen knife or unused utility knife
• Movie stills to use as reference
• White printer paper
• Pencil
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Spread a thin layer of white frosting over the top and sides of the cake. This will help the fondant layer stay put.

2. Roll marshmallow fondant out into an even, very thin circle large enough to cover the cake. Carefully lift and drape evenly over the cake. If you're inexperienced with fondant, have another person help. Using a sharp knife, cut around the base of the cake. Pipe icing around the base for a neat appearance, of desired.

3. Using the movie stills, come up with a design. A simple design is an outline of the letter "E" or the team number of your favorite character. Diagonal red bars can suggest the stripes of the cheerleader's sweaters. Look at photos of the walls in the East High cafeteria for ideas--for example, a basketball with an "E" in the middle, or an outline of a wildcat. Draw the design out on white paper and cut out so that the shapes are the red areas of the design.

4. Roll out the red candy clay into a thin, even layer. Lay the paper patterns on top and carefully cut around them with a sharp kitchen knife or utility knife.

5. Place the candy clay cutouts to the top and sides of the cake, as desired, pressing lightly. If the cutouts won't stick, use a small amount of frosting to adhere them. Finish by piping frosting details, if desired.

Tips & Warnings

• Candy clay can be used to make 3D designs as well as cutouts.

References

• Food Network: Decorating With Fondant
• Sugarcrafts: Candy Clay

Resources

• Disney Channel: High School Musical
• Wilton: Recipes: Rolled Marshmallow Fondant