How to Make a Humpty Dumpty Cake

Use an egg as a model for Humpty's shape.

Children, adult fairy tale lovers, artists and baking fanciers alike will be thrilled to see a Humpty Dumpty cake. Create this whimsical, 3-D cake, featuring the egg who sat on a wall and had a great fall, for birthdays, baby showers or parties. While the cake requires a lot of attention to detail and some carving skills, it will be worth the effort when you see your guests' eyes light up at your nursery rhyme creation.

Things You'll Need

• 2 round cakes, 8-inch
• Knife
• 2 cups buttercream frosting
• Frosting knife
• 5 cups fondant
• Food coloring
• Confectioners' sugar
• Frosting bag and tips
• 2 cupcakes

Instructions

1. Cut the tops off of the round cakes where they naturally crest on top with a knife so that they're flat. Set the first cake with the cut side up and frost it lightly with buttercream. Set the other cake on top of the first cake with the bottom side facing up. Lightly frost the entire cake so that it appears as one thick 8-inch round cake, approximately 3 to 4 inches high. This will become Humpty's wall.

2. Color 4 cups of fondant brick red, using red food dye. Brick red is a very saturated color, so start with five drops and keep adding color until it's the shade you want. Reserve the rest of the fondant for Humpty's clothing and facial features.

3. Knead the fondant so that it becomes flexible. Add confectioners' sugar if the fondant is sticky. Dust your work area with confectioners' sugar and roll out the fondant so that it has a 16-inch diameter. Move the cake under the fondant and smooth it over the cake, trimming off the extra fondant to make a smooth edge at the base.

4. Pipe white buttercream frosting in horizontal stripes along the side of the cake. Add vertical lines in between to create a brick pattern. Set aside the cake.

5. Cut off 3/4 of an inch from the bottom of each cupcake. Stick the two pieces together using buttercream frosting. Using a knife, shave the cupcakes down until they make an even egg shape. Cut one end so that it may sit nicely on the cake. Cover the entire egg shape with buttercream frosting.

6. Color 1/4 cup of fondant blue, starting with three drops of food coloring and adding more until it reaches the shade you desire. Roll four 2-inch pieces and cut off the ends so that they're flat. These will be Humpty's arms and legs.

7. Roll out a rectangle of fondant large enough to wrap around Humpty's torso. It should be 3 inches long and 5 inches wide. Wrap it around the egg, cutting the fronts at an angle and folding them back to mimic a suit jacket. Attach the arms and blend the ends together.

8. Place the legs on the wall, then place the egg (with the jacket and arms) on top of the legs. To make eyes, roll three centimeter-sized balls of white fondant and flatten two them, attach them to Humpty's face with frosting, using the two flattened pieces for his eyes and the one round piece for his nose. Use dark frosting or black fondant to create the pupils and a smiley face. Adorn Humpty with any additional accessories, such as a top hat, shoes and a bow tie.

References

• Wilton: Covering Round Cakes with Rolled Fondant