Hello Kitty First Birthday Cake

I just made this cake for a first birthday party. She is a yellow cake with buttercream icing. I used the Wilton recipe for the icing (though I used regular vanilla not the clear kind). I thinned it with 2 tablespoons of light corn syrup to make it easy get a smooth finish. Her eyes and nose are also buttercream tinted with gel colors.

I looked at a lot of photos to get the proportions right and drew myself a template. I made a 9×13 sheet cake which I froze for most of a day and then cut using my own drawing and I shaped it using the natural curve of the cake top. I put in back in the freezer so it was in for a full 24 hours before frosting it, which really helps keep the crumbs to a minimum. I also hand-shaped her bow and whiskers a day ahead out of ready to use fondant and let them air dry. I drew her eyes & nose on with a toothpick until I was happy with the placement. Then piped them on using a #3 tip and then flattening them with my finger dipped in cornstarch. I did a shell border around the bottom edge, added her bow & whiskers and that’s it!