My 12 yr old wants to make this bday cake

That's an awesome cake!!

That's so cool!

Very cool. Be sure to post a pic if she makes it.

Let her try, but if you can, have her practice first. She'll need to figure out how to handle the butter cream and what thickness it needs to be. It's going to be thinner than standard so it will be harder to work with. Practice is going to be the difference between a cake she'll be proud to share and a disaster. You might also want to ask her if she's ok with the base color being white. Black frosting has to be pre-purchased because it's almost impossible to get a true black at home. A white base would look pretty as well and it would be very easy for her. You might also gently suggest a pastel color scheme because those are easier to get with frosting at home. If you do go with brights, buy her some professional gel colors at a restaurant supply or craft store and don't expect to get a true red either.

Do try to make the frosting at home. It's so much easier to work with than the pre canned stuff. This is my recipe:
2 lbs of powdered sugar
1 cup salted butter (I like the little bit of salt in the frosting)
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 T vanilla

This will make quite a bit of frosting. Feel free to cut the recipe in half. it works best if you mix half the powdered sugar with the rest of the ingredients and then slowly work in the rest of the powdered sugar as you beat (don't add it with the mixer running or you'll make a huge powdered sugar dust cloud.) You can adjust the sugar to get the consistency you need for decorating. If you have a stand mixer that works best. I find that American butter cream tastes best when I whip the holy heck out of it. It gives the cornstarch in the powdered sugar time to dissolve so it doesn't have that weird raw flavor.

good luck and have fun!

Couldn't she do a dark chocolate frosting?  Wouldn't that taste better than a black frosting?

I really like that cake!!! I don't think I would like trying to light all of those candles though, lol.

I say give it a whirl. You will not ever learn, if you don't try.

It's a great cake but it matters not a jot if she recreates expertly or not, your two girls will remember the cake fondly in the years to come. A real gift of love.

What a cute cake! I can see something being inspired by this (and not looking exactly like it) still being super cute.

That is one amazing cake! Looking forward to seeing a pic of the one your DD does if you can get one!!

Standard buttercream is a pound of butter to four pounds of powered sugar. Add vanilla , add WATER until the sugar looses up and looks like frosting. It will not take much. I would make at least 3 pounds of frosting. You can freeze what you don't use. If you use milk ,the cake needs to be refrigerated.


Add cocoa powder for chocolate frosting.


To make the runny parts thin the frosting out with water not so much that you can't use it.

Each if the colors are put on with thicker frosting first. Divide the top of cake up into however many wedges you want. It would be easier to pipe the colors on than to try and spread them on.

Use a small round tip to pipe on the drips.

Just watched the video on Youtube at Cookies Cupcakes and Cardio.  It looked much easier than I thought.

That cake would be awesome for a Crayola or rainbow or art party! Love it, I would let my 12 year old make it with me.

What a FUN cake! Please post pics of her finished masterpiece.