DIY Painted Fondant Circus Letters

George's birthday was on Thursday but the celebrations are still raging on. Today we're going to an Antique's village and then having a mojito night. Woohoo! While we celebrate though I thought I would share how I made George's cake since it's a pretty cool one. This was actually a second attempt cake; for my first I tried to make one of these but oh my goodness it went disastrously wrong. For a while now I've wanted to try fondant painting and so I gave it a whirl and hey presto it looked awesome! I will definitely be using this technique for future birthday cakes (friends, you have been warned!). 

You will need:

A cake.

Fondant to paint on

A new or disinfected paintbrush

A print out of what you want to paint 

An xacto knife with a new or disinfected blade.

Good quality gel food colouring. I used Wilton's and I swear by them. 

1. Roll out your fondant on a sheet on baking paper.
2. Place your letters on top of your fondant to check for size.
3. Cut out each letter one at a time and place on the fondant.
4. Using your knife cut around your paper letter.
5. When you've cut out all your letters allow them to dry for an hour or so so they are stiffer and an easier surface to paint.
6. First outline your letter and allow this to dry before adding any further details. This means that your colours will not run together creating a brown sludgey colour (unless you're going for that). Try not to add too much water to your food colouring before you paint as you want the finish to be really vibrant. Keep a little bit of fondant at hand for trying out your colours on.
7. When all your details are finished allow the fondant to dry (overnight if you can be patient enough) so they are easier to handle.
8. To apply to your cake use a little bit of royal and icing and you're done!

Happy Birthday George! You make me happier than miniature bunting!