Aidan's First Birthday

My baby boy turned a year old on Saturday.  Since I began decorating, I knew that I would definitely be making his birthday cake and that it would definitely be a two-tiered creation.  I planned this cake for several weeks - did sketches, watched videos, got advice from decorating friends, etc etc.

His theme was owls.  I decided to create a fondant owl topper and other fondant decorations, but would buttercream both layers instead of covering in fondant.  I wanted to do fondant feathers, but figured I might have to hand cut each one.  There was no way I'd have time to do it.  Instead, I bought a leaf cutter and drew lines on each to make it look more feathery.

I also did his name using cookie cutters.  I was going to either freehand his name or use a homemade stencil, but didn't have time.

Made his owl topper, name and feather decorations 2 days in advance to give them time to dry.

The smash cake was made with mini cake pans - 4 inch rounds

And here is the final result.  I couldn't get the buttercream finish as smooth as I wanted it.  But I now know that the icing should have bit a bit thinner in consistency and I should have put much more on the cake.  I also wasn't completely pleased with the color - really wanted a lighter blue.  But overall, I think it came out pretty well for my first attempt at a two tier.