Stairway to cake heaven

Little Habbibi just turned one, and loves stairs, so I tried to recreate his local set in cake:

Base was Nigella's buttermilk birthday cake made with vanilla, rather than lemon. Cut into various rectangles for stairs, they were sandwiched together with a variation of her blond icing, which made for a very pleasing effect when sliced

 

Mini boy made of fondant icing, plus fondant icing red carpet, on a base of a chocolate fudge type frosting.

 

Plus matchmakers, which I didn't realise were Nestle until too late, for banisters. In hindsight, two per step would have been better. But they held together ok with dabs of melted choccolate.

 

4th birthday Gromit

Big Habbibi is 4! And loves Gromit, so a plan was hatched.


Base is made of Nigella's Storecupboard Chocolate Orange Cake, but using cherry jam rather than marmalade. Sketched Gromit using handy tips from the internet, and cut accordingly:

I hate buttercream with a passion, so had to work out something else. Loads of trial and error here, but the face is essentially an overwhipped white chocolate ganache with some melted milk chocolate added - the effect was essentially a truffle frosting. The ears were again trial and error, but turned out rather like a typical chocolate fudge frosting.

Fondant icing for whites of eyes, with melted chocolate pupils

And a big nose - cut out of melted chocolate with a scone cutter. It worked!