Monster of a cake! (Part 2 - Decorating it)

So the baking part of the large cake (now lovingly nicknamed the Beast) went well...now i moved into the mammoth task of filling, crumbcoating and decorating it

This first part was easy...layer with strawberry jam and buttercream and stack

I then do the first layer of crumbcoat and chill it in the fridge for about 30-60mins, I then apply the 2nd layer of buttercream to it.
This helps level it properly and smooth out the sides and edges ready to cover.
You know it is a "beast" of a cake when it barely fits in your fridge!

This was actually going to be the biggest cake I have covered to date, so to say I was a little nervous about it would not be an understatement.

All I can say I am SO HAPPY I bought the large mat at Cake International for rolling out fondant! Using this I only had to flip it over the cake and peel it off instead of having to try and lift the rolled out fondant by hand or using the rolling pin, this helped eliminate and tearing and elephant skin when I smoothed it on the cake.

I strip covered the edges of the board and added the ribbons.
I had chosen a wide ribbon for the cake itself as I was not planning on adding any decoration to the sides, and at almost 4" high that would have been a LOT of blank space.

Now to add the decorations that I had made previously for it, working out best placement so I could fit the writing in neatly.
Once the train was added (using toothpicks cut in half to anchor them in place) I was able to start laying out and sticking the writing...and it wasn't just a simple name this time, it looked like I was trying to solve an anagram!

To keep the lines equally spaced I used one of my plastic rods that help roll fondant to a certain thickness, always good to be able to use what you have to hand.

The last item to place was the teddy bear, he was also anchored into the cake with a cocktail stick.

Suffice to say this cake was HEAVY, but was loved by it's recipient.

I really enjoyed the challenge of the larger cake and now know what to expect in the future when I have to cover them again.