Elegant Letter Graduation Cake

Send your graduate off to great things with this Elegant Letter Graduation Cake. Made using the Countless Celebrations Numbers and Letters Pan, this cake is easy to customize to whatever letter you'd like. Use a variety of piping techniques to decorate your cake, then top it with a fun fondant cap. While this cake uses plain white icing, you could easily decorate your cake using school colors or colors that match your party.

Ingredients & Tools
Instructions

Instructions

Graduation Cap Pattern

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Two days in advance, make hat. Using 20 in. fondant roller with blue guide rings, roll out black fondant. Using craft knife and printable template, cut out hat, then cut out mortarboard separately.
Prepare fondant adhesive following recipe instructions. Using fondant adhesive, attach separate mortarboard to mortarboard area on cap. Let dry on cornstarch-dusted board for 24 hours. Flip over; dry additional 24 hours. Reserve remaining black fondant for later step.
Make tassel. Using Golden Yellow icing color, tint 1 oz. white fondant yellow. Roll into log measuring 3/16 in. wide and 6 in. long.
Roll remaining fondant into six logs measuring 3/16 in. wide and 2 in. long and one 3 in. long. Fold 3 in. long rope accordion-style into fourths. Pinch top and bottom together to create tassel knot.
Fold 2 in. long ropes in half. Attach folded end to end of 6 in. long rope; secure with fondant adhesive. Wrap accordion knot around tassel. Secure with fondant adhesive.
Using reserved black fondant, form oval measuring 1 in. x ¾ in. in size (1/4 in. tall). Place tassel on front of graduation cap, using fondant oval to secure tassel to middle of mortarboard. Attach all with fondant adhesive. Set aside.
Bake cake. Prepare cake batter following recipe instructions. Prepare pan to desired letter. Bake and cool cake.
Ice cake. Level cake. Ice cake smooth using white buttercream. If desired, prepare 16 in. decorating bag with tip 789 to easily ice sides and top of cake.
Prepare decorating bags. Prepare three 12 in. decorating bags separately with tips 1M, 1A and 4B. Fill each with white icing. Prepare fourth 12 in. decorating bag with coupler and white icing.
Decorate cake. Using 1M, 1A and 4B bags, as well as coupler bag (alternating between tips 32, 12 and 21), pipe various rosettes, stars and dots, covering top of cake.
Place cap and tassel on cake.