Safari Baby Shower Cake

I dabble in cakes....I've done a few, and I have fun with them.  And people think I'm amazing and creative.  But, here's my secret.  I'm not creative...I'm just a really good copycat!  :~

But, I do like to give credit...when I remember.  You should check out Kate's blog.  I'm throwing her name out there like I know her, but we've never met...I just follow her blog and drool over her cakes.  She actually lives close to me (I think), and one of these days I'm going to figure out how to meet her.  Her cakes are AMAZING!!  This one is the one I copied for my cousin's baby shower.

Go ahead...pull up both our blogs and compare the cakes.  Hers is better, but I think I did a pretty good job of replicating it.

This is the cake.  

Top layer was chocolate, with a buttercream & raspberry filling.

Bottom layer was vanilla, with a  buttercream & strawberry filling.

Blue icing and "grass" is buttercream.

The animals/palm trees are fondant.

The topper is actually a wooden craft store letter, that I Mod Podged scrapbook paper onto.  

The cake stand I also made, using a plastic platter from a party store, and a candlestick from Michael's.  I Mod Podged the same scrapbook paper around the edges.  (I later added a wider base, because the stand was quite wobbly.

I got really attached to my little fondant animals, so I named them.

This is Zeke the Zebra.

Hettie the Hippo.

Lori the Lion.

Earl the Elephant.

Merlin the Monkey

and, Gary the Giraffe.

My cousin LOVED it, but I admit, I was a little sad to cut and eat it.