Merry Clown Go Round Cake

instructions

Note: To achieve shade of red shown, mix Red-Red and Christmas Red in both fondant and royal icing.

Tint 2 packages fondant yellow. Tint 1/4 of third package red; reserve 1/4 white and tint remaining fondant in equal amounts of orange, green and blue.

Roll-out and cut an 8 in. circle from white fondant. Use Cake Corer to cut hole in center for column. Using alphabet cutters, cut desired letters from red fondant. Also, roll 8 red log-shaped handles, 1 1/2 in. long, for clown-go-round. Roll-out other fondant colors and cut circles using tips 6B, 21 and center of letter "O" as cutters.

Cut Clown-Go-Round from two 12 in. cake circles (reverse grain for added strength). Test to insure that Clown-Go-Round will turn freely on threads of column, trimming center hole if necessary. Cover with foil and position on column.

Place column with Clown-Go-Round in styrofoam block for support. Figure pipe clown bodies with tip 6B and royal icing. Attach handles with royal icing. Add tip 21 arms and tip 9 hands on the handles. Let dry.

Glue plate legs on plate. Core out center of 2-layer 12 in. cake; prepare cake for rolled fondant. Using decorator brush and a small amount of water, attach fondant pieces to cake. Pipe tip 9 bead bottom border. Place 8 in. circle of white fondant on cake top. Pipe tip 6 beads around outer edge of center fondant circle. Pipe tip 9 beads around center opening.

Position Clown-Go-Round; secure with column bolt. Pipe tip 6B legs with royal icing and attach jelly bean feet. Make sure feet do not touch cake. Attach center gumball knob with royal icing.