Bake cake. Prepare Ro’s Yellow Cake batter following recipe instructions. Bake and cool in prepared pans.

Prepare icing. While cake bakes, prepare two recipes buttercream icing following recipe instructions, one of medium consistency, one of stiff consistency.

Assemble cake. Level cakes. Fill, stack and crumb coat cake.

Using spatula and stiff consistency buttercream, create various mounds of icing on cake. This will help give your rock texture and shape.

Tint grey fondant. Using Black and Brown icing colors, marbleize 6 oz. white fondant, creating grey fondant with streaks of brown. Using 20 in. fondant roller with orange guide rings, roll out fondant. Cover cake, forming rocks. Trim as necessary.

Tint blue fondant. Tint 24 oz. white fondant light blue using color combination provided. Combine Sky Blue and Royal Blue icing colors to get light blue color shown. Using 20 in. fondant roller with orange guide rings, roll out fondant. Cover cake. Using craft knife, cut out rock area in center of cake. Smooth remaining blue fondant around cake, trimming as necessary.

Make mermaid tail. Using Pink icing color, tint 4½ oz. white fondant medium pink. Using 3½ oz. medium pink fondant, roll into flattish cone about 6½ in. long. Reserve remaining pink fondant for later step. Using craft knife, cut slit in wide end of cone.

Insert doll into cake. Wrap slit around waist of doll, using fingers to shape and form mermaid tail. Remove any excess fondant, if necessary.

Using decorating brush and piping gel, attach tail to cake, giving tail slight curve. Using narrow end of tip 5, imprint scales on mermaid tail.

Decorate doll. Using Pink icing color, tint ½ oz. white fondant light pink. Using 9 in. fondant roller with pink guide rings, roll out fondant. Using smooth side of “C” leaf cut-out, cut two tail fins (flip one to create mirror image of the other). Reserve remaining light pink fondant.

Using tip of modeling stick, add veins to fins. Using knife from fondant tool set, cut small slit in tip of tail on each side. Insert fins into slits, using piping gel to secure fins to tail and cake.

Using reserved light pink fondant, roll log with narrow ends, measuring about 3½ in. long. Using piping gel, attach around waist of doll. Reserve remaining light pink fondant.

Using 9 in. fondant roller with pink guide rings, roll out remaining light pink fondant. Using smooth side of “F” oval cut-out, cut two ovals. Using needle tool, shape and form into shells. Attach to doll using piping gel. Use any remaining light pink fondant to make thin straps for middle and sides of doll top.

Using narrow end of 12, cut 3 light pink fondant circles. Using tip of modeling stick, form each circle into 6-petal flower. Attach to ponytail or hair of doll with small amount of piping gel. Using needle tool, poke hole in center to give flower added shape and dimension.

Reserve any remaining light pink fondant.

Tint remaining fondant. Using Kelly Green icing color, tint ½ oz. fondant each light and medium green. Using Pink icing color, tint ½ oz. fondant dark pink. Using Ivory icing color, tint ½ oz. fondant ivory. Tint ½ oz. fondant each medium and dark purple using color combination provided.

Make seaweed and coral. Using light green, medium green, dark pink, ivory, medium purple, dark purple and any reserved medium and light pink fondant, make coral.

Seaweed: Using 9 in. fondant roller with pink guide rings, roll out desired color of fondant. Cut strips of various lengths and widths. Strips should be narrow with point on one end. Twist to form seaweed. Attach to cake using piping gel.Fan Coral: Using 9 in. fondant roller with pink guide rings, roll out ivory fondant. Using narrow end of tip 5, cut several holes in fondant, making sure to clean tip of excess fondant. Using smooth side of “A” or “B” oval cut-outs, cut ovals. Crinkle slightly and attach to cake using piping gel.

Tube Coral: Using desired color of fondant, roll several small balls, ranging in size between ¼ in. and ¾ in. Roll each ball into a cone. Using tip of modeling stick, indent wide end of cone. Attach cones together at narrow ends. Attach to cake using piping gel.

Shells: Using 9 in. fondant roller with pink guide rings, roll out desired color of fondant. Using smooth side of “F” oval cut-out, cut ovals. Using needle tool, shape and form into shells. Attach to cake using piping gel.

Sprinkle brown sugar and/or cake crumbs around cake plate or board to form sand.