1 DAY IN ADVANCE

Make flowers. Prepare royal icing following recipe directions. Tint portions violet/rose combination (for light and dark violet), royal blue/violet combination (for blue), golden yellow and black. Use tip 126, royal icing and 2 1/2 in. flower nail from decorating nail set covered with 2 1/2 in. parchment paper squares to make three dark violet and two light violet wild roses. Use tip 125 and blue royal icing to make three wild roses. Use tip 5 and yellow royal icing to pipe dot centers in all flowers. Let dry overnight on large sections of wave flower former.

Make two ear bases. Tape ear base pattern to cake board and cover with parchment paper. Use tip 12 and black royal icing to pipe a dot in center of pattern. Position 4 in. lollipop stick end on icing. Use tip 12 and black icing to overpipe ear base on stick. Let dry overnight.

DAY OF CELEBRATION

Make flower stem. Mix leaf green icing color with lemon extract. Use brush to paint one 4 in. lollipop stick green. Let dry 10 minutes.

Cake is one layer, 2 in. high. Place cake on foil-wrapped board, cut to fit . Use knife to trim off ear on left side of cake.

Ice areas smooth. Prepare buttercream icing following recipe directions. Tint portions light and dark leaf green, black and gray. Reserve remaining white. Use spatula and light green icing to ice sides and background areas smooth.

Decorate skunk face and body. Use toothpick and pattern to mark face on cake. Use tip 4 and icing to outline black body, face, eyes and eye background and gray muzzle. Use tip 4 and icing to pipe in white eyes and black mouth. Pat smooth with finger dipped in cornstarch. Use tip 4 and black icing to pipe in pupil. Pat smooth. Use tip 2 and white icing to pipe dot eye highlight.

Use tip 16 and icing to fill in areas with stars: gray tummy, muzzle and eye background; black body, arms and head. Insert ear bases. Use tip 16 and black icing to cover bases with stars. Insert stem in hand. Use tip 16 and black icing to overpipe fingers with stars. For hair patch on head, use tip 16 and white icing to pipe pull-out stars, starting at top edge and overlapping towards nose. Use tip 5 and black icing to pipe ball nose; pat smooth.

Decorate tail. Use tip 16 and buttercream icing to pipe pull-out star tail. For right side of tail, starting at tip, pipe overlapping white pull-out stars to base of tail. Complete tail with rows of black pull-out stars on left side of white stars.

Assemble cake. Use tip 12 and light green buttercream icing to attach one flower to stem and remaining flowers to cake. Use tip 352 and dark green buttercream icing to pipe pull-out leaves between flowers and for bottom border.