I interrupt the Adventures with Rhubarb series with a flag cake I made for my youngest nephew's birthday last month.
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He's absolutely obsessed with flags so requested a flag themed cake, the only specification being the inclusion of the Scottish flag. I was admittedly relieved the cake wasn't going to be a complicated sculptural affair, "just" flags stuck on a standard shaped cake.
As usual I underestimated the length of time it would take to roll and cut out all the different fondant colours for making all the flags. I baked the cake (a standard Victoria sponge) the night before, thinking I would easily finish it the following morning. I started shortly after 9am and got my conveyor belt assembly station set up. . . And was finished by 2.45pm. You'd think I'd learn from over 10 years experience of making my nephews' birthday cakes that fondant is fiddly and ALWAYS TAKES LONGER THAN I THINK.
I do find it funny the amount of time I spend making random things for my nephews' birthday cakes. In March it was hand rolling fondant rice grains, in May it was cutting out 60 flags. 64 if you also include the paper ones on cocktail sticks.
I largely only made flags which didn't have overly complicated details. (So no American flag, sorry Americans.) However I also purchased some writing icing pens which came in handy for adding extra colour within crosses or drawing a couple of small central motifs.
I got to eat Canada and Seychelles. Do not ask me to name any more flags as I've already forgotten most of them!
Needless to say the cake was a raging success and the birthday boy had fun identifying all the flags. For a fairly simple idea it made an effective, colourful cake.