Oh my. I would not have been a happy client if I had come to pick up my dead baby cake and it looked like that.
I would have refused to pay AND left the cake right where it was.
I would never accept an order for a cake that I didn't...
Whatever you decide, please make sure it is food safe.
Not sure about that "big ol' bucket" - I hope that it is made of food safe plastic (there are many plastics which are NOT food safe).
Strawberry-banana sounds really gross. I'd go with orange or sour cherry.
Oops, sorry - cherry and orange are both out - grated orange zest and/or cherries will alter the colour.
Your choices are really going...