I'm just looking for some input on doing my son's 1st b-day cake.
I am going to make a 11x15 sheet (never made a sheet cake before)
and use the Wilton mini stand up bear to make a pig and a frog (or at least try to) And these will be on the sheet cake with a chocolate toy box and little boys toys scattered around.
I 'm think about having the frog and pig hold balloons and maybe a gift(chocolate) maybe party hats on them...
I'm just trying to get some more ideas.
I have it all pictured in my head however I am very new to all of this so it will probably be a challenge.
I want a candle on the cake but can't figure out where it should go, I CAN NOT do shells I have tried and tried, what other kind of border would work?

Also I'm wanting to do half chocolate and half white, should I bake one full size cake of each and cut them in half and them maybe use a filling and make it 2 layers. Or would it be easier to just make one half and half and split it and fill it?

Sorry this is so long just wanting to get ideas from people who have more experiance than I do at this!

tip for 1/2 and 1/2...

use heavy duty aluminum foil....tear off enough to that so you can fold it to make a strip a little taller than you pan and about 15" or so long.

Put strip across the narrow dimension of your pan (11') bend the extra at each end to help hold it up.

then mix the two batters and put one side white and one side chocolate.

once in, gently pull out the foil strip. Viola'! a 1/2 and 1/2 cake. but, be warned, better to use all white batter and add cocoa powder to 1/2 that batter (and maybe some sugar too) so cake has same density throughout.

bake, fill, ice as usual.

any suggestions on colors or decorations?

Here's idea #1....

here's idea #2

and here's a pic of the cake I made for my niece's shower (in just 1 and 1/2 hours) that shows the chocolate pieces for toys I mentioned for idea #1.

If someone can tell me how to post a picture in this thread I would love to show you a picture that I have in my favorites that might work.

Thanks Doug. Lets see if this works now. I have always loved this cake. It was made by imajrfan. You could put the bear in one corner, the pig in the other and the toychest at the top and then writing in the other 3 boxes like she does. I also like the star border and it is much easier then the shell border.

Funny, b/c my son is 10 months old and just last night I was thinking about what I wanted to do for his first birthday cake. I think I decided on his favorite book, Dillon the Duck. I think if he sees him on his smash cake he will have so much fun!

One suggestion for the baking part-I would use 2 greased and floured flower nails in the pan to act as a heater core to help the middle cook more evenly!

I second the suggestion of the flower nails!! It's a must, IMO....otherwise you could end up with a soggy, gooey mess in the center & have to start all over. From experience, I know that that's no fun!! lol The outside of the cake from the edges to about 2 inches or so towards the center will be done before the center is if you don't use some type of heating core...or 2. And 2 are definitely better than one, in my experience. Good luck!!!