mummy cake how-to

i received such wonderful comments about my halloween mummy cake both here and on facebook. the pic also graced the home page of www.allrecipes.com yesterday! i was totally excited! i wanted to share how i achieved it--err--pulled it off ;o). i am by no means-what-so-ever and expert on cakes or fondant. so i think if i can do it...you can do it too!!

Marshmallow Fondant(i got this recipe from the wilton message boards)1 cup mini marshmallows1 tbsp water1 1/2- 1 3/4 cup powder sugarPlace marshmallows in a standard 1 cup measuring cup and push down and pack them in. Place in a microwave safe bowl and add the water. Put in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Just long enough for them to soften and puff up. Take out and stir with a spoon until it is combined well. At this point it looks kind of soupy. Then add the sugar and mix and fold until all is incorporated and it is no longer sticky. This takes roughly about 5-7 minutes. Take a fondant roller or a regular rolling pin and roll out just as you would Wilton's fondant. I used corn starch instead of powdered sugar to roll this out...worked like a charm! keep fondant in a ball, and covered(you can refrigerate, but it should be @ room temp to roll--do not roll until you are ready to use it)*i found this very sticky to work with...frankly, i was scared! don't be, it ends up being really nice to work with.The Cakeone box of you favorite betty crocker mix! prepared as directed. i purchased this cake pan@ http://www.kitchenkrafts.com/ almost 4 years ago. this is only the second time i've used it! lolwhile perusing the site, it looks like they no longer sell this pan. they do have a mini version or a single "ball pan". however, i think you can do this cake with out this type of pan...use what you have!once your cake is baked and cooled, fill and ice it with your favorite frosting(umm, maybe not strawberry, there will be some frosting showing by the eyes. unless you want a bloody mummy---its up to you!)do not use too much frosting on the outside, otherwise the fondant will probably slide off...or so i've heard from the cooking shows i watch! hee hee ok, time to make it happen. roll out your fondant to about 1/8 of an inch. (reserve a ball of fondant for the eyes-a little bigger than a golf ball)i didn't worry about making it perfect. he's a mummy, he's been buried for thousands of years, he's not supposed to look pretty! using a pizza cutter i cut strips-approx 1 inch in width. start placing your strips on the head, working from the edges to the middle-where his eyes will be. i dipped my fingers in water and moistened the back of the fondant so it would stick to the other pieces. work from the outside to the middle, where the eyes will be. once you get to where you want to place the eyes, its time to create them. remove a piece from the big ball and dye it black-for the pupils. *use gloves if you have them!! dye the big ball whatever color you want his eyes to be. split that in half, roll into smaller balls, and flatten. place on the cake. do the same thing for the pupils. add any remaining strips around the eyes. oh wow, that was long! lol please don't be afraid to try this. i know its too late for a mummy cake, but maybe you can try making a christmas ornament cake? i hope you'll give this a whirl!