Cake question .....

My sons birthday is coming up and i am wanting to make him a "1" cake. I cannot afford a cake pan in the shape of a 1, so i was just wanting to cut it out. Is this hard to do? Should i semi-freeze my cake prior to cutting? Is a 9x13 big enough to cut a 1 out of?

also what is a good beginner's frosting to decorate with?

any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.........

Hi Becky! Most cake decorating classes will start beginers out by having them pipe the icing all over a cake using a "star" tip. The bigger the opening at the end, the bigger the "star" and the faster it goes! LOL This is also helpful when you want to "sculpt" a cake or, in your case, simply carving it into the shape of a 1. When you cut away those nice, smooth baked edges, it becomes a bit more difficult to frost smooth without getting crumbs mixed in with the icing. If you are a real beginer with decorating, you might consider baking and icing a regular two layer cake and decorating with cookies cut into ones or fondant. A good easy icing almost everyone likes is: One 8oz pkg cream cheese, 2# powdered sugar, 4 - 6 tbsp milk and 1 tbsp vanilla (clear if you want the icing white). Beat until smooth and use! Good luck, have fun! If you want to see some of my cakes, I have them on Facebook, just ask to be my friend!

After cutting out the shape, definitely give it some time in the freezer to make those cut edges easier to frost. For a beginner I'd also use a basic icing recipe: 2 pounds confectioner's sugar, 14 ounces (2 cups by measure) veg shortening or margarine or butter or a combo of 2 or 3 of those. 1 - 2 teaspoons of vanilla, 4 Tablespoons of water or milk. Needs no refrigeration.