Is this unfair?...

To decorate the "2nd Grade Desert Island" cake (read below to understand that I am not suggesting we ship all second graders to a deserted island. Although.... ) I decided to play it a little safe. At the suggestion of a fellow blogger/baker/friend I found these great seashell candy molds at Michaels. They also had chocolate pop molds in pirate-themed shapes. The shells will go all around the bottom tier and in a little pile on the top of the island. The skull & treasure chest will be the cake toppers, surrounded by some royal icing grass. I'm skipping out on the palm trees I originally envisioned. Too much risk, too little reward (this time).
I love the seahsells! I think they'd make great little gifts for Hallmark Holidays.


Now, the coral and seahorses are another story... I free-handed the seahorses on waxed paper with a tiny parchment paper cone filled with melted yellow candy melts. They're so cute! For the coral I started with a plate full of corn starch (because I swear I've seen that technique used on Food Network). I dipped a sucker stick in the cornstarch to make little channels for the chocolate to sit in, then piped it in and dusted it with yellow sanding sugar. I can't wait to see how they look on the cake. I couldn't be happier with the way they turned out.