Behind the Scenes - Making the Movie Set (Cake)

I have been working on my niece's sweet 16 cake. She loves the movies and wants to be a director so I am making a cake with four different movie sets. I have the cake baked, frosting made, and all the pieces for all four sets made from gum paste, dried, painted, and ready to put together. I love to use gum paste for decorations. It is edible (although it doesn't taste very good) and easy to mold and paint. It also dries rock hard unlike fondant that stays a bit soft.

Painting gum paste is really simple. Mix some gel food coloring with a tiny bit of vodka and paint away. The vodka evaporates leaving no flavor or sticky residue behind, just clean crisp color. If you do not have vodka on hand, I have also used a clear rum! Whatever you do, don't use WATER!!! It will leave your gum paste a gooey, sticky mess! (Water does make great "glue" to put your gum paste pieces together)

For this cake I have made a saloon complete with hitching post, trough, and horse. I have also made a mausoleum with zombie, stationary car with a moving background, and burning city hall with a stunt man jumping from the window. The cake will also have the Hollywood sign and movie film.

The pieces are ready and I can't wait to put the whole thing together!