My cousin’s birthday was coming up, and he is obsessed with anything Mickey.

Since we were kids, he’s always had a love for theme parks.

Mickey is one of my cousin’s favorite Disney characters, and being that his birthday was during covid, I wanted to surprise him with this cake.

Watch the video below to see how I made this cake.

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In this tutorial, I’ll show you:

• How to form the shape of the cake
• Prepare the fondant for the ears
• Make fondant letters
• Roll out fondant
• Place the fondant on the cake and smoothing
• Cutting the fondant
• Place letters and ears on the cake

Here is how I made it:

Step 1: How to form the shape of the cake

I baked a cake in a Wilton 3-D Sports Ball Pan. This round pan will give the shape of the hat.

After I leveled the cake and cut it in half, I piped a dam of frosting around the outside edge of the cake to keep the strawberry filling in place.

I then put the other half of the cake on top and began to crumb coat. (Crumb coating is a thin layer of buttercream that locks in the crumbs.)

Make sure the crumb coat is smooth because any bumps can show through the fondant.

Place the cake in the fridge to chill until ready to be covered with fondant.    

Related: Click here for my American buttercream tutorial!

Step 2: Prepare the fondant for the ears

Make the ears a couple of days ahead so they have time to dry and harden.

Knead the black fondant before rolling it out, so it is soft and pliable.

While rolling the fondant, try to apply the same pressure, so the fondant is even.

I then found a template of Mickey’s ears online.

It helped to have a template with a curve at the bottom of the ear since it lined up with the top of the hat perfectly. I used an Exacto knife to cut around the ears. 

Next, I took two toothpicks per ear and inserted them in the bottom of the ears about halfway.

I did this, so the ears had stability when I put them on top of the cake.

Place them on parchment paper to dry overnight.  

Step 3: Make fondant letters

For the Disney letters, I found an example online and eyeballed how the letters should look. 

I rolled small pieces of white fondant with the tips of my finger to form the letters’ shape.

Place them on parchment paper to dry. (Smaller fondant pieces tend to dry faster and don’t need as much time to harden.)

Step 4: Roll out fondant

Before rolling out the fondant, measure the cake on all sides. 

Measuring the cake will tell you how much fondant you need and how big it needs to be to fit the cake. 

Next, apply powdered sugar to the surface your working on so the fondant doesn’t stick to it.

Since the cake is round, roll the fondant to form a circle.

The thickness of the fondant should be about 1/8^th of an inch thick or thicker. 

Don’t roll the fondant too thin that will cause it to rip.

Don’t roll it too thick that it is heavy on the cake, weighing it down.

Rotating the fondant in between rolling it out is to be sure it isn’t sticking to the surface.

If you notice any air bubbles forming, take a pin or the tip of the Exacto knife, poke a hole and then smooth it out with your finger.

How to apply water to act as glue:

Take the cake out of the fridge and take a paintbrush and brush some water on the cake.

The water will act as a glue to adhere the fondant to the cake.

Step 6: Place the fondant on the cake and smoothing

Take the rolled-out fondant and carefully place it on top of the cake. 

Next, quickly use the fondant smoother to smooth out the top of the cake.

The smoother helps the fondant stick to the cake while working out air bubbles.

How to work the sides of the cake with fondant:

I will start by pushing the air bubbles down towards the base of the cake.

I pushed the air bubbles down and out with my fingers going around the cake.

This part may be a little tricky trying to smooth the sides because you have to work the fondant to do what you want it to do but quickly.

Go under the fondant carefully to straighten it out, then smooth it out in a downward motion.

Go around with the fondant smoother to ensure the sides are attached to the cake. 

I then went around the cake with the bottom of my hands going with the cake’s shape.

Push the fondant’s edge into the cake a little bit to ensure the base is against the cake.

Step 8: Cutting the fondant

I used a fondant cutter or pizza cutter to remove the excess fondant.

At first, I don’t go too close to the cake’s edge because I still have more smoothing to do. 

I again use my fondant smoother to push the air bubbles down and out. 

I then use an Exacto knife to trim the rest of the excess fondant going closer to the cake’s edge.

Step 9: Place letters and ears on cake

I placed the ears evenly on both sides of the cake, not too high and not too wide apart. 

Next, I took my Disney letters that spelled out “Moeana” and placed them in the center between the ears. 

I used some water and a paintbrush to help the letters stick to the cake.

And it’s finished! How cute is this cake? It’s something about the ears that are just so adorable.

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