My middle child turn 9 today. She ordered up a chocolate cake with peanut butter icing. The icing needed to be purple. Oh and she wanted it to be a star. So I made her a simple star cake.
I piped stars around the sides of the cake and tinted a little purple icing a little more purple to put her name on the cake. She told me later that she really liked that I put a star for the dots above the letter I. It takes so little to impress her!
My middle child turned 7 yesterday. She wanted a balloon cake. After discussing it in detail, she decided that she really wanted a hot air balloon that stood up. So that’s what I attempted. 
I started with rice krispie candy molded in a pail and a Pyrex bowl to make the balloon part of the cake. After it was completely cool and formed to the bowls, I put them together with dowel rods and covered it with purple fondant. After finishing the rainbow that my daughter wanted for the balloon, I added some stars in the same colors on the top of the balloon and 7s around the balloon with purple edible marker.
I then made chocolate cake (my daughter’s favorite) in 6 inch square pans. I did a basket weave with peanut butter icing (again my daughter’s request) to make the squares look like a hot air balloon basket. 
To make the balloon attach to the basket, I sharpened the ends of dowel rods to make them stick into the cake board covered with fondant. I drove them into the rice krispie candy and then put it into the cake. I was so happy with how it turned out. Jamie was thrilled that it stood up! Thanks to my engineering husband who helped me with the design!
stahrscakes.com 