Instructions

1. Prepare a packaged cake mix, according to the package directions, using a greased and floured 10-inch round, oven-safe bowl. Fill the bowl no more than two-thirds with batter; save the remaining batter for another project.

2. Allow the cake to cool to room temperature. Remove the cake from the bowl and place the flat side down on a cake tray.

3. Cover the cake with the buttercream icing and place it in the refrigerator.

4. Roll out a package of fondant until it reaches about 1/8 inch thick. Place the fondant on top of the cake and smooth it down over the sides. Allow about 1.5 inches of fondant to extend beyond the edges of the cake and cut off the excess.

5. Mold the extra 1.5 inches into waves to make a wavy brim for the hat. Place a piece of scrunched up tissue paper under each wave to keep it in place while the fondant dries.

6. Roll out a package of fondant in a complementary color to about 1/8 inch thick. Measure the circumference of the cake just above the brim and cut a strip of fondant that measures 1/2 inch wide by the circumference measurement. Moisten one side of the strip and wrap it around the cake to make a ribbon.

7. Make a bow for the hat. Roll out fondant to 1/8 inch thick. Cut two rectangles from the fondant that are each about 2 inches wide by 6 inches long. Shape each rectangle into a loop and insert a medium-size wooden dowel into the loop to keep its shape. Pinch the ends of the loops to make the center of the bow and press the ends from each loop together.

8. Cut two more rectangles from the fondant. Make each the same size as the loops. Cut a triangle from one end of each to make the ends of the bow's streamers. Pinch the opposite end of each streamer and slide the pinched ends underneath the center of the loops.

9. Cut a 2.5-by-2-inch shape from the fondant and wrap it around the center of the loops to hide the joints. Allow the bow to dry for 12 to 18 hours and remove the dowels from within the loops. Moisten the back of the bow with water and press it against the cake, just above the fondant brim.

10. Decorate the hat cake with fondant flowers. Roll out the fondant to about 1/16-inch thickness. Cut out flower shapes with a blossom cutter. Place each shape on some foam padding and depress the centers with a ball tool. Squeeze or spoon a drop of icing into the center of each flower. Moisten the back of each blossom and arrange the flowers on either side of the bow on the cake.