Instructions

1. Find a basic image of Hello Kitty's head online. Print it out as big as will fit on an 8-by-11 sheet of paper. Cut out Hello Kitty to form a "stencil." Place the stencil on the 9-by-13 cake.

2. With a sharp, serrated knife, cut around the stencil with a sawing motion until you have a shape that looks like Hello Kitty's head.

3. Spread an anti-crumb layer of icing on the cake. Spread a thin layer (you should still be able to see the cake through the icing) on the entire cake, and stick it in the freezer for about 30 minutes.

4. Remove cake from freezer. With a small metal spatula or butter knife, pile approximately half of the icing in the center of the cake and spread it toward the edges and down the sides. Add more icing if needed to cover the cake completely.

5. Dust a large area with a combo of powdered sugar and cornstarch. Roll out the white fondant with a rolling pin, just like you would a pie crust, rolling the fondant out in all directions to create a rough circle that is at least 3 inches larger than the cake on every side.

6. Gently lift the fondant (use your rolling pin for added support) and center it on top of the iced cake. Gently smooth the fondant over the cake, down the sides and around the ears. You should have at least an extra inch or so at the bottom of the cake.

7. Trim off the extra fondant with a pizza cutter or paring knife around the bottom edge of the cake. Keep the scraps.

8. Create two golf-ball-sized shapes from the fondant scraps. Color one black and one red (or pink, depending on what picture you are looking at).

9. Roll out the red fondant about ¼-inch thick. Cut out the ribbon from the printed stencil image. Place the bow stencil on the red fondant, and trace around the bow with a sharp knife.

10. Roll half of the black fondant into two beady eyes and a tiny nose. With the remaining black fondant, roll it in your hands to create a long skinny string. Cut six whiskers from this black string for Hello Kitty's cheeks.

11. Brush a little water on the back of each fondant piece and place the facial featuress on the cake.