I make birthday cakes for each of my boys. I don't use fondant -- I strive for "tasty" -- so it can get a bit crazy.

This was around the time The Super Mario Bros. Movie had come out and Ander had shifted from MK8DX (that's Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Nintendo Switch, for you non-gamers) aficionado to ranked record-holder. Things were getting real. He asked for Mario, in chocolate, as usual.

This seemed ambitious, not so much for the physical construction but for the detail in shape and decoration. Here's our beloved hero.

I, not one to refuse help, found a Mario cake pan. (Of COURSE there's a Mario cake pan.)

Not only was there a pan, but it included paint-by-numbers instructions that even specified the order. Seems like this would be straightforward.

I buttered the mold thoroughly to ensure the cake came out in one piece, and that almost worked, with only a couple of small pieces having to be glued with frosting into place.

After that, the main decoration came together nicely.

Finally, some personalization completed another cake. Ander loved it!