I think they would be easier to cut frozen. I would try it, if not defrost slightly and cut. Cakes and breads can be refrozen no problem.

It depends on how long you are going to "hold" the cake with the decorations on it. If you add the fondant decoration to buttercream just before the party, it will be fine, but if you do it the day before, your fondant is going to be compromised. It does suck up moisture and get soft and mushy, so it's even worse than just plain old fondant. I like the decoration, BTW. Annie

Cute cake, olychick, and decorating with the grandkids is just a double bonus, at least for me. Lyban, I also think the melts will work fine. If you want perfect flat dots, just put the wafer on the cake upside down, with that flat bottom up. Perfectly flat dots, just like that. My grandkids gobble those melts up. I don't think they're all that, but the kids love them, the more sugar the better... Annie

I'm not so scientific. I think my 6” pans are 3”. Whatever they are, whether 6” or any other size, or deep mold like bundt, or loaf, I just make the batter, and fill to what looks right. If I have leftover batter, I just bake it off separately, either as a tester, or to use in something else. If I were baking commercially, I'd perfect the recipe amounts. As it is, I can't be bothered. I do have some anti-doming devices, but they don't work well enough, IMHO, to bother with most of the time. A cake fills best when perfectly flat, or even lightly dished. It's still going to need evening up. Many people prefer fewer taller layers (less “crust” to get rid of), and just slice them to the size they want. Others just make sheet cakes and cut their layers out of those. I just realized. My “eyeball” measure is about an inch from the top of the pan. That's what the half full and 2/3 full are both telling you. So the best way to get equal amounts of batter in each pan is to use a scale. For less formal, I just pour some batter in one pan and let it settle while pouring some in the other, then eyeball the height back and forth until the pans are filled properly. Usually once to start, a second time to divide the batter and a third to adjust and clean out the batter bowl. Measuring batter by volume is a good way to compare the recipe with the how much your pans will hold, but not an easy way to fill them. If you're worried your pans will overflow, you can line the sides with parchment paper or extenders made for the purpose. Don't fuss over precision unless there are judges involved. It's just cake. It's supposed to be fun. What's important is getting your batter in the pans promptly, a good whack to get out air pockets, and get them right in the oven. The moisture or acid acting part of the baking powder is already at work. If you leave the batter sitting around, it'll discharge and deflate. Some recipes do that on purpose for denser cakes, only lifted by the heat action and eggs, but if that's not your goal, make sure your oven has been at temperature for some time, so that the walls, not just the air, are hot, and you get your batter into the pans, and the pans into the oven promptly.