The Birdie Tree

This is my first ever entry for threadcakes. I found out about it from a blog I was following last year but due to the internship I was doing last summer I wasn't able to create an entry. I've done alot of baking in the past but nothing on this scale or design, mainly cupcake sizes. So this is a starting point for me. I now know what works and what doesn't and *hopefully* will only improve from here. Just the experience was great because I worked with alot of different materials that I normally would not.

I finally narrowed my list down to about 12 different designs and finally decided on the Birdie Tree.

I although I would have liked to make the cake from scratch I used a yellow cake mix (Because I am going to be doing alot of baking practicing a grooms cake soon and wanted something quick and easy). My roommates had given me a "big cupcake" mold for Christmas and I thought the bottom half would be great for the pot. So I made two of the "bottoms" and then layered them and stacked them together to make the pot. I then made a batch of rice krispies and put some around the pot to make the lip.

I used coat hangers for the basic structure of the tree then covered in rice krispies and icing. I then made homemade marshmallow fondant and covered both the tree and the pot.

My dad made a small base of two pieces of wood with a small hole in the middle so when the tree when through the pot it would go in the wood to help stabalize it a bit.

I made the birds and the leaves out of gum paste. Something I have never used before but turned out liking it. I used black sprinkles from a halloween sprinkle mix for the eyes and mouth and let me tell you! Trying to pick out the black sprinkles individually was a pain!

I covered the base with tin foil, placed the pot on it and then put in the tree. I crushed up oreos to put in the pot as "dirt".

I quickly put on the dried leaves and birdies. I didnt take into account the weight of the birdies or how the leaves would stick so many of the leaves fell off and the birds tried to fall. I had to take my pictures quickly and then modified the design to put the birds sitting in the pot.

Overall I enjoyed the experience and hating having to cut into the cake! It took me around three days to complete the cake and less than 30 seconds to destroy it. Hopefully I will be able to enter in another entry for this years competition and I can take the knowledge and experience from this cake to create one far better than the last!