3D 2
Fata Morgana
by Sandy Tucker · submitted Oct 17, 2014 · 2014 contest
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Description
My first threadcake entry and it took a while to complete! I absolutely loved this threadless design and have enjoyed the challenge of bringing it to life in cake.
I started with the giraffe on the left and made the trunk from solid chocolate that is whizzed in the food processor until it resembles a dough. No dowels on this side of the giraffe only toothpicks to hold up the branches. It was then covered in modelling chocolate and shaped. I then used tools to make the impression of bark and modelling chocolate for the roots. This was then airbrushed with yellow, orange, brown and black. The painting of the tree and face was next and took ages.
Next I created the structure for the right hand side. MDF board which was held up with dowel and ice cream sticks and then covered in cake foil. The legs and tummy were covered with modelling chocolate. His body was then made from dark chocolate mud cake and milk chocolate ganache. The cake was then carved into shape using a template I printed out to size.I then used the same process by whizzing chocolate in the food processor to make the tree trunk. This was all covered in modelling chocolate. Back to airbrushing with the same colours and lots and lots of painting!
I wanted the tree leaves and branches to look realistic so used grape twigs with a bit of floristry wire wound around it and inserted it into the modelling chocolate. I then piped green leaves onto all the points where grapes would grow. Airbrushed the leaves to give shadow. Added some brown sugar for the sand and piped some grass around the giraffe :) Some of the leaves fell off - very fragile but I think it added to the design :)
I was originally going to have people over for dinner to eat him but this changed a day before and it landed up being transported over an hour away on the WORST roads in New Zealand to my in-laws farm. An extremely hair raising journey with a lot of cursing and thinking my husband was going to divorce me as I cringed on every corner and bump! Totally worth it in the end as my family thoroughly enjoyed the cake and looked forward to it after a very busy couple of days harvesting silage.
Hope you enjoy my entry and long winded story ;)
Sandy xx (FB page: The Cake Engineer NZ)
I started with the giraffe on the left and made the trunk from solid chocolate that is whizzed in the food processor until it resembles a dough. No dowels on this side of the giraffe only toothpicks to hold up the branches. It was then covered in modelling chocolate and shaped. I then used tools to make the impression of bark and modelling chocolate for the roots. This was then airbrushed with yellow, orange, brown and black. The painting of the tree and face was next and took ages.
Next I created the structure for the right hand side. MDF board which was held up with dowel and ice cream sticks and then covered in cake foil. The legs and tummy were covered with modelling chocolate. His body was then made from dark chocolate mud cake and milk chocolate ganache. The cake was then carved into shape using a template I printed out to size.I then used the same process by whizzing chocolate in the food processor to make the tree trunk. This was all covered in modelling chocolate. Back to airbrushing with the same colours and lots and lots of painting!
I wanted the tree leaves and branches to look realistic so used grape twigs with a bit of floristry wire wound around it and inserted it into the modelling chocolate. I then piped green leaves onto all the points where grapes would grow. Airbrushed the leaves to give shadow. Added some brown sugar for the sand and piped some grass around the giraffe :) Some of the leaves fell off - very fragile but I think it added to the design :)
I was originally going to have people over for dinner to eat him but this changed a day before and it landed up being transported over an hour away on the WORST roads in New Zealand to my in-laws farm. An extremely hair raising journey with a lot of cursing and thinking my husband was going to divorce me as I cringed on every corner and bump! Totally worth it in the end as my family thoroughly enjoyed the cake and looked forward to it after a very busy couple of days harvesting silage.
Hope you enjoy my entry and long winded story ;)
Sandy xx (FB page: The Cake Engineer NZ)