3D
Pancakes Mountain
by Elaine Tang @incredibleblahs · submitted Jul 17, 2009 · 2009 contest
1 / 23
Description
My cake story:
My cake-partner friend-person and I have created this ten-layered, golden, and delicious testament to the delicate yumminess that is a stack of pancakes that even Paul Bunyan could enjoy (and hopefully does the original awesome design some justice :)
We made the 'pancakes' with the help of betty crocker and four boxes of her french vanilla cake mix. Then we sliced, sculpted, and frosted said cakes. The syrup is fondant, the boulders, chocolate-covered blueberries, and the trees, spinach-colored frosting. The entire process took about three afternoons.
We are both very amateur cake decorators--I have never decorated a cake with anything other than sprinkles and marshmallows, while he has recently learned how to crack an egg. But we are both pleased with the results, and we hope that you enjoy feasting your eyes on our Pancakes Mountain.
And here is his more detailed rendition:
It all started a few days ago, when word of Pancake Mountain reached suburban New Jersey. Few had heard of the incredible flapjack stack, and all the tales about The Mountain where obscured in exaggeration and mystery. We decided we would dedicate my life to the cause of informing people of this majestic maple monolith.
The first order of business was a physical manifestation of The Mountain. We decided we would honor the batter-based tradition and create a cake to honor the great stack that graced the horizon of some far-off, blessed land.
We contemplated how many layers of cake should represent The Mountain. we toyed with the idea of making it a reasonable 4 or 5 layers, you know, nothing too extreme. But we soon felt a terrible guilty emptiness at the prospect of not honoring the Holy Stack. we knew in my heart, mind, and soul that we needed to prepare ten golden griddle cakes that would leave even Paul Bunyan satisfied.
In a trancelike state of efficiency, we prepared several cakes, later slicing them to pancake-height. As if channeling the pancake gods themselves, we assembled the stack with ease, layering icing between each one. The flavor of the cake was French vanilla because ordinary vanilla simply would not do. Finishing the stack, we supported the stack with several chop sticks. This was truly an international culinary creation. We shaved off the edges of the cake layers to make them look like enormous pancakes.
The next order of business was creating the syrup. We kneaded food coloring into some allegedly edible semi-solid called fondant. Soon is was the color of a wonderful maple syrup-melted-butter mixture. we cut the fondant into the appropriate shapes, and then graced the top of the Great Stack with the symbolic syrup, as if gracing it with holy robes of deliciousness. Next, dark pine-colored icing was extruded into trees. What a wonderful happening it was, as the trees were plopped down into the solid ground from a Ziploc piping bag in the sky.
We used icing to create the effect of the syrupy waterfalls. Chocolate-covered blueberries transformed into hulking boulders when placed on and around the Great Stack. Our creation was complete. Not the only left to do was to spread the word of the Holy Pancake Mountain to our friends. We cut big sacramental slices and feasted on the moist mountain. Smiles all around.
THE END
My cake-partner friend-person and I have created this ten-layered, golden, and delicious testament to the delicate yumminess that is a stack of pancakes that even Paul Bunyan could enjoy (and hopefully does the original awesome design some justice :)
We made the 'pancakes' with the help of betty crocker and four boxes of her french vanilla cake mix. Then we sliced, sculpted, and frosted said cakes. The syrup is fondant, the boulders, chocolate-covered blueberries, and the trees, spinach-colored frosting. The entire process took about three afternoons.
We are both very amateur cake decorators--I have never decorated a cake with anything other than sprinkles and marshmallows, while he has recently learned how to crack an egg. But we are both pleased with the results, and we hope that you enjoy feasting your eyes on our Pancakes Mountain.
And here is his more detailed rendition:
It all started a few days ago, when word of Pancake Mountain reached suburban New Jersey. Few had heard of the incredible flapjack stack, and all the tales about The Mountain where obscured in exaggeration and mystery. We decided we would dedicate my life to the cause of informing people of this majestic maple monolith.
The first order of business was a physical manifestation of The Mountain. We decided we would honor the batter-based tradition and create a cake to honor the great stack that graced the horizon of some far-off, blessed land.
We contemplated how many layers of cake should represent The Mountain. we toyed with the idea of making it a reasonable 4 or 5 layers, you know, nothing too extreme. But we soon felt a terrible guilty emptiness at the prospect of not honoring the Holy Stack. we knew in my heart, mind, and soul that we needed to prepare ten golden griddle cakes that would leave even Paul Bunyan satisfied.
In a trancelike state of efficiency, we prepared several cakes, later slicing them to pancake-height. As if channeling the pancake gods themselves, we assembled the stack with ease, layering icing between each one. The flavor of the cake was French vanilla because ordinary vanilla simply would not do. Finishing the stack, we supported the stack with several chop sticks. This was truly an international culinary creation. We shaved off the edges of the cake layers to make them look like enormous pancakes.
The next order of business was creating the syrup. We kneaded food coloring into some allegedly edible semi-solid called fondant. Soon is was the color of a wonderful maple syrup-melted-butter mixture. we cut the fondant into the appropriate shapes, and then graced the top of the Great Stack with the symbolic syrup, as if gracing it with holy robes of deliciousness. Next, dark pine-colored icing was extruded into trees. What a wonderful happening it was, as the trees were plopped down into the solid ground from a Ziploc piping bag in the sky.
We used icing to create the effect of the syrupy waterfalls. Chocolate-covered blueberries transformed into hulking boulders when placed on and around the Great Stack. Our creation was complete. Not the only left to do was to spread the word of the Holy Pancake Mountain to our friends. We cut big sacramental slices and feasted on the moist mountain. Smiles all around.
THE END