3D
Let s Party
by Avalon Yarnes @AvieLovesCake · submitted Aug 10, 2010 · 2010 contest
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Description
I found out about Threadless Cakes last year while surfing the web for competitions. It was right down my ally. I love love LOVE the designs from the amazing artists. How fun, taking a piece of art created with completely different mediums and transforming it into a 3d piece of art that is edible! I thought I would take a stab at something a bit more complicated on a structural stand point and something that was also very fun. Who doesn’t like a party animal? He’s just so cute!
I’m fortunate enough to have access to a professional kitchen. Unfortunately, I lost my camera a week prior to starting this, so most of my pictures are taken with my phone. I decided to make my Vanilla Sourcream Cake, which is delicious and has a nice moist crumb that works well for sculpting. I used creamcheese icing for the filling and a American buttercream for the icing.
In order to balance the giraffes head, which was long, top heavy and narrow, I had to make a support structure. I screwed a large dowel into the bottom of a wooden board. I then cut circles out of the cake and started stacking in on the dowel to create the neck. I pre-cut the base for the giraffe head out of cardboard (3 cardboards stacked on top of each other to eliminate any bending) and then attached that to the cake with buttercream. I then pilled my two 6” cakes on top of the cardboard; I left room on the tip of the snout where I would use modeling chocolate later. I let the cake sit in the fridge until firm. After the cake was nice and cold, I took out the sharp knife and started sculpting away. I crumb coated with buttercream, put it back in the fridge to get nice and cold again. I then used modeling chocolate (an amazing edible material that is basically chocolate and corn syurp) to make his lips, noise, chin and contoured of his eye lids. I really regret not taking more pictures of this process. I got really wrapped up in it and simply forgot. I did however take a picture after we cut down the middle of the cake, so hopefully you can see the different layers and mediums that way.
I covered him in fondant in two sections, one I wrapped around his next, the next I drapped over his head. I hand painted all the spots with black and white food gel and vodka. I made his eyes of out black fondant. I then made the cans and hat out of rice crispy treats I had made the night before at home. I cut the can with circle cutters and covered them in buttercream, I then rolled them up with fondant and airbrushed them with edible food color. I covered the hat with modeling chocolate and also made the bill with modeling chocolate, airbrushed them navy blue. I pushed a dowel that was sharp on both sides through the hat and pushed both cans (carefully) on to them. I rolled out two long tubes of fondant and painted them with a little brown food coloring to represent the tubes. I finished by piping “Let’s Party” on the hat with buttercream.
Hardest part of the whole thing?? Trying to remember to take pictures! I make cakes everyday, so it’s hard not to get lost in it and remember that you need to document the process. Hopefully there was enough.
I brought it over to my family’s house to eat, by the time (30 minute drive) I got to the house he had been dripping from all the condensation from the fridge. I loved this little guy with all my heart, it was hard to leave him. He however was still very yummy and fun to demolish.
I’m fortunate enough to have access to a professional kitchen. Unfortunately, I lost my camera a week prior to starting this, so most of my pictures are taken with my phone. I decided to make my Vanilla Sourcream Cake, which is delicious and has a nice moist crumb that works well for sculpting. I used creamcheese icing for the filling and a American buttercream for the icing.
In order to balance the giraffes head, which was long, top heavy and narrow, I had to make a support structure. I screwed a large dowel into the bottom of a wooden board. I then cut circles out of the cake and started stacking in on the dowel to create the neck. I pre-cut the base for the giraffe head out of cardboard (3 cardboards stacked on top of each other to eliminate any bending) and then attached that to the cake with buttercream. I then pilled my two 6” cakes on top of the cardboard; I left room on the tip of the snout where I would use modeling chocolate later. I let the cake sit in the fridge until firm. After the cake was nice and cold, I took out the sharp knife and started sculpting away. I crumb coated with buttercream, put it back in the fridge to get nice and cold again. I then used modeling chocolate (an amazing edible material that is basically chocolate and corn syurp) to make his lips, noise, chin and contoured of his eye lids. I really regret not taking more pictures of this process. I got really wrapped up in it and simply forgot. I did however take a picture after we cut down the middle of the cake, so hopefully you can see the different layers and mediums that way.
I covered him in fondant in two sections, one I wrapped around his next, the next I drapped over his head. I hand painted all the spots with black and white food gel and vodka. I made his eyes of out black fondant. I then made the cans and hat out of rice crispy treats I had made the night before at home. I cut the can with circle cutters and covered them in buttercream, I then rolled them up with fondant and airbrushed them with edible food color. I covered the hat with modeling chocolate and also made the bill with modeling chocolate, airbrushed them navy blue. I pushed a dowel that was sharp on both sides through the hat and pushed both cans (carefully) on to them. I rolled out two long tubes of fondant and painted them with a little brown food coloring to represent the tubes. I finished by piping “Let’s Party” on the hat with buttercream.
Hardest part of the whole thing?? Trying to remember to take pictures! I make cakes everyday, so it’s hard not to get lost in it and remember that you need to document the process. Hopefully there was enough.
I brought it over to my family’s house to eat, by the time (30 minute drive) I got to the house he had been dripping from all the condensation from the fridge. I loved this little guy with all my heart, it was hard to leave him. He however was still very yummy and fun to demolish.