Elvis cake statue ~

100% edible, carved cake with fondant accents

                                                     

              Carved cake with some fondant added onto the cake features so I could fine tune details.

                                                     Sculpted fondant over carved cake. 

I really enjoy sculpting cakes!  I wasn't going for hyper realism, just an overall feel of the subject.  I don't use rice cereal treats or molded chocolate, especially for heads.   I prefer sculpting cake, it's more challenging.   It requires lots of focus and an unwillingness to surrender to the "cake rules".   I do regret not having longer to spend on this cake.  It was a surprise for my husband's friend who was retiring.  She refused to let anyone cut the cake, and took it home.   I may need to invest in an airbrush afterall.   

The Blind Conscience ~ Threadcakes contest, 2011

It's that time again, the weird contest "Threadcakes" where people use a Threadless t-shirt design and create a cake.  I chose a design that would be really challenging.  I used a 2-D image of a face profile, and translated that into a 3-D cake sculpture.   My entry and process photos can be viewed here.   The t-shirt design I chose was aptly titled:  "The Blind Conscience".

I managed to use all cake except for 2 smalls straws and a thin, 4" long piece of foam core under the jaw.    I had some issues with humidity and had to keep refrigerating the head as I worked on it, and ultimately decided to slant the head upward to help keep it stable.   Gravity...  The cake was my dark chocolate cake filled with vanilla-ginger icing, and covered in vanilla fondant (all ingredients are vegan).  This year's entry was definitely more challenging, but it was a lot of fun!  I really enjoy sculpting cakes.