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Bakers: Can I pull off this cake??
DD's 7th birthday is Thanksgiving Day this year. She's very excited and has requested a turkey cake. After some searching I found a cute one that doesn't look like a cooked turkey.
Now, the extent of my cake making skills extends to a bundt and pretty basic stack and frost (though I did once successfully manage a hand-piped Elmo transfer), so I also tried to find something I could manage.
So what I'd like to know from anyone with better skills:
- Do you think I could pull this off??? (if not, am open to suggestions)
- The recipe (link) tells how to set this up so it stands, but I'm worried the recipe makes it sound easier than it is. Any thoughts or tips to ensure success?
- How are the eyes made? Are there candy eyes to buy or should I try just a brown m&m pressed into white frosting?
- I don't like store-bought frosting, but am nervous to substitute to get the right consistency. Do you have a go-to recipe for frosting? If not, are there any store brands that don't taste like plastic?
Turkey Cake recipe: http://www.parentsconnect.com/recipes/turkey-cake.html
Re: Bakers: Can I pull off this cake??
It looks cute! And honestly, not all that hard. It's more "building" a cake than decorating it so probably more time and patience is required than actual cake decorating skill.
I usually use the Wilton buttercream recipe.
http://www.wilton.com/recipe/Buttercream-Icing
You can add more milk to thin it out to the right consistency. There is also a recipe on the site for chocolate buttercream.
Thanks for feedback! I agree...it's more about building the cake. I was thinking of baking the layers and cutting out the pieces today and assembling it tomorrow.
My 2 biggest concerns:
1) How to make the layers *flat*?? I know bakers sometimes use string or wire to cut the top of a layer that domes up during baking. I've tried that before, a little uneven, but fine for a stacked cake that can be leveled out with frosting
. I'm worried that skimming the top will make the layer too thin and compromise its stability when set upright.
2) Will it really be able to stand w/o some kind of support?
Just thought of another..
3) How do the cookies stay on? The recipe just says to "arrange" them, but doesn't say anything about how to attach them so they will remain affixed. I assume frosting for the adhesive, but again, wonder if the cake will be stable enough to hold all that and if they cookies will stick for more than a few minutes.
Maybe I should have gone with a different project. Eek!