My name is Celeste and I am a hobby baker. I made this turkey cake for my husband’s work Thanksgiving Party (Dept. of Veterans…, D.C.).
To make the cake I used chocolate cake (because that’s what my husband requested) and I used two 11 inch round cakes, both 2 inches high.
After carving I used the leftover cake for the legs. I mashed the leftovers like making cake pops and shaped it into the legs.
The bones were made of gum paste which I prepared ahead of time, as well as the wings.
I used ganache as I find it easier to work with than buttercream and also my husband is not a fan of buttercream. If I’m not mistaken, I think I used no more than 1 lb. of fondant to cover the whole cake.
I used a fruit mesh net bag to texture the cake and make it look realistic. It’s easier to texture the skin after you covering the cake with fondant.
I airbrushed the cake with ivory, yellow and brown Americolor. I think Americolor food color spray (in a can) will work too. I’ve heard that others just brush it using food color gel mixed with vodka. When it’s dry, paint or brush with some piping gel (dark brown) to make that caramelized or toasted effect on the skin.
The stuffing was made from a half recipe of vanilla cake. I added a drop of green and yellow and shook it in a ziplock bag (any plastic bag will do). Chocolate cake will not work for the stuffing, but you can use leftovers from the cake you carve if you are using vanilla cake for the turkey.
Of all the cakes I have made, I can say that this is the cake that I am most proud of. I thought this would be for just a simple celebration, but my husband told me that everybody loved the cake. The undersecretary saw it and couldn’t believe that it was a cake. He was so impressed that he took a picture of it and sent it to the secretary and to his higher ranking officers.
I am so proud of this cake and my husband is so proud of me.
This is really impressive!
This is really impressive!