Sunday, April 14, 2013

3D Chocolate Owl Cake

This 3D owl is such a cute little cake and it's perfect for a birthday or christening. It's pretty in pink for  a girl but the decorations work just as well in blue or any other colour that you might choose.

I made this cake on a course at Pretty Witty Cakes which is located in Crowborough, East Sussex. Pretty Witty Cakes offer a great range of courses with something for everyone from beginner to advanced. They also attract a number of international tutors. I was particularly keen to attend this owl course as it was a great opportunity to learn about 3D cakes as the 3D aspect really adds something extra special to a cake!
At the beginning of the day this owl started life as a stack of sqaure chocolate cakes which were ganached together and then carved into the shape of the owl. At one point the whole thing did look a bit like a transformer with bits of the carving stuck on at other points to give the shape...however, the tutor did warn us in advance and as predicted the finished carving eventually morphed into the owl...although my owl ears are a little too pointy!! :-)
Once carved the cake was covered in two thick layers of ganache before being covered in sugar paste, the covering was a little tricky as it was tough to lay it over the cake without tearing it on the ears. With the hard work done it was down to the decorating using a template for the wings and some cutters for the eyes, flowers and hearts. You may also just be able to make out the stitching outline on the wings above which was made with a stitching wheel.
The course tutor was Michelle Rea of Inspired by Michelle Cakes. Michelle is from Australia which is where she runs her business, but her classes are in demand internationally so she's currently in the UK for a few weeks, teaching a number of classes including this 3D owl cake. As the techniques for creating the owl were learnt on a course I can't go into too much detail about how to make the cake...but if you'd like to learn I'd definitely recommend attending a course with Michelle or at Pretty Witty Cakes.

14 comments:

  1. Wow this looks absolutely stunning!! I love the 3D effect and the details. Sounds like a worthwhile course to attend.

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  2. That cake is amazingly cute, my cousin is an owl fanatic and she would absolutely love this.

    There really is a knack to visualising the cake when you start to carve it, I think you've done a fabulous job Laura.

    Angela

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  3. I love that your owl even has little eyelashes!

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  4. This is such a cute cake!! I love it!

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  5. Hi Laura,

    Your 3D owl cake looks so cool! Wow!

    I reckon the idea might be originated from Giggle and Hoot as Hoot or Hootbelle is popular kids characters in Aussie TV.

    Zoe

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  6. Seriously impressive and so cute! Sounds like a great course.

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  7. This is just so cute. I am wondering if I am too old to have one for my birthday.

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  8. I love the look of your owl! Very cute and you've done it really well. :)

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  9. Wow, this cake is gorgeous Laura. Such a lovely owl design, Michelle's pretty artistic!

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  10. Wow, amazing Laura! It looks so cute! Love the bright pink!

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  11. Wow this is so cute, I would be sad to cut into it, but then again I bet it tasted delicious. Your cake looks amazing I just don't know if I could make something this good. I also love the colours, so vivid :)

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  12. Wow this is stunning Laura, how long did it take to make?

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  13. That is beyond adorable! I am a sucker for anything with owls and she's sooooo pretty!

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