Cat Cake

[DesnBaby]

Materials

30cm x 23cm (12in x 9in) Madeira cake
25g (1oz) pastillage (hard roll icing)
white vegetable fat (shortening)
sugarpaste (rolled fondant) : 1.1kg (2 and a half lb)white,250g (8oz)red,50g(2oz)pink,50g(2oz)burgundy
gum tragacanth
1 quantity buttercream
sugar glue
sugar crystals for the collar
edible silver lustre dust
confectioners glaze
6mm (quarter inch) silver dragees
mulberry sparkle dust

Equipment

greaseproof paper
sugar shaper with small round,large rope,fine mesh and medium round disks
craft knife
40.5cm x 35.5cm (16in x 14in) oval cake drum (board)
smoother
5mm spacers
paintbrushes
cocktail sticks (toothpicks)
waxed paper
dresden tool
narrow spacers made from 1.5mm thick card
1.5cm 'cubby' heart cutter
circle cutters : 3cm,2cm,7mm
burgundy ribbon and non-toxic glue stick

Preparation

Preparing the cake for freezing

Level the cake.Make body and head templates from greaseproof paper and cut vertically around the outline.
Freeze the cake overnight to make carving easier

Whiskers

Soften the pastillage by gently kneading in some white vegetable fat and then partially dunk the paste into boiled water before kneading again (the paste should feel like chewing gum).Place the softened paste with the small round disk into the sugar shaper
place the whiskers template into a plastic sleeve then squeeze out lengths of the template.Cut to size with a craft knife and leave to dry - an airing cupboard is ideal.

Making modelling paste

take 50g (2oz) of each of the colours of sugarpaste and knead in 1.5ml gum tragacanth to each to make modelling paste.Ideally,leave overnight to mature.

Stage 1

Carving the cake

for the head,reduce the height of the nose to 5.5cm then curve all the top edges of the cake to give a rounded appearance.Remove a small section of cake from around the base so that the head goes in slightly.
Place the body template back on the cake and insert cocktail sticks along the curved line of the hind leg.Carefully remove the template the reduce the height of the cake around the hind leg by 1.5cm and reduce the neck to 3cm.
Curve all the cut edges of the body.Remove a small wedge along the front to denote the legs.Curve all the cut edges of the hind leg to give a rounded appearance.

Covering the cake

Place the cake on a waxed board.Pread a thin layer of buttercream over the body to stick the sugarpaste.Knead the white sugarpaste to warm it,and then roll out between the 5mm spacers.carefully place the paste over the cake.
Smooth using a smoother and the palm of your hand.While you keep working the paste it will remain pliable so spend time perfecting the finish.Cut away the excess paste from the base and head and leave to dry.

Making White Modelling Paste

Take 100g of the white sugarpaste and knead in 2.5ml gum tragecanth.Ideally,leave overnight to mature.

Stage 2

Transfer the cake to the board.
Place a narrow sausage of white sugarpaste on to join between the body and the neck and blend in with the flatter end of the Dresden tool.

Mouth

Thinly roll out some pink modelling paste and cut out a chunky heart.Stick to the head for a nose.Using a fine paintbrush,paint the mouth using sugar glue.Soften some of the burgundy modelling paste.
Place with a small round disc into the sugar shaper.Squeeze out 2 lengths of paste and place over the glue,cutting to size with a craft knife.

Eyes

Using a fine paintbrush, paint the eyes onto the cake using sugar glue.Squeeze out some lengths of paste from the sugar shaper and place over the glue,cutting to size with a craft knife.

Collar

Select a number of similar-shaped crystals.Mix some silver lustre dust with confectioners' glaze and paint onto the back of the crystals.
Roll out some of the red sugarpaste between the 5mm spacers and cut a 1.5cm wide strip.Cut the strip in half,and then cut across each half at an angle so that the ends will fit snugly under the cat's chin.Attach using sugar glue.
Press the prepared crystals into the soft sugarpaste at intervals along the collar then add silver dragees.Cut out 3 circles,using the circle cutters,from thinly rolled modelling paste and attach under the cat's chin.Top with a silver dragee.

Tail

Roll a thick sausage of white sugarpaste and wrap around the base of the cat.Cut to size and smooth in place.

Ears

Roll out the white modelling paste between the 5mm spacers.Place the ear template over the paste and cut around it with a craft knife.Turn the template over and cut a 2nd ear.Soften the edges by rubbing a finger along the cuts.Using a paintbrush,paint lines of sugar glue on either side of the head then pick up the ears and place onto the glue.Support in place if necessary with kitchen paper.

Whiskers

Insert a cocktail stick into the sugarpaste where each whisker is to go.Place a little sugar glue on the end of each pastillage whisker and insert into the prepared holes.

Finishing Touches

Dust some mulberry sparkle dust over.Using a non-toxic glue stick,attach the ribbon around the sides of the board.

[kos]

that sounds good(for my cat)
she likes things like that.
thanks for the recipie

[freddyph]

I think my cat will like it to.

Otherwise, I give it to the neighbours cat

[Siamese Louise]

This cake sounds great--wonderful idea! We are having a birthday party for Clementine, who turns 4 this month, and I had been looking for an idea for feeding the human partygoers. (Yes, I realize that this may be kind of odd.) What is "madeira cake?" I've never run across it here in the US. Thanks, and purrs,

[DesnBaby]

Here you go: http://www.globalchefs.com/recipe/desse ... 17madw.htm

[Siamese Louise]

Thanks for the recipe--madeira cake sounds yummy! If it comes from Nigella, it must be really good! Clementine's birthday party is going to be a resounding success! Purrs,

[jasonjuicer]

Will any cat do... lol.

[Vamquin]

wow it sounds delicouse!!! wish i was a cat!! <3

[gracegrecia]

That sounds yummy.