OKay guys...I want to make a cake topper that will 1. last for years; 2. be realistic/life like; 3. be personal; and 4. be something I can show off some day.....Now, I do have something in mind, I just need ideas on how to get it done.....So picture this:

A trotting (or racking) horse (racking may be easier as three legs would be on the ground with only one in the air, while trotting would have two in the air).....with a groom (realistic looking) on him with the bride behind him hugging the groom and her train cascading down off the one side....

Sounds easy right?

OKay, so my big concern is somehow the body of the horse will need some support, and so will his legs. I don't think Gum Paste can do it on it's own.....So, somehow I need to make a wooden "skeleton" for the gum paste horse....any thoughts? (bold incase you're getting lost as to the question, I can be wordy....)

TIA, I have about a year to make this....Also any "putting together" ideas you have....make body, then clothes? make legs then horse body, then neck and head? Can they run together smoothly if I do that?

I could certainly never accomplish this, but if you think its possible with gumpaste but not sturdy enough, what about modeling clay? Does it have to be completly edible or just be able to go on a cake? If you can carve then I say use the clay.

Good idea...I'll have to look into that, but once it is done do you paint it? I'm guessing you can't "tint" clay, and I don't have a kiln. I made a pretty decent horse once when I was in high school (sulpting) so I hope I can do it again, but my experiance with gumpaste is that you can not sulpt it...it is more like building blocks: make this piece, let it dry, make that piece, let it dry, glue them together.....

I still would need a way to attach the feet to a "bottom" so that it would stand up...I have no claims on the "balance" of the end product......

Great idea though, will think on it!

AV

You could use wire...thick enough to hold shape, to make the frame and cover it with the fondant. The "feet" could be anchored into the base...wood or ?
Then use the gumpaste to model over the wire. Did this in a class years ago when we made a standing clown and butter cream.

Make your frame and use tootsie rolls. You put them in the microwave for 20 seconds and then you can mold them and it keeps just fine.

I do much better with this than the RKT.

Lu

If its just a topper and does'nt have to be edible, you can make a wire amarture and use sculpey or fimo clay to build it and then bake it. It would last a long time and you would be able to add alot of detail.

Here's a link to a website I found with cake toppers made from marzipan , pastillage (sp?) and polymer clay. Theres a horse jumping that you might get some ideas from. Good Luck


http://www.rebeccarusselltoppers.com/

Thanks guys...I'm not sure I at all have the talent to even try this, but you never know until you try..I like the wire idea...I may try to creat the "skeleton" out of wire for the horse at least, then cover it? not sure how to do this, but you ideas have been so helpful.....

Anyone else want to chime in?

K on my cake I entered into the Colorado Sugar Arts Show last year I made a rearing horse. It's modeling chocolate on a foil covered wire armature. I found the modeling chocolate to be very easy to work with and it blended together (legs, head, body, musculature) quite well. It hardened quite nicely, (it was white chocolate with gold lustre dust to make it look like a palomino horse) It's been almost a year since I made it and it's still in quite good shape.
The picture is in my gallery and it's the fourth of July cake.
If you want to you could also use polymer clay (it comes pretinted) to make your horse and rider. I personally would make them seperately and then glue them together after they've dried somewhat. There is also "cold porcelain" (there is a recipe here on c.c. in the templates and drawings gallery). And make it out of that. If you are a member of ICES there was a picture of an argentinian cowboy on a horse made from cold porcelain, in the newsletter a couple months back.