For my sister in laws wedding in October, I have said I would make the cake. We have decided to make a 2 foot cake in the shape of a champagne cork! Although I think the shape will be easy to achieve, does anyone have any tips with regards to decorating it to look like cork? I have a air brush and so think this would be the best tool? Any advice would be most appreciated. 

will you be serving hundreds of people? if it's 24 inches tall it should be about 3/4 of that around to get the right proportion so approximately 18" around -- so that's almost 800 servings -- you good with that?

I am thinking about how this cake would be served if it is 24 inches tall. Are you covering it with fondant? So then would it be ganache or buttercream underneath?

So before considering the finish, I would be more worried about the structure. Yes the shape is easy. But to serve it is a consideration. How are you going to serve pieces of 24 inch high cake? Obviously the pieces cannot be that high. So that means you have to create a stacked cake that can come apart in layers that will be manageable and "plateable". Even a 6" high cake is a challenge for the typical plates used for desserts unless you intend to use dinner plates. So then, you would need to build your cake so that you can detach three tiers of 6" high cake.

You will need to make it of a dimension that won't be "tippy".

And as -k8memphis stated, you are likely going to have a lot of cake.  

That all being said, you are going to need to create pitting in the fondant or icing, to mirror the texture of cork. And the pitting is darker than the base finish of cork. So airbrushing would work for the base colour. But you will have to hand paint or "stamp" the pitting colour on maybe using the end of the handle of a brush or something similar. 

I don't use an airbrush and haven't tried to duplicate cork as I am certain others have and will offer up advice to you.

For the inside, could you use lots of dummies stacked up, and then cakes layered with cake cards slightly smaller than the diameter of the cakes to give the size you require without excess cake? If you have cards every four inches inside the cake, each layer could be served as an individual tier - it's just the tiers are all the same diameter.

For the appearance of cork I would use a toothbrush/nailbrush - brand new and clean! Use the brush to pit the fondant and then flick colour irregularly on the cake with the brush to give the mottled appearance of cork. Load the brush and then run your fingers across the bristles to flick the colour randomly on the fondant.

This cake is going to look awesome - I hope you go with champagne cake and buttercream and syrup to follow through with the theme!

thank you so much for the replies! indeed i hadn't considered the size and portions and as the wedding party is not 800 people this has to be considered. Thank you -Kmemphis!

Thank you for the tips on 'cork' SquirrellyCakes. I will practice.

Winniemog, I also like your tips and will try them out. I think your idea about dummies stacked with real cake is the way forward. Maybe the bottom of the cork is a dummy and the top is edible. I also think you are right and I should make a champagne cake and buttercream and syrup. Do you have a recipe you can share with me? I have never even tasted one so would love to give this a go and make a trial for my sister in law. 

Thanks again.