Father Christmas Topper Tutorial

Whether you run your own cake shop or you decorate for friends and family, you’re sure to get at least one Father Christmas-themed request this year. Why not give this sprightly Father Christmas topper from Katrien van Zyl (Katrien) of Katrien’s Cakes a try? This versatile little guy can be created with either gumpaste or modeling chocolate.

Read on to find out how Katrien does it, and check out her blog to see more of her work!

Before you begin: You can use either modeling chocolate (chocolate paste) or gumpaste for this Father Christmas figure. The chocolate paste sticks to itself, so it is not necessary to glue the pieces together, but if you use gumpaste, use edible glue to attach the limbs.

Materials

Raw dried spaghetti
Knife
Toothpick
Wooden kebab stick
White gel colouring
15 g (½ oz) flesh coloured chocolate paste for the head, hands and nose
45 g (1½ oz) red chocolate paste for the body, arms, legs and hat
15 g (½ oz) white chocolate paste for the hair, beard, belt and fur on the clothes
10 g (⅓ oz) dark chocolate paste for the shoes, belt buckle and eyes
10 g (⅓ oz) orange chocolate paste for the gift

Instructions

1. Roll 10 g (⅓ oz) of the flesh coloured paste and 30 g (1 oz) of the red chocolate paste into fat cones.

2. Push a piece of raw dried spaghetti through the body with a small piece protruding at the top to place the head on. Make two holes in the head with a toothpick for the eyes.

4. Push the head onto the dried spaghetti to attach it to the body.

5. Roll a long thin sausage of white chocolate paste and place it around the body. Mark the belt with a toothpick by pressing the toothpick into the paste at regular intervals.

6. Roll a small ball of dark chocolate paste and press it onto the middle of the belt. Make two small holes in the paste with the tip of a toothpick to imitate a belt buckle.

7. Using about 5 g (⅙ oz) of red chocolate paste, roll a sausage and place two small balls of white chocolate paste at each end of the sausage.

8. Roll two small flesh coloured cones.

9. Cut the sausage in half and cut each end diagonally with a knife. Make a hole in the sleeves with a wooden kebab skewer.

10. Flatten the two cones and cut fingers into the cones with a knife, making sure to cut opposite thumbs.

11. Place the hands into the sleeves.

12. Repeat the above steps making another long red chocolate paste sausage with 5 g (⅙ oz) of paste, but roll dark chocolate paste into cones to make feet.

13. Bend the dark chocolate cones to form feet and insert them into the trouser legs.

14. Make two holes into the body with a wooden kebab skewer and insert the legs into the holes.

15. Roll two small cone shaped flesh coloured paste pieces and attach them at the sides of the head in line with the eyes.

16. Roll a pea-sized ball of white chocolate paste into a cone shape and attach it underneath the eyes to form a long beard. Mark the beard with a toothpick.

17. Roll two small cone shaped white chocolate paste pieces and attach them over the beard to form a moustache.

18. Roll a small ball of flesh coloured paste and attach it in the middle of the moustache to create a nose. Also roll a tiny sausage of red chocolate paste to form the mouth.

19. Roll two tiny balls of dark chocolate paste and attach them to the face to make eyes. Roll two tiny sausages of white chocolate paste to make eyebrows.

20. Make two holes at the top of the body with wooden kebab skewers and insert the arms into the holes.

21. Flatten a marble-sized ball of white chocolate paste and place it at the back of the head. Mark the paste with a toothpick to resemble hair.

22. Roll a long cone from the last 5 g (⅙ oz) of the red chocolate paste and attach a ball of white chocolate paste to the bottom of the cone.

23. Hollow out the cone by rolling a wooden kebab skewer on the inside of the cone.

24. Place the hat on top of the head and place a tiny dot of white gel colouring on each eye using the tip of a toothpick.

25. Roll orange chocolate paste into a ball and cut it into a square box with a knife. Make small curls from dark chocolate paste and place them on top of the gift box.

26. Place a small ball of white chocolate paste on the end of the hat.

Tip: Whenever the paste becomes too soft in your hands, place the paste or the piece you are working on in the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes to firm.