Calling Creative Gurus...

Decorating By lcottington Updated 20 Sep 2006 , 10:26pm by 7yyrt

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lcottington Posted 19 Sep 2006 , 8:11pm
post #1 of 14

My birthday is Halloween! Since I'm now addicted to cakes I want to make a spectacular birthday cake for myself...I have looked at EVERY Halloween cake in the gallery and haven't found inspiration yet --

So far my thoughts are this...

1) At least two tiered cake with pillars in between tiers -- will make royal icing webs and spiders to attach to pillars...trying to think of something to do to pillars to gruesome them out a bit...

2) Thinking about using the small Wilton globes and making them into wicked jack o lanterns to either sit on the top of the top tier or serve as the in between if I add a third tier...

I want something cool -- and just can't come up with anything -- really want it wedding cake like but gruesomely elegant if that makes sense...

any ideas appreciated!

Lisanne

13 replies
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emmascakes Posted 19 Sep 2006 , 8:26pm
post #2 of 14

try checking out 'Nightmare before Christmas' film by Tim Burton - the decor in the film is so gorgeous and I've often thought his characters and twists would make great cakes.

I did a 'trick or treat' once which was three tiers and was stacked gift boxes with evil stuff bursting out of them - a dragons' tail, a monster, an eyeball etc. My 'snowflake' cake would be easily adapted for hallowe'en with spiders hanging off the 'stalks'

Let us know what you decide on!

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Doug Posted 19 Sep 2006 , 8:33pm
post #3 of 14

gargoyles at very top of pillar looking like holding up the separator plate?

snake(s) wrapped around pillars?

bats hanging from edge of top plat sort of like long beads dangling.

bottom tier features big bat body w/ wings that wrap around the cake

Drac's coffin in center area under pillars?

tombstones around top tier lament all the years you've buried?

edible image of you on very top w/ caption -- No, I can't take off my mask -- this IS me!
LL

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lcottington Posted 19 Sep 2006 , 8:43pm
post #4 of 14

You two are awesome -- I'm definitely using some of both the ideas...

Next question -- is there anyway to paint pillars black in a non toxic way....maybe use large wooden dowels and paint?

and Doug - I have to do the picture thing that is too funny!

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czyadgrl Posted 19 Sep 2006 , 8:46pm
post #5 of 14

you could wrap the pillars in black fondant.

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Doug Posted 19 Sep 2006 , 8:48pm
post #6 of 14
Quote:
Originally Posted by lcottington

Next question -- is there anyway to paint pillars black in a non toxic way....maybe use large wooden dowels and paint?




if using plastic, I'd try the Kryolan FUSION paint

if using wooden dowels, could just stain them w/ icing color. make take a couple of coats to get really dark.

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Momof4luvscakes Posted 19 Sep 2006 , 8:52pm
post #7 of 14

I have wrappedrge dowels with black fondant before and it worked fine!

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eriksmom Posted 19 Sep 2006 , 8:58pm
post #8 of 14

You may also want to have a gruesome hand coming up out of the bottom layer at each pillar, trying to grab the pillar. You could make the hands out of fondant, or if you feel creative, pipe them in. Don't forget to have blood dripping down the wrists!

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Irish245 Posted 19 Sep 2006 , 9:21pm
post #9 of 14
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lilfoots Posted 19 Sep 2006 , 9:38pm
post #10 of 14

How about draping the fondant, as if something is hiding underneath it, and making either gargoyles or decapitated heads out of the Wilton balls?

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CakeRN Posted 20 Sep 2006 , 6:30am
post #11 of 14

You could make spiders that are hanging onto the pillars with the webs in between the pillars. Or like eriksmom said....(a bit different than that) is to have bloody hands holding up the next cake...wrapping them around the pillars...they could have black fingernails..(all the rage for goths) or carve the top layer as a bodiless head....

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redpanda Posted 20 Sep 2006 , 7:39am
post #12 of 14

The following ideas may be just too gruesome for what you're looking for.

You could make the bottom tier a coffin, and have a hand (skeletal?) coming out of it to hold up the next tier. (This would be a center-pillar assembly, rather than a traditional pillar assembly.)

The bottom tier could have skulls on top, with pillars coming out the tops of the skulls. If not skulls, heads. That could be made as gruesome as you like.

Royal icing skeletons could be attached to the pillars, so that it looks like they are holding up the top tier.

Top tier could be a cauldron with all sorts of appropriate things sticking out the top.

RP

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lcottington Posted 20 Sep 2006 , 4:40pm
post #13 of 14

Oh so many ideas now - I laid in bed last night and thought of some great ones combining all these great ideas..

So far I know this...

It is going to look like Doug's drawing in that I will have the lower tier up on pillars...the bottom pillars will have cobwebs and spiders haven't finalized what will go on the bottom board think it will be a graveyard...

The top tier is going to have a full size gruesome hand popping out (like the Uncle Sam cake I want the hand to look like it punched out of the fondant) -- the hand will have long black fingernails and will be dripping in blood that will be over the cake top as well -- think I will do the blood as white chocolate ganache with candy color to make it red...the top tier will be red velvet as well to look like blood when cut...

think I will put cake ball eyeballs stuck in outside of top tier all around..

bottom tier (middle) will have bat around like Doug suggested...

I am going to ask hubby to build the pillar system for this as an interlocking system out of wood - then I can paint the boards and pillars black and it will have good support...

I will do the snakes climbing the pillars in the middle -- still figuring out whether or not I could scuplt gargoyles to hold each layer up....but now maybe I'll do skeltons holding up the top tier...hmmmm....

thanks for all your great ideas - you guys rock....

now to see if I can get my skill level where I want it to be....

Lisanne

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7yyrt Posted 20 Sep 2006 , 10:26pm
post #14 of 14

Remember. the bats need red eyes!
Try this website for gargoyle sculpting instructions:
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_Gargoyles.htm
Site has many other ones you could adapt for fondant...
LL

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