Okay so I just took on a cake and after I started looking around the internet I haven't found any inspirations. It's a giant otter cake. What I'm most concerned about is how to do the feathering on the fur of the otter, anyone have any suggetions (by the way this cake has to feed 100 people)

here's the look I'm going for
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mialewis/324686702/

I'm diggin this one! Giant otter boy!!!

http://www.usbr.gov/mp/ccao/berryessa/photo_gallery/wildlife/otter.jpg

It's like a straight up tier cake! Lessee 100 servings...

Three 9 inch cakes stacked straight up and a head.

Here's a far out idea for the fur--I've played with this once so I'm no expert here by any means--But I'd do a grass tip then see what it looks like sprayed with cocoabutter in a power sprayer Like a Wagner paint sprayer.

I know I know kinda far fetched but in case you wanted to try something new--it's an idea. I mean maybe youv'e done it before but it's new to me and not so commonly done.

You could try a small star tip and pull the stars out long...

I was thinking grass tip too. Or for the wet look some kind of tip like a leaf tip but without the center vane. are you wanting to do it in fondant or buttercream?

I definitely like your picture better
I posted before I saw your link.

But I bet you could do that fur in your picture with a spaghetti maker in a pasta rolling machine.

That's a very cool looking otter.

I'm thinking cover in fondant and use a veining tool pulled through the fondant to make the fur.

I hate making little practice cakes because I live overseas and the cost for things astronomical, but I think I'm going to have to. I love the air gun idea. When I try them i'll post them. I think I'll use chocolate buttercream.

I just took a class with Elissa Strauss and she made fur with fondant and it was really cool. You roll it thicker than you normally would and she uses a scalpal and makes tiny cuts and curves up the cut away fondant but i was thinking after i got home that it would be a heck of a lot easier to use those cuticle scissors you can get in the nail section of any walmart of pharmacy, they have a curved blade, just snip the fondant to make the fur. I don't know if I'm explaining that right but good luck. That's going to be an awesome cake!

I thnk if you just vien the fur in you will have a much sleeker looking final product. They I would use something to make the fur have a sheen to it so he looks wet. I would not try to make all of the little marks in his fur. In this case I think less is more. Can't wait to see the end product.

For my recent echidna cake (see photos) I put a layer of fur under the quills. I used a brown fondant and applied it in rows around the body as hair would naturally grow. If anything, it would suit an otter better than an echidna because of the way I did it - using a garlic crusher!!

I placed a blob of fondant into the crusher and extruded it like you would hair, then used a sharp knife to cut the base - this effectively glued the hairs at the base. Then I used that same knife (a paring knife) to apply it to the cake. I do have a progress photo of this if you decide to use fondant, and want to see.

I'd use a glazing pastry gel to give the fondant a wet look, in the case of the otter.

awesome ideas, thank everyone so much. What is the vein are you talking about?

ace of cakes used a veining tool on fondant. just google veining tool its just a stick with a pointed end.

Okay ladies here it is....


http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1374015

I JUST realized that I forgot his...dagnabbit!