With Thanksgiving just around the corner, it can only mean one thing: It’s turkey time! Follow the simple step-by-step instructions to create a sweet turkey fondant topper to adorn your upcoming Thanksgiving Day cakes, cupcakes and confections!

Materials

Fondant (brown, white, yellow, red, orange and black)
Fondant rolling pin with 1/8″ guide rings
Water or edible glue and brush
1 1/4″, 1 1/2″”, 1 7/8″ and 2 1/4″ round scalloped/fluted cutters
Round decorating tips #3, #7 and #12
Small and medium round ball tools
Large square cutter or rolling pastry cutter
Vegetable shortening
Optional: white soft gel paste and toothpick
Optional: patterned impression mat

Instructions

1. Roll brown fondant into a smooth ball, approximately 1 1/4″.

2. Pick up the brown ball and begin to narrow the top 1/3 of it with your fingers all the way around. Feel free to utilize a bit of vegetable shortening to soften the fondant, if necessary.

3. Narrow the top until it resembles the head and body of the turkey.

Tip: You could also create the head and body out of two circles that you can easily glue together. If you choose to go this route, think about utilizing a piece of raw spaghetti through the center to hold the two pieces up together.

4. Utilize the medium ball tool to make little indentations for the eyes on the turkey’s head.

5. Roll out white fondant with the rolling pin and 1/8″ guide rings. Cut out two circles with round decorating tip #7. With your fingers, roll them into balls, then flatten them out a bit. Glue each white fondant circle inside the indentations you made in the turkey’s face.

6. Roll out black fondant with the rolling pin and 1/8″ guide rings. Cut out two circles with round decorating tip #3. Once again, roll them into balls, then flatten them out a bit. Glue each black fondant circle to the center of the white eyes on the turkey’s face.

7. Roll out yellow fondant with the rolling pin and 1/8″ guide rings. Cut out one circle with round decorating tip #12. Roll the yellow circle into a ball, then begin to shape it into a cone with your fingers to create the turkey’s beak. Glue the beak to the center of the turkey’s face.

8. Roll out red fondant with the rolling pin and 1/8 guide rings. Cut out one circle with round decorating tip #12. Roll the red circle into a ball, then begin to shape it into an elongated teardrop shape to create the wattle. Curl the wattle into a “C” shape, then fit it and glue it around the turkey’s beak.

9. Roll out yellow fondant with the rolling pin and 1/8″ guide rings. Cut out a small scalloped circle with the smallest size. Make sure to pat the perimeter of the circle to ensure the fondant is smooth.

10. With the small ball tool (or a similar tool), make indentations around the perimeter of the scalloped circle to give it some interest. Set the yellow circle aside.

11. Roll out red fondant with the rolling pin and 1/8″ guide rings. Cut out a scalloped circle with the cutter the next size up. Repeat the steps to smooth it and indent the fluted perimeter.

12. Roll out orange fondant with the rolling pin and 1/8″ guide rings. Cut out a scalloped circle with the cutter the next size up. Repeat the steps to smooth it and indent the fluted perimeter.

Tip: If you feel the feathers don’t poke out enough from behind the turkey, feel free to cut out a larger circle with the next size up, as I have done in the final design with the next yellow layer.

13. Layer the different colored fondant circles and glue them together with the largest on the back and the smallest on the front. Utilize the large square cutter or a rolling pastry cutter to trim off the very bottom of the circle so that the feathers will sit up flat on your work surface.

14. Form the feathers around the back of the turkey’s bottom and when satisfied with its position, glue it in place. Allow to dry thoroughly.

Optional: To give the turkey a bit more life, I added some “glimmer” to its eyes with a dab of the toothpick in some white soft gel paste. Also, feel free to cut out a fondant disc with the 2 1/4″ round scalloped cutter to create a disc on which the turkey can sit, especially if decorating a cupcake.

Are you making any creative cakes for Thanksgiving this year?