NINJA TURTLES

A couple days ago we were asked to make a NINJA TURTLE cake for a 6 year old boy. We were so excited a new challenge.
Have you ever started a project not really sure of how to do it; but full of excitement and positive energy? Well that is exactly how we started the Turtles. We colored the fondant green, got the fondant mat and all the tools we would need and started. Except that really I had no idea how to make the Ninja Turtles; and where is my Ralph?  I begin.  The round faces do not seem too difficult.  The faces were pretty cute until I added teeth. It is those little details… Then I try to make legs so they can stand; but it is not working. Their bodies are too heavy to hold them up, even with wire, and wooden skewers going through them,  their bodies they won’t stand up.

So that group of Ninjas was scrapped. Starting again and still full of hope, the heads come out cute until we started on their mouths, not so easy to make a Ninja smile, look tough and keep the facial proportions. Back to the Ninja bodies, things are not going so well. But this is for a very special person. Yaelle  Moesch a masseuse and owner of Yaelle’s Tent (look her up on facebook) in Ramat Bet Shemesh. Yaelle is a fantastic masseusse and we really wanted this to be special for her and her son.  Back to the drawing board and back to Google Images of Ninja cakes and we  found one of the 4 Ninjas sitting. This was perfect! Now cross legged or on one knee they could balance on the cake,  they would look adorable, and her son would be happy. Since this was for a class of 6 year olds we did not wantto have too much fondant. We have found kids definitely prefer buttercream to fondant. Although fondant has a nicer look, we were aiming for taste!  So we used chocolate buttercream and a basketweave tip to make a “wooden” floor.   Making the turtle back we used an impression mat; then we added a few more details and a  pizza pie.  When Yaelle came to pick it up, she was thrilled, her son was THE STAR of the day and after all isn’t that whats it’s all about?

We’d love to hear about a baking frustration you had and how you over came your challenge.

~Love From Our Kitchen to Yours