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How to make an Elephant Topper for a Jungle Cake!
• Lynsey Macdonald
When it comes to novelty cakes for baby showers, birthdays and more, there are some iconic themes everyone knows and loves. One of those is the classic Jungle Cake! Super cute and always a crowd pleaser, this timeless design is a perfect choice. So, in the first edition of our "iconic cake themes" series, we're showing you how to make one!
We couldn't do this without a little bit of help from one of our trusty pro-baker friends! The amazing Vicki from @acakeonlife joined us to show how she created the adorable elephant that is the centrepiece for this jungle cake design!
If you want to see how Vicki did it, you can watch our YouTube video here! Seeing how every piece is formed is so helpful. Then keep reading for everything you need and a step by step guide...
Aaand, if you have your own idea in mind, you can shop our jungle themed products now for everything you need.
Your Jungle Cake Shopping List
In this section we list everything Vicki used to create this beautiful jungle cake. However, you may already have suitable alternatives to these ingredients and tools in your own kitchen cupboard.
Edible Items:
- The Sugarpaste - White (for covering the cake)
- The Modelling Paste - White (for making the elephant, bamboo, wood and leaves)
- Colour Mill Aqua Blend in Sand (colouring the base sugarpaste), Caramel (colouring the bamboo), Clay (colouring the wood), Concrete (colouring the elephant) and Forest (colouring the leaves)
- Sugarflair's Edible Dust in Apple Green, Brown and Baby Pink (for adding depth to the decorations)
- Edible Glue (Vicki used Simply Making)
- Purple Cupcakes Sprinkles - 4mm Matt Black Pearls (or similar, for the eyes)
- Crushed digestives (optional - for sand effect and texture)
You may have your own cake recipe ready to go, but if not, we have a delicious range of cake mixes here!
Tools:
- Dresden Tool from PME (wider end to make indents for the toes)
- Ball Tool from PME (small end used to make indents for the eyes before adding the pearls)
- Knife or Blade Tool (used to make the indent at the end of the trunk and creases in arms and legs)
- FMM Flute and Vein Tool (texture the trunk and tail)
- Circle Cutter from FMM Geometric Cutter set (for the ears)
- FMM Tropical Leaves Cutter
- Wilton Dusting Brush
- Cake Smoother Polisher from PME
- FMM Non Stick Smart Mat
- FMM Firm Foam Mat
- Cocktail Stick (for structure)
- N.0 Sable Brush (to add the edible glue)
Presentation:
- Cake Board
- Cake Box (if transporting or gifting the cake!)
How to make your elephant design jungle cake:
Colour your modelling paste grey before you get started - you'll need 50g of paste for the head and body, 6g paste for each arm/leg and another small piece to create the ears and tail.
- Split your 50g ball of modelling paste in two and put one piece to the side. Take the remaining piece and work it into an almost rectangular shape to form the body.
- Push a cocktail stick down into the paste - this will help your structure. Leave enough sticking out that you can attach the head with it.
- Next, take your 6g pieces of paste and work them into the shapes for your elephant's arms and legs. You want to roll them so you have a narrower end to attach to the body and a wider end for the feet! Use your blade or knife tool to add crease detail, for a more realistic effect.
- Use the wider end of a dresden tool to create three small indents at the end of each leg, and add tiny balls of white modelling paste to form the little toes!
- Now it's time to create your elephant's cute little head! Roll your other piece of grey modelling paste into a cone shape, with a round ball end, narrowing down into a longer trunk shape. Keep rolling and shaping this until you're happy with it.
- Again, take your dresden tool and create crease detail on the trunk and use your knife or blade tool to add the indent on the end of the trunk.
- It's time to add the eyes! Using your ball tool, create two small indents in the face, and place a black pearl sprinkle in. If you don't have sprinkles the right size, you can always add black colouring to some modelling paste and make them that way. Creativity is the name of the game!
- Attach your head to the body via the cocktail stick - this will keep it nice and secure.
- Now for the ears! Using a small circle cutter, cut out two small circles (you can measure against the head for scale). Cut off a piece so you are left with two just-over-half circles and attach them to the sides of the head, curving slightly at the top.
- The last piece of the elephant to make is the tail! Roll out a thin, rope style piece of grey modelling paste, flattening one end out to form the hair at the bottom. You can add detail to this piece with your dresden tool. Attach it to the back of the body, pulling it around to show at the side.
- And last but not least, using a dusting brush, add a little pink edible dust to the cheeks for a cute blush!
- Now your model is complete, ready to add to the perfect jungle cake!
And we're done! Thanks so much to the wonderful @acakeonlife for sharing this tutorial with us. It's the perfect way to decorate a classic jungle cake, and we're so grateful to you for sharing your tips, tricks and favourite tools!
If you try out this tutorial and create an adorable edible topper yourself, don't forget to tag us in your photos so we can see it!
What other animal toppers are you thinking of making to decorate a jungle cake?! There are so many cute options, we can't wait to see what you create!
Looking for more inspo?
How to Make Helium Balloon Cupcake Toppers
