Wednesday 22 January 2014

Blue-Ringed Octopus

Rating: Easy (but a bit fiddly)
Time: About 2-3 hours for the decorating
Richness: About1 treadmill (unless you consume lots of the mmf).



So this was another one for Sarah, this time for the hand-in of  her Thesis.
I based it on the striped pj squid I made for her last year (well, year before. I've been a bit late posting this one).

Anyway, you need:
1 basic chocolate cake (or any cake of your choice really) baked in a loaf tin
a suitable cake board and sharp knife
Marzipan
1 quantity of white/cream coloured marshmallow fondant (mmf)
cocoa powder
food colouring
tumeric powder (to act as a lovely yellow colouring)
A clean/new fine(ish) paintbrush
dessicated coconut


Some basic ingredients, which when shaped start already looking remarkably like a squid/cuttlefish/octopus.
Perhaps I should just call this a standard cephalopod base? ;)
I did have a picture (well, several) from the depths of the internet, to try to make sure I had the shape of the body right.

Anyway, then I put it on the board, and covered with marzipan and fondant. Used several long rolled out pieces of fondant for tentacles, stuck on some discs as eyes, made the siphons etc (see the other cuttlefish cake for more details) and it turned out thus:


From this point in time, the fiddly bits begin. I used a combination of cocoa powder and tumeric to colour the body a little, as most blue-rings have a yellow-brownish body with blue rings.
Once the cocoa was on, I started painting on the spots using a clean paintbrush.
I did a basic blue ring (see below, left), let it dry, then painted over the outside again with a mixture of blue food colouring, cocoa (to make it darker) and water (below, right).



 To finish it off, I shook some dessicated coconut in a plastic bag with some tumeric and cocoa powder. From now on, I shall call it a 'standard base filler' I think :)

The final product?


Sarah again seemed pleased ;)


(just for giggles you may notice the similarities between these pics and the cuttlefish ;)  )

In a word?: Satisfying