Vicky, from The Yellow Bee Cake Company, is a multi-award-winning cake artist and teacher from Basingstoke, Hampshire. In 2019, Vicky was named one of the UK’s top ten cake artists by Cake Masters magazine. She creates tutorials for Cakes & Sugarcraft, Cake Masters, and Cake Decoration & Sugarcraft magazines. Vicky’s first book, Making Sugar Models, is out now, available from all good stockists.
In this tutorial, Vicky Teather from The Yellow Bee Cake Company shows you how to create a pair of cute Valentine’s avocado cake toppers.
The Yellow Bee Cake Company
yellowbeecakecompany.co.uk
facebook.com/yellowbeecakecompany
Edibles:
Gel colors: black magic, chocolate extra, garden green, neon green, and neon pink (Magic Colours)
Dust color: apple green and snow white (Magic Colours)
130g white modeling paste
Clear alcohol (vodka/gin)
Edible glue
Equipment:
Dresden tool
Cerart ball tools: extra large and K501
Scallop tool
Crafts knife
Dusting paintbrush
Paintbrush: size 0
Color of white modeling paste in the following quantities:
- 1g black magic
- 5g chocolate extra
- 40g garden green
- 80g neon green
- 1g neon pink
Method:
1 Split the neon green modeling paste in half. Roll each amount into a smooth ball and then place onto the work board. Place your hands on either side of the ball and gently roll back and forth, applying pressure toward the board. Once the base of the ball is flattened, use your hands to shape the dome into an avocado shape.
2 Push the large ball tool into the wider end of the avocado and gently press to create a well.
3 Paint a layer of glue over the rounded dome of the avocado. Roll out the garden green modeling paste to a 1mm to 2mm thickness. Lay the sheet of paste over the avocado and fit to the shape with your hands. Use the crafts knife to trim around the avocado. Remove the excess paste. Use your fingers to neaten the edge and fit around the cut edge of the avocado.
4 Add a small amount of apple green dust color to a sheet of kitchen paper. Load a dusting brush with the color and tap and pat away the excess. Dust from the outer edge of the avocado in toward the center, focusing the color around the outer edge.
5 Roll the chocolate extra modeling paste into a ball and glue into the well in one of the avocado halves. Press the mini scallop tool into the paste just above the ball.
6 Press the small ball tool into the paste just underneath the eye and then move sideways to create a capsule-shaped well.
7 Push the wide end of the Dresden tool into the space above the well on the second avocado. Rock the tool from side to side and downward to create an open mouth.
8 Push the larger end of the small ball tool into the paste on either side of the mouth to create the eye sockets. Add the 2 capsule shapes beneath the eyes as in step 6.
9 Fill the eye holes with 2 small balls of white modeling paste and the capsules under the eyes on both avocados with the neon pink modeling paste. Press the small ball tool into the left side of each eye to create a shallow well for the pupils.
10 Using the Dresden tool to fit in place, fill the open mouth with a small piece of black magic modeling paste. Glue two small balls of black magic modeling paste into the holes created in the eyes.
11 Roll a very small ball of black magic modeling paste into a taper-ended sausage.
12 Glue the taper-ended sausage over the top of the eye. Repeat for the other eye.
13 Roll 3 more taper-ended sausages and glue in place in the eyes and mouth of the other avocado.
14 Add 2 small balls of white modeling paste to the eyes and a small ovoid of neon pink paste to the open mouth.
15 Mix a little snow white dust color with a tiny drop of clear alcohol to form a paint. Paint a little curved line and dash onto the stone of the avocado.
