Class

Learn to Sculpt a Stuffed Animal Cake

$39.99

At a Glance:

In-depth Instruction; over 94 mins
On-demand video access anytime
Bonus downloadable PDF resources
Access to class Q&A

Item: U80126E

Description

Description

Join Elisa Strauss on a delightful journey to create your very own sculpted stuffed animal cake! This comprehensive course guides you through every step of the process, starting with designing a unique template tailored to your vision, whether it’s a cuddly bear or a whimsical bunny.

You’ll learn essential techniques for stacking and supporting cake layers with buttercream and dowels, ensuring a stable foundation for your creation. Build your confidence as Elisa demystifies cake carving and shares tips for achieving smooth surfaces using cake scraps effectively.

Discover how to achieve a polished finish with modeling chocolate, as you roll, cover, and add depth for a realistic look. Learn to shape and color features like ears and horns, ensuring they are proportionate and expressive, before finally adding delightful details and accents.

By the end of the course, you’ll have the skills and knowledge to create a stunning and inviting sculpted cake that reflects your own creativity. Let’s get baking and bring your plush cake vision to life!

Class Sessions

Session 1: Introduction

Session 1: Introduction

4:28

Elisa guides you through the creative process of customizing your very own sculpted stuffed animal cake. You’ll discover how to design a unique template that allows you to bring any style or size to life, ensuring that your cake reflects your individual vision. Whether you want a cuddly bear, a whimsical bunny, or something entirely original, Elisa will provide step-by-step instructions and helpful tips to make your cake truly special.

Session 2: Stacking the Cakes With Buttercream & Dowels

Session 2: Stacking the Cakes With Buttercream & Dowels

23:00

Now that your cake template is ready, it's time to start baking. In this lesson, Elisa will show you how to use your template to determine the number of layers you need and their sizes for your design. She'll also explain the importance of supporting your cake layers with proper doweling and boards to ensure stability. You'll then learn how to level, torte, fill, and stack your cake layers effectively. Be sure to download the class materials, which include Elisa’s favorite cake and buttercream recipes, to help you achieve a delicious finish to your project.

Session 3: Carve & Crumb Coat

Session 3: Carve & Crumb Coat

8:33

In this lesson, Elisa helps you overcome the fear of cake carving by sharing essential tips and techniques for achieving the perfect shape for sculpted cakes. She guides you through selecting the right tools and precise methods for clean cuts. You will also learn the purpose of Elisa's two bowls of cake scraps. Rather than seeing them as waste, she shows how they can be used to fill gaps and create a smooth surface, enhancing the final appearance of your cake. By the end of the lesson, you'll feel more confident in your carving skills and equipped to use every part of your cake effectively.

Session 4: Covering With Modeling Chocolate

Session 4: Covering With Modeling Chocolate

11:30

Now that the cake surface is well-prepared with a crumb coat, it is time to cover it in modeling chocolate to achieve a smooth and polished finish. This technique not only enhances the aesthetic appeal of the cake but also adds a delicious, sweet layer that complements the flavor of the cake. Follow along as Elisa takes you step by step through rolling out the modeling chocolate to a uniform thickness and ensuring it is large enough to cover the entire cake. Next, she applies and smoothes out the modeling chocolate to eliminate air bubbles and create a seamless appearance. Along the way, Elisa shares how to add depth and dimension to the shape for a realistic stuffed animal look.

Session 5: Ears & Horn & Stitching Details

Session 5: Ears & Horn & Stitching Details

21:00

Learn the essential techniques for shaping and coloring features like ears and horns to enhance your creation. Use a template to accurately position key elements such as the tummy, nose, and eyes, ensuring they are proportionate and expressive. Focus on adding depth to achieve a three-dimensional effect typical of plush toys. Finally, choose colors that mimic the soft texture of fabric, bringing your project to life with a cuddly, inviting appearance.

Session 6: Final Details

Session 6: Final Details

24:30

Get ready for a fun journey as the sculpted unicorn cake is completed with adorable ears, a shiny golden horn, and a cute belly like a plush toy. In this final lesson, Elisa shows you how to add the last white details in gum paste, incorporating realistic borders and stitching. You’ll also learn to create rainbow hair and black eyes while preventing any color from bleeding into the light-colored modeling chocolate below it.

Your Instructor

Elisa Strauss

Elisa Strauss founded Confetti Cakes in 2000. She is a graduate of Vassar College and The Institute of Culinary Education, where she received a degree in pastry and baking arts. Elisa also spent one semester studying at the Art Institute of Chicago. Prior to culinary school, she worked as a designer for Ralph Lauren. In fact, it was a cake she made for Ralph (in the shape of a Bugatti, his favorite sports car) and the heaps of praise it received from fashion industry notables that inspired her to bring her design talents to the kitchen full-time. Her creations have appeared on the Today show (one of her cakes was selected as the winner of the “Today Throws a Wedding” series), Sex and the City (she made Charlotte and Harry’s wedding cake during Season Six), The View and Martha. Elisa has also been featured on The View, and has appeared several times on the Food Network, including the “Extreme Cake Challenge” where she won the grand prize. Confetti Cakes has also been featured in InStyle, Martha Stewart Weddings, Marie Claire, Seventeen, Elle, Vogue, Modern Bride, New York magazine, BRIDES, Elegant Bride, The Knot and in 2008 was selected as one of America’s Top Ten Pastry Chef’s in Pastry Art and Design. Elisa’s first book, The Confetti Cakes Cookbook: Spectacular Cookies, Cakes and Cupcakes from New York City's Famed Bakery, was released in Spring 2007 and is in its seventh printing, and her second book entitled Confetti Cakes for Kids was released in the Fall of 2008. Along with Marvelous Molds she has created a line of fashion cake decorating products. She currently teaches private cake decorating lessons in her studio and teaches online classes at Craftsy.com.

Elisa Strauss

Bonus Material

FAQs

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