Pilgrim Pumpkin

Thanksgiving Blog Blitz Post #3!

I hope you are having a nice Fall so far, and are enjoying the anticipation and preparations leading up to the holidays.  Thanksgiving is my very favorite holiday, and I love making  fun treats for the occasion. And I have to tell you that this little dude has got to be  my all time favorite! I have been busting at the seams since I made him; I am so excited to share him with you!

Meet my Pilgrim Pumpkin mini cake!

Don't you just want to squeeze him? 

Let me show you how I made him:

For his body I used two mini bundt cakes and a circle of cake I cut from a round layer with a cookie cutter. The height of the cut circle of cake was about 1/2 inch.

You need that extra height the circle of cake gives. Otherwise, he will be too squatty and you won't have enough room for his belt and his face. If you want to spackle the seem with some stiffened buttercream to hide it more, you can do so.

Crumb coat the cake with a  very thin layer of icing. Then cover the top half with orange fondant. Use a wooden dowel to impress in the grooves of the bundt pan to make them show up well. You will need a pretty thick layer of fondant or all the lumpy bumps  will show through. Or you can use two thinner layers of fondant, which is what I did. Once you get the top half covered, let it sit for a while to let the fondant set up some.

Then flip the cake over and do the exact same thing on the other half. Cut a clean seem between  both layers of fondant where they overlap in the middle, so that you get the result you see above.

Looking pumpkiny!

I airbrushed him just a little to help his colors pop, but that it optional. Cover the seem with a strip of black fondant to make his belt. Make his face with pieces of black fondant.

Cuteness emerging.

His hair is thin strips of a golden yellow fondant. Prop them away from his head  with  paper towels until they firm up. Make his adorable little pilgrim shoes from triangles of black fondant with an oval  piece of white fondant on top.

At this point, just go ahead and squeal with delight. You will want you. You will need to. You have my blessing.

Cut a circle of black fondant for the brim of his hat, and fashion another piece in the tapered shape of a pilgrim hat. Let those both firm  up well. Attach the hat pieces together with  chocolate.

Once all is in place, add the  buckles to the belt and hat. I presented him on a little bit of fondant grass  with some acorns. At this point I called in all my family, my neighbors, the postman, and a stray cat to share my excitement with them.

Isn't he just the cutest thing?

I heart him.


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I often get asked where I get my ideas from, which can be all kinds of things. This project was inspired by this piece of  clip art I stumbled upon while searching on the internet for something:

 

My little guy came out pretty much how I envisioned in my head; which rarely happens. So I was very pleased.

Hope you give him a try, he was a lot  of fun to do!

Stray tuned for the next installment of my Thanksgiving Blog Blitz coming Friday!

Happy caking!
Sharon
www.sugaredproductions.com