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asked March 25th 2016

sugar sand and seahorses

Hi folks im trying to make a comp beach cake …wanted a tier with sugar sand on it well round it covering the whole tier i was advised to use piping gel on the dummies to make the sand stick but it looks clumsy…tried trex too and that was the same…any suggestions? Also i wanted 2 seahorses facing each other on top really hard to make so looked for molds but the cakey websites all have tiny molds not big enough for a top tier or just single molds….how to i find a mold that looks the same facing the opposite direcection help???

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Hi folks im trying to make a comp beach cake …wanted a tier with sugar sand on it well round it covering the whole tier i was advised to use piping gel on the dummies to make the sand stick but it looks clumsy…tried trex too and that was the same…any suggestions? Also i wanted 2 seahorses facing each other on top really hard to make so looked for molds but the cakey websites all have tiny molds not big enough for a top tier or just single molds….how to i find a mold that looks the same facing the opposite direcection help???

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Hi janeylfc

Seahorses are really quite easy to make without moulds. Think of them as an S shape, take it from there and then develop the features. Download the following diagram to the size you want your items to be. Cut them out and use them as sizing guides.
http://www.allthesea.com/Seahorses.html

As Paul always says, start with a sausage shape! Begin to mark out the various body parts. First do the head and nose then work down, keeping the belly part fat and thinning down to the tail. For the body markings use any rounded object like the round end of a spoon handle or a nail file/emery board to make the indentations. Enhance the indentations with a veining tool to make the ridges. Once you see it taking shape just keep looking at your reference point for the details and keep within your sizing guide to maintain the shape.

Lots more images here as reference for colour shading and expressions: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=seahorses&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwihzOHisN7LAhXJShQKHQ-vDRgQ_AUIBygB&biw=1366&bih=633

The sand is a bit more tricky! I’m not really sure what you mean that it looks clumsy, any way this is what I have done in the past:
Coat the dummy well in workable sections with either edible glue or piping gel. Have the sugar in a large flat container like a roasting pan. Bring the dummy/cake to the container and start attaching the sugar on the sticky section until it has a good coverage. Use a spoon rather than your hands for shoveling on the sugar. Remove an excess and seal your work with clear PME glaze. Continue section by section untill the whole thing is covered. The problem with trying to do it all in one go is that the glue/piping gel, begins to dry out and prevents the sugar sticking down properly. You could also try using a large holed sugar dredger for a more even coverage.

Hope this helps. Let me know if does 🙂

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