Gecko Cake

by Cindy Godfrey
(Topsham, Maine)

This cake isn't really a gecko, but there's a gecko on it. My son loves angel food cake, with just a little bit of icing and he wanted a gecko or lizard on it. So, this is what I came up with.

Several days before his birthday I made the gecko out of gum paste. (You always have to remember to keep gum paste in an airtight container or it will dry out quickly) I had a picture of a gecko and molded my gum paste gecko to that. You could refer to any picture or object, but the simpler, the better. Especially if this is your first time using gumpaste, like me.

First,I kneaded the color in. Then I shaped the body and tail and put it in a zip-lock bag (be sure it's sealed) then I shaped the main part of his head. (put it in the bag) I rolled balls for the eyes out of white gum paste and then covered them with a very thin piece of the colored paste, creating an eyelid in the process and rubbing the surface smooth. I made two little indentions in the head for the eyes to sit in and carefully molded them in. I used a toothpick to make the holes for the nose and the line for the mouth. After the head was finished I attached it to the body and put it back into the zip-lock bag while I worked on the legs.

I shaped the legs the way I wanted them leaving an extra bit on the end to help attach it to the body. I put each leg in the ziplock bag after I finished it. When all 4 legs were done I made holes in the side of the body where I wanted the legs and then slid each leg into it's spot and molded the gum paste from the body around it to smooth it out.

I let the gum paste dry on the counter overnight. It will get hard. I used green and black gel tubes to finish the eyes and watered down food coloring and painted the detail on his back.

After the angel food cake was frosted I added him to the top. My son loved it and kept the gecko in his room for several months.