Monkeys are often a favorite animal of children.
The grunting sounds of a monkey and its ability to jump from one tall tree to another is fascinating to children. Often, this animal is so popular that it becomes one of several favorites for a child. A monkey-shaped cake is a good choice for any special occasion for children, especially a birthday. Use fondant to shape the outside of the cake, as it gives the maker more flexibility in how she wishes the cake to look when finished. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Monkey Head
A large monkey head is easier to create than most other shaped monkey cakes, and it allows for a great deal of expression to be put on to the cake. Create a dome-shaped cake, which can be cut in half, and add a layer of bananas. Roll out brown fondant until it is thin enough to cover the cake, and drape it over the dome. Press out all of the wrinkles and smooth the fondant. Roll out thicker pieces of fondant -- about 1-inch thick -- and cut them in to two small half circles. Shape them into ears and attach them to either side of the cake. Roll out a thin layer of beige fondant and use it for the muzzle or mouth, and the inside of the ears. Use small pieces of black fondant for detail or use an edible pen.
Animal Toppers
While animal toppers are challenging, they use the cake to showcase a certain animal, including a monkey. Use colored fondant, in brown, beige, white and black, to create the small form. Roll the main pieces of the animal, such as the head, ears, torso, arms and legs, from the sugar paste. Place them all together, trying not to make the animal look realistic, but rather like a stuffed doll. Roll a thin layer of beige and cut out shapes for the inside of the ears, around the eyes, the wide muzzle of the mouth, the lighter color underneath the torso, and the ends of the hands and feet. Add eyes using two small white, flat pieces of fondant with little black dots over the top. Use a toothpick to create details, such as the nose, mouth and hands. Place the small animal on top of a simple cake covered in white fondant.
Monkey Cake
Creating a full, literal monkey cake is also a great idea for adults and children. Kids especially enjoy eating a cake where they can just take one ear, a foot or an eye and dig in. Create a cake using a monkey-shaped baking pan, available at many specialty craft or cooking stores, making sure the pan is greased with vegetable shortening so that the cake removes easily. Roll out brown fondant, enough to cover the entire cake, until is is thin. Cover the cake with the fondant, smoothing it down, and pressing it gently into the indents until the shape of the monkey cake emerges. Roll out beige fondant until it is thin, and cut out two small half circles for the inside of the ears; a large beige circle for the mouth; and small pieces that are shaped in the general shapes of the hands and feet. Once you place them on the cake, trip them so they match perfectly. A brown or black edible pen is used to create details between the toes, hands and on the muzzle. Use white fondant with black circles on it for the eyes.
Curious George
Create a cake inspired by Curious George, a popular monkey character in children's books. Cover a plain round cake -- either tiered or not -- with green fondant. Press it down and smooth it out. Create palm trees out of the excess rolled green and brown fondant. Use brown fondant and beige to shape a small figure of Curious George, with the details added in with an edible pen and the eyes made out of black fondant. Create a large pointy yellow hat beside him -- as that is his trademark -- with a wide black band around it. Scatter small bananas created from fondant over the cake.
Tags: brown fondant, Curious George, inside ears, until thin, beige fondant, black fondant, Create cake