Superbowl (?) Cake

I’m not a huge football fan. Ok, I’ll be honest, I’m not a fan at all. I could give a bunch of excuses, but the truth of the matter is that the game takes too long. I get distracted easily and secretly only enjoy the commercials. Let the judging begin.
For Superbowl 47, the Ravens and the 49ers competed for the big metal trophy. And then I was asked to make a cake designed after the Alabama Crimson Tide. 1. Alabama is not in the Superbowl. 2. Alabama Crimson Tide is a college team. 3. I researched these things to find the information.
Cake drama….cake drama…….
The client said she wanted a cake with “Alabama Crimson Tide” on the cake. That was about all she requested. Hmmmm. I found the team logo online and based my design on it.
Carving cake can be challenging, especially complex character cakes. My medium of choice for carving is usually rice crispy treats. I made the giant rice crispy treat in a 16×16 cake pan. It was about 32 cups of rice cereal. Yikes. I follow the typical rice crispy recipe, but I super-pack the cereal into the pan. With what aggression ye pack, it shall be carved unto you.
The cake was a simple yellow cake. By simple, I do mean of course that it was made from scratch. Initially I made two cakes in the 16×16 pan, but the first cake exhibited a streak of rebellion and refused to excuse itself from the pan. It would appear that my ability to butter and flour the pan were found wanting. Shame. Baking 101.
To replace the broken cake, I made a third cake with an additional 2 recipes of the yellow cake. It was super-yummy.
I can make a variety of cake flavors and fillings, but this cake was another new one for me. The client said she wanted a custard filling between the layers. Custard……yikes! The last time I made a custard it was burned, lumpy, and gross. This time I actually followed the recipe. And SHOCK, it turned out perfect! Perfect! Creamy, sweet, and wonderful.

The actual carving of the giant rice crispy went quite smoothly. Basically, I cut out everything that isn’t part of the elephant. The good thing about using rice crispy as a carving medium: if you cut off too much, it will stuck back to itself. The trunk and part of the upper ears are reclaimed pieces that had been carved off of the remainder of the original piece. Score!
I iced the elephant base and covered it with rolled fondant. If you’ve never used rolled fondant, it feels a little bit like play dough but tastes better.
I have not yet invested in an air gun to spray my cakes. I hand paint them with brushes and clear vanilla tinted with gel food colors.
The elephant proved challenging to color. The black food coloring turned a grayish/bluish/greenish color when mixed with the clear vanilla. I applied several layers of color, highlights, and accents, but the magic touch came when I applied the silver luster dust.
Luster dust is a shiny colored powder that adds shine and texture to fondant. When applied to the elephant, it made him look gray and it blended the edges of the harsher lines. Success.
The cake and carving weighed about 30lbs when it was all said and done. Beastly cake.
Go Alabama! I hope you win the Superbowl…..or the Finals…..or the Stanley Cup……or an Emmy……or whatever you win.
Go team!