It’s about time I learned how to cook a turkey I say!!  A turkey made out of CAKE that is!  

Somehow Canadian Thanksgiving has managed to sneak up on me.  While learning how to cook a turkey for a big dinner is honestly on my list of things I want to learn how to do, this year will not be the year!  Paul and I will be furiously filming this weekend in order to be prepped and ready to go to Buffer Festival next weekend in Toronto!  I’ll give more updates on that later.  

This 3D carved turkey cake is surprisingly easy.  The hardest part is having the patience to ice the turkey legs and wings.  I found that freezing the cake “pops” worked well, and gave me a bit more time before the cake became soft, and was a serious problem to cover in buttercream.  Carving the turkey shape is simple, and again, if you’re having difficulty with that, try freezing the cakes before starting to cut them.  You will definitely want to freeze them if you are using cake mixes.  The cake mixes are much softer and lighter than homemade cakes (as a rule) so carving them is super challenging.  

I found the cutest “Peas and Carrots” candy from Jelly Belly on a recent trip to the States.  I haven’t looked for them in Canada, but I’m sure they can be ordered online.  I found that they were the perfect addition to the cake, as adding some colour seemed to be a must.  If you can’t find the peas and carrots, making them yourself out of fondant, candy or modeling chocolate is also a possibility.  

Another way I found to add colour to the cake was the addition of the bed of “lettuce” on the serving plate.  This again is an optional step, but I think it really adds to the overall presentation of the cake.  I used a simple petal tip, but you could do without a tip, and simply spread it onto the cake.  

Whether you’re with or without your family near or far, I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving weekend!!  

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