This last-minute cake was fun to do! This cake was for a friend who’s a locksmith. His family came up to surprise him for his birthday and a cake was in order.
Close up of the lock details on this German chocolate cake.
I made one of my favorite cakes, an 8″ round German chocolate layer cake filled with coconut, pecan frosting. Yum.
After drawing a pattern for a lock with the inside top pattern, I decided to make the “handle” from cereal treats figuring it would hold up better than cake. Also had a guest at the party allergic to eggs, so the cereal treats would be hers to enjoy. I placed the pattern on the cake and cut along the lock shape then dirty iced the cake with milk chocolate frosting. Yum, again.
My idea was to make this cake light brown color and then paint it with an edible gold “paint”. What could I use to pretty-up the top of the lock? When going through my cake stuff, three boxes of supplies and growing, I found a mold that my sister had picked up. It had different components that would make up a baroque design. Highlighted with gold, they would be perfect!
That solved… on to a key. I thought I would make a key that stands up from the lock with a 60 on it for the birthday boy’s age. Seemed obvious to use a dowel with treat topper. Should be easy enough. Cut the treats to a “key-like” shape and cover it and the dowel with fondant. Then I cut out three holes, trimmed with fondant and set aside.
Perfect cake for a locksmith turning 60 this year.
Now that I know what I’m doing, I started by putting the fondant on the cake and handle. I cut a cardboard pattern to press into the fondant for the inside top pattern. Then painted the area dark brown with petal dust. Now time I started to mold the parts for the design. Rights and lefts, and a few extra, in case of a creative spurt. Designing as I go, I attach the decorations with a little paste, made from fondant and water. I’m liking what I see… good thing as time is getting short!
I finished the details of the lock and then cut a straw to the height of the cake. I stuck the straw into the lock “opening” and had a place to put the key. I had to paint that area dark brown to recede. Now to roll out the fondant to make the numbers for the key and paste them on. With a little added touch to the key it was ready to be gilded.
I use lemon extract to add to the petal dust. Dries quickly and it really smells good. I painted the gold on the lock and key, then went back with dry, brown dust to antique the design and the key mostly.
When assembling the cake I had to use a small dowel to hold up the handle. If I ever make another one, I’ll have to think about something else to incorporate into the cake to hold that up. The key was too big and bothered me, but no time to change it now… gotta go!
The cake was hit and I’m so glad I got a piece of this one. Like I said…Yum!
