Parrot cake

The internet is an awesome resource.  A HUGE timer waster, but I seriously don't know how I lived without it before.

Anything I want to know or learn or see...just google it.  That is so powerful.

I've never owned a bird as a pet.  In fact, no one I know well has ever owned a pet bird.  So when a friend asked if I could make her a 3D green parakeet birthday cake, it's off to the internet I go.  This will be the second bird cake in a row for me.

Leire found a photo of a cake she liked and wanted something similar.  I guess her mom loves orchids and the bird likes to eat them...So that's how I personalized it.

THe bird is made of vanilla cake with swiss meringue buttercream, best.buttercream.ever!  The head, from the shoulders up and wings is made from cereal treats.  Beak, flowers, pot and tag are fondant, the bow is real ribbon.  I even made the bow.

Can you tell that I'm really proud?  Maybe not, I'm fairly subtle.

My first attempt at making the orchids didn't quite work out.  Pretty much they broke every time I tried to put them together.  So after some design modifications and assembly process adjustments, I had something that would work.  (Oops, I guess that's the engineer in me talking.)

See how the stem goes through the beak of the bird?  I originally pushed it through the cereal treats and while I was taping the flowers onto the stem, at 11:30PM, the beak FELL OFF!  It turned out for the best, but it freaked me out just a little.

I'm really happy how it turned out, so brace yourself for a LOT more photos.

I really liked how the base of the orchid turned out.  I have an orchid, that I can't get to re-bloom, which has moss as the potting medium.  So I toasted up some coconut and put that in the top of the orchid pot.  I also just happen to break one of my flowers as I was taping them to the stem, which was perfect as a half eaten flower.

Here's a view of the back side and tail feathers.

The tag, which reads "Happy Birthday Mami!", is meant to look as though the orchid was a birthday gift  but the bird got to it first.

Leire picked it up this morning and really liked it.  And that's what's most important.

I just hope it makes the hour long trip to Syracuse today in one piece!

Leave me a comment and tell me what you think?