If you can't go to the mountains....eat them!

A couple of weeks after I mad the lamb cake for Easter, there was a fundraiser for the boy scouts at work. They have an annual cake auction where people make and donate cakes they have made and decorated and everyone bids on the cakes and all proceeds go to the boy scouts at church. I told my family that I would make a cake to donate, and asked my niece and nephew what kind of cake I should make...thinking that maybe they'd say, "Chocolate with sprinkles!", but no....they said "Make a mountain...with a lake, like up at Lazy Afternoons!" (Lazy Afternoons is the name of our family cabin in the Adirondacks.) Boy do kids ever have amazing imaginations. Well, I somehow feel complelled to accept these challenges from 4 and 7 year-olds. Why? 'Cause I am an aunt who is a pushover!

I began by stacking the cake to create a mountain shape. After I had the basic shape created, I 'glued' everything together by piping buttercream between all "layers".

After things were secure, I dirty-
iced the entire cake after cutting
a lake-like portion out of the
lower portion of the cake. After
dirty-icing with the plain white
buttercream, I did a base coat of
green buttercream frosting over
the entire cake, except for the lake, which I put a layer of blue-tinted piping gel.

I used gum-paste to create the trees. I used gel food coloring to tint the buttercream as well as the gum paste. It was my first time working with gum paste, but it was quite easy to use. I used small lengths of kabob skewers  for the trunks of the trees (and the posts for the "to camp" sign) because I forgot to buy the small pretzel sticks. I colored them to look more like tree-trunks by wiping a bit of brown food color gel on them. The mountain is covered with rocks/boulders as well as trees. I made the kayak and

paddle out of gum-paste as well. I added a fallen over tree trunk and set that next to the lake. Gum-paste is edible and accepts the color well. Just be sure to coat your hands with shortning to keep it from sticking to your hands.

This was a very time consuming cake, but I ended up being very pleased with the outcome. So were Abe and Scout. It was the only cake at the auction they were even interested in bidding on. Luckily their bid won! Scout did tell me that the cake would be evern better if there had been a little chipmunk on the mountain, however.

After all the time and concentration that went into making this piece of cake-art, it took mere seconds for it to be demolished...and thoroughly enjoyed by all! Abe and Scout took the cake home and it lasted several days until they finished it...but they enjoyed every bite!