3D
Zombies only want you for your brain
by Katie Robinson @danger'smom · submitted Aug 3, 2009 · 2009 contest
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Description
I have a love/ hate relationship with zombies! I'm scared to death of watching a movie with them in it, but I can't help it. The same thing applies to making one out of cake. I loved the challenge and idea, but I hated the time and fragility of sculpting one out of cake. This was my first completed zombie head and what a learning experience. I've tried a couple of times in the past few years to make a zombie and I always got frustrated and gave up, but I was determined to succeed with this one. I had my brother (who also introduced me to and traumatized me with zombies as a child) help me build support (using pipes and a small board to support the head) and drill it into a base board. Thanks Matt!
I knew right away that I wanted to make a cake from the "Zombies Only Want You for Your Brain" shirt. At first, I wanted to make a clean cut, freshly deceased zombie, offering a potential victim flowers... as if he was trying to woo you. But then I decided on an ambitious design. I'd make a voluptuous, doe-eyed, beautiful woman who was clearly into her looks and have the zombie after her, only after her for her brain..... It just goes to show.... it doesn't matter how you look. Zombies only want your brain. Let the baking begin!
I baked a lot of cakes! I baked about 10-12 9" vanilla cakes and when i realized I didn't have enough, I baked 2 more chocolate cakes. I made and used about 5 batches of vanilla frosting and used 8 pounds of fondant. I spent 3 days baking, sculpting, and detailing the cakes. I worked mainly at night. (I have a 1 and 2 year old who don't allow me a lot of time during the day... one of the many obstacles against me in this project) I knew once I started on the cake, time and the GA heat were not going to be on my side. It was too large to refrigerate, so I had to clear some room in the freezer and freeze it overnight. Once it was chilled, I began sculpting and carving. Once i had the shape I wanted I used cake crumbs to form my nose, breasts, and some other details. I crumb coated the cakes and was ready to cover them in fondant. I really loved doing the details on the faces. I wish I could have spent more time on both the girl and the zombie, but I knew the entire thing was made out of cake and was very fragile, so i rushed a little. The girl came out a little more cartoonish than I wanted, but I don't think it was bad for my first time making a woman's face. I didn't plan on making the zombie as bloody as I did, but it was too much fun making cuts and blood. I wish the detail would have come out better in the pictures. Oh well.... I also added a krispy treat arm at the end. I wanted to connect the cakes somehow and make them one piece. If time would have permitted and I had more fondant ( I was out of supplies and it was past midnight) I would have made a hand, but I opted for a bloody stub. A zombie doesn't need a hand!
The most fun (as you can see from the pictures) was destroying the cake. I think I was a little loopy towards the end and did get a bit carried away. But my son and I had fun ripping and picking at it. I really did enjoy the challenge of making this cake. If I was to do it all over again, I'd definitely make some changes. for instance, I'd make the features a little more delicate in the sculpting phase, so that when I put the fondant on... well, they wouldn't look as big in the finished stage. I'd also make the cake a lot smaller, so that I could refrigerate it and possibly keep it a little longer. I'd probably not make the entire face out of cake. I think I'd make a majority of it out of modeling chocolate or krispy treats.I was sad to see it destroyed and I miss it's looming presence in the kitchen.
All in all, I had fun! I use to have dreams about zombies and dreams about cakes falling. Now I've been having dreams about zombie cakes falling! My two loves have merged..... FINALLY!
I knew right away that I wanted to make a cake from the "Zombies Only Want You for Your Brain" shirt. At first, I wanted to make a clean cut, freshly deceased zombie, offering a potential victim flowers... as if he was trying to woo you. But then I decided on an ambitious design. I'd make a voluptuous, doe-eyed, beautiful woman who was clearly into her looks and have the zombie after her, only after her for her brain..... It just goes to show.... it doesn't matter how you look. Zombies only want your brain. Let the baking begin!
I baked a lot of cakes! I baked about 10-12 9" vanilla cakes and when i realized I didn't have enough, I baked 2 more chocolate cakes. I made and used about 5 batches of vanilla frosting and used 8 pounds of fondant. I spent 3 days baking, sculpting, and detailing the cakes. I worked mainly at night. (I have a 1 and 2 year old who don't allow me a lot of time during the day... one of the many obstacles against me in this project) I knew once I started on the cake, time and the GA heat were not going to be on my side. It was too large to refrigerate, so I had to clear some room in the freezer and freeze it overnight. Once it was chilled, I began sculpting and carving. Once i had the shape I wanted I used cake crumbs to form my nose, breasts, and some other details. I crumb coated the cakes and was ready to cover them in fondant. I really loved doing the details on the faces. I wish I could have spent more time on both the girl and the zombie, but I knew the entire thing was made out of cake and was very fragile, so i rushed a little. The girl came out a little more cartoonish than I wanted, but I don't think it was bad for my first time making a woman's face. I didn't plan on making the zombie as bloody as I did, but it was too much fun making cuts and blood. I wish the detail would have come out better in the pictures. Oh well.... I also added a krispy treat arm at the end. I wanted to connect the cakes somehow and make them one piece. If time would have permitted and I had more fondant ( I was out of supplies and it was past midnight) I would have made a hand, but I opted for a bloody stub. A zombie doesn't need a hand!
The most fun (as you can see from the pictures) was destroying the cake. I think I was a little loopy towards the end and did get a bit carried away. But my son and I had fun ripping and picking at it. I really did enjoy the challenge of making this cake. If I was to do it all over again, I'd definitely make some changes. for instance, I'd make the features a little more delicate in the sculpting phase, so that when I put the fondant on... well, they wouldn't look as big in the finished stage. I'd also make the cake a lot smaller, so that I could refrigerate it and possibly keep it a little longer. I'd probably not make the entire face out of cake. I think I'd make a majority of it out of modeling chocolate or krispy treats.I was sad to see it destroyed and I miss it's looming presence in the kitchen.
All in all, I had fun! I use to have dreams about zombies and dreams about cakes falling. Now I've been having dreams about zombie cakes falling! My two loves have merged..... FINALLY!
