I have been MIA the past couple of days because this Pixie Hollow cake has taken over my life! After an all-nigher, it was finished yesterday and successfully delivered (not without some scares on the way)! The cake was for Isabelle’s 3rd birthday. I made her 1st and 2nd birthday cake and was very happy her parents, Ed & Kathy, asked me to make this one. Time goes by so fast!
The design for this cake was Tinkerbell in a Tree with Silvermist and Iridessa hanging out below (and to think a few weeks ago I didn’t even know what Pixie Hollow was!) I had done a google search on cakes with trees but none of the trees really looked real so I was determined to make a decent looking tree! After much thought, I figured out a way to make the skeleton of the tree. The skeleton would then be covered with modeling chocolate (for the trunk and branches) and stuffed with rice krispy treats to make the tree part fuller and give the leaves something to be attached to.
Modeling chocolate is vegan and easy (only 2 ingredients needed),and fun to make so I wanted to share this recipe with you.
Modeling Chocolate
- 10 oz chocolate chips or block broken into pieces (look for one that doesn’t contain milk)
- 1/3 light corn syrup (may need some more depending on type of chocolate)
Make a double boiler by filling a pot with water and putting a bowl on top. The bottom of the bowl shouldn’t touch the water (the steam is what will heat it).
Place the chocolate in the double boiler. Heat until melted. Keep from stirring the bowl at first because it will cause the chocolate pieces to stick together into one big ball and make it harder to melt. What you can do if you can’t keep your hands off is to press down on the chocolate chips. Once most of the chocolate in the bowl is melted, stir until smooth. *Make sure no water or steam gets into the chocolate or it will seize up.
Add the corn syrup to the melted chocolate and stir until it forms a ball. It’s a pretty cool process, you will see the chocolate to start coming off the sides of the bowl. I needed to add more corn syrup in order to form a ball.
Pour mixture into a bowl or cookie sheet lined with plastic wrap. Let sit for about 2 hours or refrigerate to speed up the process.
Once it’s done, you should be able to break a piece off and mold it like clay. If it is too hard, knead it a bit or hold it and the warmth from your hands will soften.
Once the modeling chocolate was ready, I broke off small pieces and stuck it onto the tree skeleton. I smoothed and added more until the trunk and branches were covered. Since trees are bumpy and barky, I didn’t bother making it perfectly smooth– it looks better and more realistic that way.
Here’s a pic of Isabelle and some of her friends with the cake as well as her previous birthday cakes! If baking and cake decorating is your thing, all the cakes I have made in the past are posted on my Sweet Catastrophe Cakes blog. Going forward I will just post here.
5 days worth of meals have been donated from the Pixie Hollow Cake– thank you Ed, Kathy, and Isabelle 
all tho cakes are wonderful! beautiful job!
Aloha! Thanks for your site! Frankly speaking I have never seen anything that great.
My Homepage Thanks for another really good write-up. Where else can any person get that kind of data in published in such a clear means. I’ve a demonstration in a few days, and I had been on the look out for exactly the information you’ve just given me. Many thanks.
Thank you babe! Will recommend this to my boyfriend
You do great job!!! I’m just starting out making cakes and need some help. I’m making a monkey cake for my sons 1st birthday and need to know what did you make the tree skeleton out of? also how do you make it not sink into the cake?
Thanks Nickie! I will email you with info