Hello friends!

In this contest, I'll give you an example, how you can use sculptures in cake decoration and make them really attractable. With such a decoration method, you can tell travel, friendship or love stories.

I'll give you an example of creating a lighthouse with a comprehensive step by step instructions.

So let's start!

Supplies

chocolate fondant
modeling stand
bamboo stick
wirecutter
ruler
fat-soluble dye
cocoa butter
palette
brushes
sculpture tools

Step 1: Making the Chocolate Fondant

Ingredients:

400g dark chocolate
80g glucose syrup
25g water
25g white sugar
20g oil

Process.

Water, syrup, sugar and oil mix and heat that to a boil. Melt the chocolate in the microwave to approx 40-45˚C. Pour the boiling mixture into the chocolate and mix until uniformly mixed. Put the fondant into the plastic bag and let it chill in the fridge for about ≈6 hours to make it more "stable".

Step 2: Prepare Fondant for Sculpting

Take the chocolate from the fridge and leave it for 1 hour at room temperature.

Break off enough chocolate, that you will need for the model. Knead the mass until it becomes soft and elastic. After this, put the fondant into the plastic bag or wrap it in the cling film, this will prevent the mixture from drying.

Step 3: Making the Modelling Stand

If you do not have specialized modeling stand for sculpting, not be sad, it could be easily made in 10 minutes.

Take styrofoam pieces from any package you have. Stack one on one and wrap in the cling film.

Push the suitable for your model bamboo stick into the styrofoam base.

Make sure that the stick is securely fixed, we will be mounting the elements of our sculpture on it.

Step 4: Sculpting: Step 1

Before you begin, you have to split your models into the parts. I've split the lighthouse model into the 5 parts:

rock with a stairs
tower
gallery
lantern pane
roof cone

All of them made one after each other, by adding more to the previously finished steps, please see attached to this step photos.

Step 5: Sculpting: Step 2

Once the raw model is ready, it's time to add more details to it. Take a modeling loop tool, or if you do not have one, you can use a paperclip, to cut windows and doors.

Step 6: Sculpting: Step 3

To make the model looks solid, we have to hide seams between model parts. To achieve this, we have to take a tiny piece of fondant in hands, it'll be melted and quickly softened from the body's temperature. Use a suitable modeling tool to apply the chocolate on seams.

Step 7: Detailing the Model

When all details are cut and seams are hidden, we have to add stairs and more details to the rock.

Modeling the stairs could be done with any suitable tool or toothpick, by scratching the horizontal lines. To make the rock more detailed, we, again, have to melt a tiny piece of fondant in hands and gently squash these pieces randomly on the "raw rock". Please have a look at the attached photos. Once sculpting finished, the model has to take a rest ≈ 30-40 min to let the surface a bit dry. We need a dry surface on the model to make the painting step much easier.

Step 8: Painting: Preparations

Ingredients:

fat-soluble dye (white, red, blue, yellow and optional black)
cocoa butter 20g
palette
brushes

Note: I have powdered cocoa butter, you can use any other, like in drops, or briquettes, etc.

Step 9: Painting: Process

Melt the cocoa butter in the microwave. Place a glass of hot water next to you. In the case of cocoa butter will solidify on the brush, you can put a brush with butter into the hot water, wipe the brush with a napkin and continue working.

Use the palette to prepare the colors. To get the desired color, you have to take some cocoa butter and mix with the fat-soluble dye.

Painting the model have to be done in a few steps:

Cover the model with white color. When white will be seen on the finished model, you cave to create couple of layers
Continue painting model with colors. To get a light color, you can always add more white coloring powder
An optional step is to add dark areas around the windows, doors, and rock.

After the painting is done, let the model dry for about 1 hour. Then you can use it. Also, you can prepare such a model in advance and store it in the box, shelf life varies from 1 to 3 months.

Step 10: Example Decoration

Once the model dried, there is no need to pull out the stick, it will be handy in mounting on the cake.

Also from this fondant and using cookie cutters, you can create much simple and amazing decor for your cakes. Please have a look at the attached photo, you'll find there number 3 and a model of the ship, which are also painted in the same method.

Note: Such kind of decor people are usually don't eat, it's fully edible, very beautiful, stable for a long time and etc. It's always better to move them out from the cake, before slicing it.

Thank you for reading and happy sculpting!