A sweet Simian

I have to be honest. Monkeys scare me a little. No traumatic childhood ape encounters come to mind, but I have never been keen on our evolutionary cousins. Even those Monsheshe dolls which were hugely popular in the early 1980's had the opposite effect on me. Very creepy.


But everything in cake form seems cuter, doesn't it? Elizabeth, whose term of endearment is "Monkey", was turning one, and to celebrate, a chocolate cake with dark chocolate mousse in the form of a 5" cube gift box was created. The cheeky monkey hiding in the box was constructed from Rice Krispie treat and chocolate modelling paste. White chocolate curls were the finishing touch.

The gumpaste panels turned out quite well this time, nice and flush (I'll never be a carpenter). The hands and tail were my favourite details. If anyone happened to check, each hand was marked with a single palmar crease in homage to the simians. Happy Birthday Elizabeth!