5th birthday elephant cake

I can't believe it's been two years since one of our favorite little guys turned three... and now he's five and a big, brave kindergartener and soccer player!! For R's fifth birthday, he had a few family friends over, pizza, relay races, and a pinata that would not succumb. Despite still loving biplanes, his latest fascination is with elephants. We bought him a book with beautiful photos of elephants (they are so majestic!) and I made him this cake:

I had a great time crafting this elephant. I created a template from a "how to draw an elephant" instructional website, used it to cut out the fondant, and then rolled over it gently with crumpled parchment to emulate the elephant's wrinkles. (My initial plan was to use plastic wrap, but it wasn't strong enough to make the impressions.) I tucked the tusk underneath and layered on a gently flared ear to add some three-dimensionality. I meant for it to look like he was walking in the tall grasses, so I let the blades come up around his knees.

The elephant looked a little lonely. It needed a pop of color. Josh suggested a little birdie, and I pictured him riding along on the elephant's shoulder. The sun and clouds just finished it off.

R's a chocolate fan, so the cake was my usual chocolate recipe with vanilla frosting.

I love celebrating with these kids and watching them grow every year. Happy belated birthday, Ra!

Print chocolate cake recipe.
Print vanilla frosting recipe.