Hey Groundhog! When did you say Spring would arrive?

I am not sure what the Groundhogs told us about the arrival of Spring this year, but looking outside this morning - on the first day of Spring - told me that Spring HAS NOT ARRIVED.  However, maybe this Groundhogs Day Wedding Cake can put a 'spring' in our step and give us hope that Spring will come to Canada soon.


The Groundhog head was made out of rice treats (Rice Krispies & marshmallows) that I partially hand-molded and molded using rounded bowls.  I further refined the shape by carving with a small knife.

His nostrils were made with two coffee beans, and for his eye balls, I used dark chocolate-covered hazelnuts. I used a dark chocolate toffee (from my chocolate TOFFLE™ mix) for his nose and hands. And a little white fondant was applied to his upper lip to smooth it and fill him out a bit.

The bride had wanted the Groundhog to be popping out of the snow, but we needed a minimum amount of cake to feed the 30-50 guests, so the 'snow mound' was a very tall chocolate cake that had six layers of moist cake, and real buttercream and chocolate chunks between each layer.

The snow balls at the base of the cake were made of fondant.  The large ones had pieces of cake in the centre, so they could be eaten.  The flowers and grass at the base of the cake were added to indicate that spring was on its way (like the blooming of a new love, I know, awwww). They were also made with coloured fondant. Finally, brown sugar was added to indicate the sand that came up with the groundhog as he tunneled through the earth to come out of the snow.

The groundhog's head was covered with a rolled fondant that I coloured with just a little tan-brown colour. Then to texture the groundhog, I first used a small knife to add 'hair' texturing to his fur.  Then I used a small paintbrush to paint on a black and brown food colouring and dry cocoa powder. 

The cake was a hit at this non-traditional wedding.

Happy Spring Everyone!