Sunday, June 13, 2021

Toothy T-Rex Dinosaur Cake

Yes SneakyLilHobbit this is my cake!!!

Some dinosaur cakes look cute and cuddly, but some cakes have dinos like this.  Big, scary, with sharp claws and stomping feet.  And look at those teeth!  They are the stuff of nightmares.  Do you somehow get the feeling that glowing, yellow eyes are watching you????  



This caking adventure began like most of my recent cakes: with a 3D printer.  I used the printer to make the T-Rex fondant cutter shown below.



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I have a Creality Ender 3 v2 3D printer and I love it.  Can I say that again - I LOVE IT.  If you want to read an intro into 3D printers for cookie cutters you can read my post HERE.

So the cake began with the large T-Rex that was going to be the focal point of the cake.  I made the cutter about 6-1/2" tall because I was making a two tiered cake, and I wanted the T-Rex to be really BIG.  To make the T-Rex I mixed some green tinted fondant with Tylose powder and rolled it out about 1/8"-1/4" thick. Note: The Tylose (also called Gum-Tex and CMC) makes the fondant harden like gum paste.

This is the line drawing I used to make my cutter.  I use the app Cookie Cad to generate the STL files that then gets sent to the 3D printer.  Again, you can get more info about the 3D printing process HERESorry, I don't sell cookie cutters.  I just make them for myself.



After rolling out the fondant, I used a small impression mat to give the fondant the look of reptilian skin.  I purchased this set of texture mats in the clay section of Michael's or maybe it was Hobby Lobby.  It doesn't look like this set is being sold anymore. This Goosebumps mat might give a similar texture, but not 100% sure.

I used the pebble texture mat to get the reptile skin texture.

Next I used the cutter to cut out the full T-Rex form.  I dusted the cutter with corn starch to keep the fondant from sticking, and I used a soft paint brush to gently nudge out any sections that stuck. 


Then I used the same cutter to cut out additional body parts that I layered on top of the main body.  I cut the left legs, the arm that is in the foreground, and the head.  For the second head, I also cut out the eye socket, the mouth, and the nostril area before placing the new head on top of the main piece.   For the large left leg, I placed it on top of the main body and then smeared the hip area with the main body till the line separating the two disappeared.  I used the impression mat to touch up any areas where the texture was rubbed away.  I also used a craft knife to cut the line on the belly and chest.  


I decided that I wanted the head to stick out even more, so I cut a third head and put it behind the main body piece. This kind of pushed the head forward.   You can see all the layering here.  For the head area there are three "heads" sandwiched together.  I also put some extra fondant behind the thin right arm to keep it from breaking off the main body.  



Next I did more work on the head.  Inside the cavity I cut for the mouth I added a red piece of fondant for the tongue, some black behind the tongue, and some orange fondant for those flappy parts on the side of the mouth.  (Don't know what they are called.)  In the eye cavity I placed a yellow ball of fondant to form the eye ball.  And note that I pinned the T-Rex to side of a 9" foam cake dummy so it would dry with a curve to match the cake.  I put a piece of parchment paper under the fondant to keep it from sticking to the cake dummy.


Then came the time consuming part: rolling all the teeth and sticking them in place.  I also rolled tiny balls of green fondant and stuck them above the teeth.  I added some black fondant around the eye socket and inside the nose cavity.  I finished off the face with some thin rolls of fondant around the eye and cheek.   The final step was to add color to the T-Rex.  I drew the triangles along his spine with a black edible marker, and dusted the T-Rex with edible petal dust in shades of brown, yellow, orange, and dark green.  Dark green was used to create the shadows, and the yellow for highlights.  Orange and brown for the belly and inside the spine markings. 



In the photo below I tilted the T-Rex so you could see how adding the extra body parts added dimension to the dinosaur.  It is not completely flat like a 2D cookie, but it is not fully rounded like a 3D figure.  I like to call it 2-1/2 D.  It is flat with a a few highs and lows.
 

And here he is - first thing to go on the cake.  But I do wish I had made him a little bit taller.  When I make things ahead of time they are either too big or too small.   And the fondant border around the base of the upper tier was made using a FMM Straight Frill cutter - they come in all shapes and sizes.


Along with the T-Rex I also made some coconut trees.  I did all three ahead of time which gave them time to dry and stiffen.  I don't think coconut trees were around in the Jurassic Period, but I don't think anyone will care.  LOL.  I had planned on putting the name "DUKE" on the cake drum, but it wouldn't fit.  (I should have used a larger drum.)  "DUKE" didn't look good on the flat area between the tiers, so I put it on the top tier.  The letters/name made everything else look a little crowded, but at this point I didn't have any other option.  I also thought the sides of the top tier looked a little sparse.  I tried putting some silhouettes of birds, but it didn't look good.  In the end I just put more clouds.   PS: I made the DUKE letters, the flying dinosaurs, and number 5 topper using fondant cutters I made with the 3D Printer.  



So here is the finished cake.  I have to say it is one of my favorites.




I just love the toothy grin of that T-Rex.

Happy Decorating,

Carol


35 comments:

  1. You are crazy talented! I happened onto your site looking for a dinosaur cake for my goddaughters 8th birthday. I too am a baker and decorate cakes but this is beyond my skill level. Especially with you making your own cutter. That dinosaur is ridiculously impressive. Well done!!!

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    1. Thanks Craig, you are so kind! And you should give the cake a try. The giant dino cutter made it easy to cut out and stack all the body parts, but you could also use a paper template instead of a cookie cutter. The template would work just as well. Give it a try. And thanks again for your kind words.

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  2. Hi,
    The cake is amazing!
    I would like to make a dinosaur cake for my nephew.
    I would like to buy a cutter from You.Same size. Would that be possible?
    Please contact me;
    kaberita@gmail.com
    Thanks so much!

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  3. Is it possible to order the cookie cutters from you?

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    1. No, sorry. I don’t sell cookie cutters. I just make them for myself.

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  4. can you share the template that you used for the t rex?

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    1. Hi, I added a link to the inspiration image I used.

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  5. Thank you for the detailed description on how to create the T rex as well as the tops to 3d printing. I have an ender 3 creality but I am new to printing. I have only created simple cutters. Would you be willing to sell the file used for the T rex? I have a customer whose son is adamant the T rex look as similar to this one as possible. If yes, please let me know how I can purchase your file! Thank you, Muriel

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  6. Hi Muriel, Sorry, I don't sell cutters. I just do this for fun!! But post your email as a comment and we can chat. I can tell you how I created the STL file. And I have to approve all comments before they actually appear on the blog, so I won't let your email actually show up in the comment section. Carol

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  7. This is so amazing! Question, the coconut trees, did you use a fondant mold for this? If so do you have a link or a picture of it?

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    1. Hi, I used a cookie cutter that I made with my 3D printer. Sorry I can't find the image I used. It is saved somewhere, I just can't remember where I put it. LOL.

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  8. Hi love this design. I was wondering if I could get some help with creating the STL for the dino cooking cutter. I am having some issues with just getting the outline only.

    Thanks, you can email me at mbolin80@gmail.com

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  9. hi there! love this so much! Are you able to share or sell the stl file for the dinosaur?

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    1. Hi, No sorry I don't sell cutters or STL files, but I do have a link to the image I used.

      Carol

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  10. Hi! I see you are from New Orleans. I am a baker here. Jenny's Cake Creations and I found your blog to be so helpful! I actually just ordered a 3d printer. I am doing an icing smiles cake but unfortunately won't have the printer in time to make this Dino cutter. I have been researching and I can't quite figure out how you covered the image over with the inside details. Any advice?

    Jenny
    Jennys.cakecreations.llc@gmail.com

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  11. Hello Neighbor! I took the original image and redrew it with just the outline and lines for the inside detail. Then I just uploaded the new drawing to the CookieCad app and selected the "Imprint Cutter" option. This will give you a cutter with all the internal imprint/cutter lines. You can change the depth of the internal lines so they cut completely through the fondant or just make an imprint. Hope this helps!
    Carol

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  12. Hello!!!!!! Love the dinosaur! By any chance can you make it and ship it for me? I live in Florida… do you have instagram?

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    1. Hi! I so glad you like my cake! But sorry I don't sell cutters - I just make them for myself. LOL. And I do have an IG account it is "cakesbydaphnesdaughter"

      -Carol

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  13. Hi do you sell the cutters u make

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    1. No sorry, I don't sell cutters. I just make them for myself.

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  14. Hi there bake more I will like to know if you by any chance also sell the T Rex cutter I am very much interested in buying the cutter from you

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    1. No sorry, I don't sell cutters. I just make them for myself.

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  15. Amazing dinosaurs and cake design, I love it! I could not find a dinosaur cake that was simple enough but not cutesy. I will use it for inspiration for my twin 8-year-old boys' birthday cake. Thank you for sharing your steps. I don't have a 3D printer but loved that you custom made your own cutters, very creative.

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    1. Thanks. And if you don't have a 3D printer you could use a paper template too.

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  16. HOLA VENDES EL CORTADOR, ESTA BELO

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  17. Yo vi que lo el enlace es el dibujo del dino pero la verdad no se si de ahí es para comprar para imprimir en 3d o es solo la imagen

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    1. Hola, en la publicación agregué el dibujo lineal que usé para el T-Rex. También agregué un enlace a CookieCad, que es el software que convierte la imagen en un archivo imprimible en 3D. No puede comprar la cookie real, solo generar un archivo para imprimirlo usted mismo. Lo siento, no vendo cortadores, solo los hago para mí.

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  18. If you were making this cake to sell, how much would you sell it for? Been asked to make one similar and just wondering how long it took you to make.

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    1. LOL. I really don't know how much to sell something like this for or exactly how long it took. It probably spent 7-8 hours making all the figures plus maybe another 6 hours to bake, fill, frost, stack, and then arrange the figures. (I remember it taking over an hour just to put the teeth and little green ball on the face.) So estimate 14 hours of labor times your hourly wage plus the cost of the materials/ingredients. Maybe around $350-400 for a cake that serves 50?

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  19. Hi, This cake is absolutely AMAZING! Thank you for sharing it! I do have a question. If you be so kind, can you share a photo of the texture mat that you used. I been searching everywhere, and can't find one with that pattern. Thank you so much in advance.

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    1. Hi Lillian, I added a close up picture of the pebble-like texture mat I used for the reptile skin. It is the 6th picture from the top. Hope this helps.

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    2. Lillian SandersonMay 16, 2023 at 6:54 AM

      Thank you so much! :)

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    3. Lillian SandersonMay 16, 2023 at 6:58 AM

      Thank you so much! You're awesome! :)

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