A Monkey Cake

by Tracy Beaver
(Statesville NC, USA)

A Monkey Cake

This monkey cake is a Red velvet injected with a french vanilla mousse. The Lady who ordered this cake did not like cream cheese, so the icing was a whipped vanilla icing.

I then airbrushed the background to make it look like the grass then the sky. The Monkey's are made out of MM Fondant (banana flavored)also the same for the sky.

The cake recipe is:
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 ounce red food coloring
2 1/4 cups self-rising flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda

The icing is:
3/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter
3 cups powered sugar
1 cup corn starch
The corn starch takes away some of the sweetness without interfering with the flavor.

The Marshmallow Fondant
marshmallows
5T. warm water
4 cups powdered sugar