Sweet Turkey Cake - My First Effort

What do you think? With the help of a vintage 1979 Wilton cake pan and a Wilton #21 star tip, I created this sweet turkey cake.

To line, fill, and define the different areas of the turkey, I decided to use white, orange, and red frosting The star tip, held at different angles, created the various shapes and textures.The pupil of the eye is half of a raisin.

The Pumpkin Cake

Ingredients

1/2 cup canola oil                   1 1/2 cup sugar

1 egg                                      1-15 oz. can pumpkin

2 tsp. baking soda                 1 tsp. cinnamon   

1/4 tsp. cloves                       1/8 tsp. allspice

                                                                2 cups of flour                       1/4 tsp. salt

Directions

• Coat turkey cake pan with a thin layer of shortening (not cooking spray).
• Flour the pan.
• Pour excess flour out and set cake pan aside.
• Cream oil and sugar
• add egg and beat well
• add the pumpkin and mix just until blended
• Add baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, flour, and salt. Mix until blended.
• Pour batter into floured cake pan.
• Spread batter with a spoon until it is level.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
• Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes
• Place a cooling rack or foil covered square of card board over the cake pan
• Flip the rack and pan upside down. Cake should release from pan and drop onto the cooling rack or foil covered card board.
• Let cake cool completely before frosting. 

This cake does not need extra liquid. I thought the liquid ingredient had been left out of the recipe, but I followed it as written. The cake was fine. Everyone loved it.

The Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

4 Tbsp. butter             1 - 8 oz. package of cream cheese, at room temperature

2 tsp. milk                   3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Directions

Blend the butter and cream cheese with a hand-held mixer or stand mixer, at low speed, until well blended. Add all of the remaining ingredients and beat at low speed until thick and glossy. Separate into separate bowls and tint as desired.

I did not "dirty ice" or put a base layer of frosting on the cake before I started piping on frosting stars, etc. I felt the turkey looked more realistic with a little "skin" peeking out here and there.