“Rubber Ducky, is it you…”
This song, by the Muppets, made the rubber duck famous. Today, the rubber duck adorns the home of almost every child.
These small and squeaky toys reach many countries around the world. For children, it may be the thing they remember most from childhood bath time. As adults, when we see a rubber ducky, we think of childhood memories and our own children having fun splashing around in the bath.
The sound of a rubber duck cannot be mistaken. Many people are unaware of the true origin of the rubber duck, but some think that it was invented along with the discovery of rubber.
As a symbol of youth and childhood, ducks are fun and easy cake decorations for kids to make. Made with marzipan, these little ducks make great candy gifts as well as adorable toppings for cakes and cupcakes. Welcome the birth of a new child to the family, or simply enjoy these delicious ducks as a weekend treat.
To make a marzipan duck:
Step 1: Cover your work surface with wax paper.
Step 2: With yellow marzipan, form a three-dimensional tear with your dough. Turn the tip up like the tail of the duck, towards the sky.
Step 3: With the yellow marzipan, form a ball. Place the ball on the body of the duck to form the head of the duck.
Step 4: Use orange marzipan. Form a rectangle with the dough that is thicker on one side than the other to form the peak. Glue the bill to the face of the duck, on the side that is thick.
Step 5: For the eyes you have two options. The first is to use black marzipan, make small balls, flatten and place on top of the beak as eyes.
The second is to use gum paste as the white part of the eyes. To do this, roll out a ball of gum paste, flatten it, and place it over the beak. Then, use black marzipan to form the pupils by rolling small balls of black marzipan, flattening them, and placing them on top of the gum paste.
Please note that gum paste, while non-toxic, is not recommended for eating. The taste is not favorable, and if you ate too much, you probably wouldn’t feel very well.
If you plan on eating your marzipan duck, or if you plan on giving ducklings as gifts, I recommend going for the 100% marzipan approach.
Kids can easily make this duck and they look great on cakes or cupcakes. Have fun making them!