Sculpted Crab Cake Tutorial

Published: Last Updated: By:Elizabeth Marek

Skill level: Intermediate

Liz Marek returns to teach her award-winning giant sculpted crab cake tutorial. This gravity-defying piece stands over a beach and showcases realistic textures and details. Learn how to create a jaw-dropping piece from start to finish.

Please note: the final competition piece had a cake topper figurine that is not featured in this tutorial.

1:40:16 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • Learn how to create a realistic giant sculpted crab cake
  • How to make a gravity-defying cake structure
  • Learn how to sculpt modeling chocolate into highly detailed crab legs
  • Several tips and tricks for airbrushing cocoa butter colors
  • Learn how to create a realistic beach branch and ocean water from sugar

Tutorial Chapters

  1. Making the cake structure 0:10
  2. Bending threaded rod 2:54
  3. Assembling structure 4:52
  4. Adding armature wire 7:29
  5. Making the crab legs 10:49
  6. Adding the cake to crab 35:34
  7. Defining top of crab 37:22
  8. Ganache crumb coat 39:19
  9. Covering cake in fondant 41:04
  10. Defining the eye sockets 42:07
  11. Carving the beach 45:49
  12. More crab details 51:01
  13. Adding the sand 52:02
  14. Airbrushing the crab indentations 54:06
  15. Adding carapace texture 56:58
  16. Airbrushing crab blue 58:48
  17. Edge highlighting 1:00:44
  18. Airbrushing highlights 1:01:43
  19. Cleaning your airbrush 1:07:18
  20. Making textured fondant 1:07:46
  21. Making Rocks 1:09:48
  22. Covering cake in fondant 1:10:16
  23. Adding beach water 1:11:56
  24. Airbrushing beach 1:17:54
  25. Adding shine to water 1:18:53
  26. Adding beach wood supports 1:19:50
  27. Making beach wood branch 1:20:44
  28. Adding texture onto branch 1:21:37
  29. Making crab eyes 1:25:26
  30. Adding shine to crab 1:27:27
  31. Adding crab armor (timelapse) 1:28:03
  32. Finishing the eyes 1:37:19