I used gumpaste for the nose and muzzle, but covered the muzzle with fondant. I used a bamboo skewer to attach the muzzle to the cake head. Next time I will make the head, including muzzle, in one piece. I layered three 8-inch rounds for the body (and used one wooden chopstick inserted down the middle of the cakes for support) and carved up a fourth 8-inch round for the head. I froze the cake after applying the fondant and when it was dry I used another bamboo skewer to rough it up and simulate fur. The front legs are pure fondant. The eyes were the most difficult and the easiest. I had been planning on using some leftover plastic eyes that I had from my stuffed animal xmas projects, but I lost them. Then I tried making two black eyes with the gumpaste and food coloring, like the nose, but they looked bad. After shedding a few tears, I shoved a couple of brown M&M's in the eyeholes and was pleasantly surprised by how good they looked. :) This cake was not easy, even with the video. I am not lying about shedding some tears. Before the ears, nose, and eyes were on I was convinced that it looked like a seal and would have to be thrown away. But it all worked out, I think. Goose loved her cake and did not want candles in it or to even cut it at all, although we eventually did. I made Martha's Vanilla Cake.
