“Rubber Ducky, is that you…”
This song, by the Muppets, made the rubber duck famous. Today, the rubber ducky adorns the home of almost every child.
These small and squeaky toys reach many countries around the world. For children, it may be what they remember most about infant bath time. As adults, when we see a rubber duck, we think of childhood memories and our own children having fun splashing around in the bath.
The sound of a rubber duck cannot be confused. Many people are unaware of the true origin of the rubber duck, but some believe that it was invented along with the discovery of rubber.
As a symbol of youth and childhood, ducks are fun and easy-to-make cake decorations for children. 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 duckling:
Step 1: Cover your work surface with waxed paper.
Step 2: With yellow marzipan, form a three-dimensional teardrop with your dough. Turn the tip up like the duck’s tail, toward the sky.
Step 3: With the yellow marzipan, form a ball. Place the ball over the duck’s body to form the duck’s head.
Step 4: Use orange marzipan. Shape the dough into a rectangle that is thicker on one side than the other to form the peak. Glue the beak to the face of the duck, on the thick side.
Step 5: For the eyes you have two options. The first is to use black marzipan, make 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 out, and place it over the beak. Then, use black marzipan to form the pupils by rolling small balls of black marzipan, flattening them out, 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 baby ducklings as gifts, I highly 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!