2cupsof semi-sweet or dark chocolatechopped (or chocolate chips)
1Tbspvegetable oil
3Tbspicing sugarconfectioners
Water
Instructions
Mix up your favorite gluten free cake and pour into a (greased) round bottom muffin tin. Bake and allow to cool completely.
For the poured fondant, combine all ingredients into a small saucepan over low heat until warm but not hot to the touch. Add coloring and stir until smooth. Place a cooled cake into a large spoon/spatula and hold it over the pot. Use a ladle and pour fondant over, then place on wire rack to cool (and dry) completely. Do the remaining cakes the same way. Keep the heat on the stove so the fondant remains warm, otherwise it will cool too quickly and won't self-level. Allow to dry completely at room temperature.
For the eyes and beak, place 1 Tbsp of icing sugar into 3 small dishes, and enough water in each to make it the consistency of thick syrup. You want it thick enough so it won't run off the cake, yet thin enough to self-level once you place it (so you won't see the skewer marks from shaping the features). Add some orange food coloring to one dish for the beak, and some black food coloring (or cocoa powder) into another for the pupil. Use the flat side of a wooden skewer to dip into the white icing and dot it onto the yellow chick (make sure the yellow poured fondant is completely dry), add more as needed until you get the size you want. Then dot with the black for a pupil. For the beak, dab some orange icing on then pull the icing into a triangle shape using the tip of the skewer.
To make the nests, melt together the chocolate and oil until smooth then spread into a thick layer onto a work surface and allow to it cool. Test it every 10 minutes until it's firm enough to create curls. Follow the steps in How to Make Chocolate Curls for the technique.
Notes
We are creating a cartoon style baby chick, which is why we are giving them human-like eyes.