Peacock cake was fun to make, but it was not that much
of a challenge since I carved the peacock with fondant and gum paste. So the
peacock is not made of cake, but is perched on a strawberry cake with chocolate
ganache filling. I have been wanting to make a peacock for a while. What a
beautiful creature!
We have all marveled at the colorful iridescent
plumage of peacocks, especially when proudly fanned out. The functions of the elaborate iridescent
coloration and large train of peacocks have been the subject of extensive
scientific debate. Charles Darwin suggested that they serve to attract females.
More recently, Amotz Zahavi proposed that these features act as honest
signals of the males' fitness, since less-fit males would be disadvantaged by
the difficulty of surviving with such large and conspicuous structures.
Did you know that peacocks are social birds, but very aggressive towards invaders of their territories; they even have snake fighting abilities. They often play together, especially under the sunlight. In the wild peacocks usually travel in groups of up to 10 peacocks. Peacocks are one of the loudest animals on earth, calling out to each other during the morning and late evening. They make meowing sounds when it is going to rain. They also make alarm calls when they sense danger. Male peacocks sing to attract female peacocks. How cool is that?
"It is Allah Who has made for you the earth as a resting place, and the sky as a canopy, and has given you shape - and made your shapes beautiful and has provided for you Sustenance..."
(Al Quran--Gafir 40:64)
