My mission to single-handedly revive the lost art of cut-up cakes continues. Cut-up cakes are like jigsaw puzzles. Only tastier. To date, I’ve made an airplane, a Santa, a witch and a daisy. A mission like this takes commitment, tenacity and shredded coconut. Lots and lots of coconut.

This is the book all my cut-up cake recipes come from. Let’s be honest – the seventies were a pretty funky time for cakes. And collars.

Since Canadian Thanksgiving is coming up, I decided to make the Perky Turkey cut-up cake. I was considering making a cut-up cake in the shape of corn, but there were no instructions for that. Also, can someone please invent instructions for how to make a cornucopia cut-up cake? Because I’d totally be down with that.

The Perky Turkey cut-up cake is pretty easy. I started with the Happy Days cake recipe in the book. Truthfully, the cake always turns out a bit dry, but you need a stiff cake to successfully cut up all the pieces. And even if it’s dry, it’s still cake, so…

CAUTION: It’s very easy to get confused making a cut-up cake. Always lay your pieces out neatly. And don’t talk to anyone while you’re making it. If someone comes into the kitchen and starts yakking, tell them to GET THE HELL OUT IMMEDIATELY!

Once all the pieces are cut, it’s time to make the Seven Minute Frosting, which is made of egg whites, sugar and corn syrup. You beat everything over simmering water for, well, seven minutes. Every time I make this frosting, I want to fall asleep in it. Is that strange? It just looks so soft and cushy.

The recipe calls for toasted shredded coconut. I guess so it looks like real feathers. Which is kind of disturbing if you stop to think about it, so best not to.

Assemble all your pieces and then glue everything together with frosting.

The instructions say to put orange food colouring in the frosting. Because turkeys are orange? Anyway, my frosting was the colour of a Creamsicle.

And here is my finished Perky Turkey! I photographed it on the back deck to create a sense of rustic warmth and old world charm. I must seem so fascinating to my neighbours. “Harold, come to the window. You’ll never believe what Mr. Weirdy McWeird is up to now!”

Who wants the turkey leg? LOL!

I hope you consider making your own Perky Turkey cut-up cake. Your loved ones are sure to gobble it up.

From my neighbours to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!