Here is a turkey cake that I put together for Thanksgiving 2015. See below for pictures of how it was made.
These are the pans I used for the cake, 6, 8, and 10 inches. I used a recipe sized for three 8 inch layers. The combined area of the 6 and 10 inch pans is close to that of two 8 inch pans, so the amount worked out about right.
The three cake layers were assembled with the largest on the bottom and smallest on top.
Next, I carved out the general shape of the turkey. I was careful to retain large pieces to use for the drumsticks and wings. I also kept the most attractively browned edge pieces to use for the stuffing later.
I figured that typical chocolate buttercream would have an adequate roasted turkey color. I added a little yellow coloring to make it a little more golden in color.
The tips of the wings and the drumstick bones were modeled in fondant and attached. Texture was added to the frosting.
To complete the cake, I cut up cubes of cake to stand in for stuffing and put them in place. Leaves and fruit slices were modeled from fondant and set around the turkey. Some cocoa powered was added to the surface to add a roasted look.
Here are some more views of the completed cake.
