After the feet the next thing I needed was something to cover the cake to make it look like a wooden chest.

I'd come across a technique I thought would work while browsing modelling clay blogs (I've lost the link - when I find it again I'll put it up) and thought I'd give it a go.

Since this is a magical chest, I wanted some dramatic woodgrain so I've gone for quite a contrast in my colours. You might prefer something a little more subtle by using colours a little closer to each other. If you don't want to muck about doing this, you can marble the sugarpaste instead.. I just wanted to try this woodgrain technique.

First I needed to make some bullseye canes I made a couple of types and cut them both in half.

Now I plaited them together (if you can't do a four strand plait don't worry, just do a three strand, or randomly twist them together). If you don't want to use bullseye canes you don't have to, but the grain won't be as nicely blended.

Once it's plaited, flatten it all out, then pleat it into a block

Pat it into a nice block so you can cut it easily. I came across my wriggly cutter in a malaysian supermarket - I think it's for making jelly sweets - but you could use a crinkly chip cutter, or perhaps find something similar in a modelling clay tool (perhaps your children's toybox). If you don't have a crinkle cutter you can use a straight knife - it'll be OK. The crinkle cutter just makes it a bit more interesting.

Slice off chunks, thicker means that the grain will spread out more (and make a bigger sheet)  than thin slices.

I've cut across the grain of the pleats - you'd get a different style of grain if you cut with the pleat instead.

And here's the finished wood - I laid three slices side by side in order to make a wider sheet.

When you use this, you can give it a look of varnished wood by painting it with eggwhite/water mixed or jam/water mixed. The egg will set to a touchable finish, whereas the jam will stay sticky though, so I would use the egg if you can.