
They are the kinds of showstoppers that would surely win the approval of Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood on The Great British Bake Off… because, amazingly, these creatures are all cakes.

They have been created by a band of bakers fighting to save endangered animals. Among them is mother-of-two Zoe Fox, 37, from Leicestershire, who took 300 hours to make a tiger using ganache – a hard-setting chocolate and cream mix – which was then covered with fondant and airbrushed with edible paint.

Other cakes made by members of Bakers Unite To Fight include a pygmy elephant, lowland gorilla, black-footed ferret and Spanish imperial eagle.

The cakes are supported inside with threaded bars and padded out with rice-based treats and marshmallows.

Among the fans of the group's stunning works is broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, who Miss Fox says praised their creations in a letter.

She said: 'We invited Sir David to see our work on display at the Cake International show but he couldn't attend.

'But he did write a letter saying how impressed he was with our efforts to highlight the plight of animals threatened with extinction.'

The tiger who came to tea: Zoe Fox, 37, from Leicestershire, took 300 hours to make her big cat with ganache covered in fondant

More than easy on the eye: The realistic animal cakes have been created by a band of bakers fighting to save endangered animals

Crocaholic: The crocodile, made by Tanya Ross, is a madeira cake. The bigger creations are supported inside with threaded bars

Polly filler: Some of the cakes were covered with fondant and airbrushed with edible paint, including the parrot (pictured) and the iguana

Delicious-Elly: Other cakes made by members of Bakers Unite To Fight include a pygmy elephant (pictured), lowland gorilla, black-footed ferret and Spanish imperial eagle

Two for one: The lowland gorilla cake is a chocolate and vanilla bean buttercream creation that was sculpted over ten hours

Showstoppers: The impressive cakes would surely win the approval of Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood on The Great British Bake Off