Creating a Carved 3D Car Cake: 1967 Shelby Mustang

I realize I haven't posted here in quite sometime, okay, well over a year.  Things have been CRAZY busy both for cakes and with the family.  All good :).

I am going to try to carve out more time to post on here.  I'd like to say weekly, but monthly may be more realistic.  I would love some topic suggestions.  Feel free to comment or email (barbara@nccakeparties.com) with suggestions/requests.

A few months ago, I was working on a 3D car cake and made notes so I could share here what goes into making an (almost) to scale, hand carved, very detailed car cake.  Then I got even busier, and well, now I am finally getting around to posting what I wrote.  Here is the condensed version of the process.


One of my projects for this week (other than bookkeeping, blah) is a 1967 Shelby Mustang GT500.  SO much goes into making a car cake, I thought I'd post a short overview of the prep work.

Okay, so I've already received pictures and spoken in depth with the client ordering this cake.  We've planned the flavors (pound cake with strawberry filling) and figured out colors (bright blue).

Sunday:  Purchase some of the ingredients for cake and icing (eggs, butter, cream cheese, milk, cake flour, sugar, strawberry)...I already have in stock some of the other items.

Monday:  Purchased non-edible supplies - thick foam board (for support) & styrofoam block (for riser).

I'll also need dowels, an exacto knife, ruler, tape measure, calculator, hammer, pencil sharpener (for cake use only, no pencils), freezer paper, tape, black paper, glue, cake boards, scissors and I'm sure a few other items I'm forgetting to list here.  Those I already have.

Tuesday:  Print up blueprints for Shelby and find exact specs/measurements so I can figure out the exact scale of the cake (www.the-blueprints.com is AWESOME for this task).  Work out some formulas and create a template for the cake.  Cut the boards and supports to size based on the formula results.  This takes a few hours.

Wednesday:  Make icing.  Make ganache.  Make modeling chocolate.  Color fondant.

Thursday:  Bake & cool cake.  Make filling.  Fill cake, wrap tightly and let settle overnight.  Wrap cake board.

Template set up for fine tuning.

Friday:  Crumb coat, carve, crumb coat again, ganache.  Build up details with modeling chocolate & fondant.  Cover with fondant.  Cut away fondant to reveal some of the underlying details (i.e. windows).  Add trim, mirrors, paint detail.  Airbrush for added color/sheen.  Make wheels.

Ganache coating.

Saturday morning:  Hand paint finishing touches (i.e. chrome).  Support  car so it looks raised.  Attach wheels.  Add message on cake board.  Photograph cake (I seriously wish I had a permanent photo booth setup so this would not take 20-30 min.).

Saturday afternoon:  Clean the mess (thank God for hubby).  COLLAPSE with a glass of wine.

www.nccakeparties.com

Fire Truck

I made this fire truck for my son's 8th Birthday. He and his brother helped out with the control panels and fire hose. The ladders are hand cut and assembled using gum paste. Hand carved Chocolate cake with Cookies and Creme filling, fondant icing over a generous layer of chocolate ganache. The control panel is painted with a silver dust to give it the look of real metal.

Football Helmet

Hand carved Chocolate Chip Pound cake with ganache filling and ganache icing under fondant. All details are fondant, except for the mask, which is made out of a fondant/gum paste mix.

'69 Camaro

I'm quite a few months late in posting this, but, better late than never. My husband has been so wonderful and supportive of my cake making, I knew he deserved an over the top cake for himself. Our youngest son was born just before hubby's birthday so he had to wait a few weeks. Tom never quite got over his first love, in fact I'm pretty sure that the only thing he loves more are me and the kids :). This cake took me almost all week to complete, since I was fitting it in while caring for a 3 week old baby in addition to our 3 other boys. Tom was my technical advisor and I am amazed at the fact that he remembers every minute detail of his car (I was left wishing his memory in other areas was as impressive). Except for a few minor things, this cake is an exact replica. The cake is hand carved and details were made using modeling chocolate and fondant. Peanut butter cake with chocolate peanut butter filling. Everything is edible.

Dinosaur Birthday Party

I have a few dinosaur fans among my offspring, so this was a really fun theme for me. My oldest is a dinosaur "expert" and was happy to advise me on the design. As usual, everything (other than the internal supports) is completely edible. The dino's head and tail are Rice Krispie Treats, the entire dino is covered in a thin layer of ganache, folled by buttercream and completed with homemade fondant. The round cake is iced in a generous coating of buttercream.

Truffle Tree

This tree makes a great centerpiece for a party. It is just over a foot tall (not including the pedestal) and holds almost 100 cake truffles. The cake truffles on this tree were for adults: eggnog cake, spiked with rum and filled with eggnog-cream cheese icing which is also spiked with rum. They were then dipped in bittersweet chocolate and attached one by one to a cone form - don't ask how long this took. This tree was drizzled with red tinted white chocolate and attached to a festive Christmas pedestal, but can be easily adapted as a topiary centerpiece for any occasion.

Speaking of cake truffles, I also have made eggnog cake truffles with rum extract so the kids can enjoy them and my kids absolutely love anything eggnog, especially as a flavor in cake. Another popular cake truffle flavor we tried this holiday season was a rich chocolate cake mixed with Hazelnut (Nutella) buttercream.

More Christmas Ornament Cakes

These Christmas ornament mini cakes are in a fancy box and surrounded with tissue paper, perfect presentation for a gift. The green are chocolate cake, the red are eggnog cake.

Christmas Ornament Mini Cakes

These mini cakes are entirely edible. Cakes are chocolate, with buttercream filling and fondant icing with royal icing details, then sprayed with pearl luster to give them a nice shine.

I made them for the Christmas party at my 7 year old son's religious education class, he was so excited to bring them. I had given him a few designs to choose from, and this is what he wanted. I was happy with his choice, as I've been really wanting to make these.

The kids have now decided that this is what we will make together for our annual family Christmas cake; I can't wait to see how my boys decorate their ornament cakes.

The Standard Book of Spells

This is a 9x12" cake made to represent a Book of Spells. 2-layer chocolate cake with S'mores filling, buttercream icing and fondant cover. A book cake is so versatile, it can be designed for a graduation, religious ceremony, or for any book lover.

Stiletto

Classic yellow cake with peanut butter filling. This cake was so much fun to make. It is covered in homemade fondant with handpainted details including the fondant covered zebra print cake board. The Jimmy Choo shoe is handmade from gumpaste. Everything other than the rhinestones is entirely edible.

24 servings

A Knight's Tale

6" inch and 10" square cakes, covered and decorated in fondant to resemble a knight's castle. The birthday boy (my son) was very excited about this cake, he picked out the design for his 7th Birthday. Truly a "labor of love" - I still can't believe he is 7!!!!

Purse Cake

Caramel cake with mocha filling, serves approx. 18-20 people. Hand carved and covered in fondant to resemble a clutch purse. Sculpted gumpaste beads dusted in luster dust are strung for the sparkling beaded handle, the clasp is also gumpaste, hand painted in a shimmery gold.

Pabst Beer Can

3D Pabst Beer Can to match the birthday boy's favorite beer complete with opening tab on the top, shimmer dust for a silver effect on the can top and bottom. Chocolate cake with cookies and creme filling, covered in homemade fondant.

Pirate's Treasure Chest

9x13" chocolate cake with cookies and cream filling, chocolate icing & chocolate fondant. Everything is edible. The lid is a Rice Krispie treat, coated in candy melts, chocolate icing and chocolate fondant. The "treasure" includes chocolate coins, ring pops and rock candy.

Froggy Cupcakes

Hand sculpted fondant frogs, chocolate and vanilla cupcakes with two-tone buttercream swirls.

Ladybugs Bees and Flowers

Chocolate cupcakes with buttercream frosting. Ladybugs and bumblebees are handsculpted, large flowers are fondant with luster dust to add some shimmer, small flowers are hand piped with royal icing.

No Hunting

Hand sculpted turkey on a tree stump, hiding behind the "No Hunting" sign he made :). Cake is 8", 4 layer chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream filling, dark chocolate buttercream icing.

Princess Cakes

Doll bodices, "jewelry" and headband are fondant with luster dust, skirts are iced and accented with buttercream frosting. The teal color matched the birthday girls' dresses.

Haunted Castle

Haunted Castle. 10" & 6" tiers covered in fondant with fondant and colorflow accents. Cake is gourmet chocolate cake with chocolate filling.