Howdy-I am getting married in a few weeks and I am trying to make an Aggie Bonfire (Texas A&M) cake (please see http://www.earlenescakes.com/texasam.htm it is the one on the bottom that looks like a bonfire). Our school tradition is to burn this bonfire before our rivalry football game at our university. We are making the cake (with 4-5 tiers) with the orange "outhouse" on top. I know that people have found a way to light the cake without actually ruining the cake but I have not found out how to do this. If you have any ideas that would be great...I know I could use alcohol, I am just trying to figure out what type, when it needs to be applied to the cake (immediately before or when it is being prepared) and how much of it. If there are other ideas that would be great. I am trying to surprise my fiance with this as his grooms cake. Thanks for the help!!

You can pour lemon extract on sugar cubes and light them on fire.

How would that work on the cake--maybe put them on the top of each layer?

I have had great success with Bicardi Rum 151.

I notice Earlene has this hint to go with the cake:

"Hint- Have a chef at the reception site do the actual flaming of the cake for your protection - and the facilities insurance coverage."

Is this a possibility for you? You might check at your venue site and see if they have anyone who could do the actual fire for you.

Great surprise for your fiance, he will definitely love the cake, any Aggie would!

Never heard of this before! It sounds cool!

I've never heard of it before either, but i'm interested... How would you put the fire out? Would it die down when the sugar cubes dissolve? I feel dumb asking, but I just have to know

Paula, it would die out just like a desert or drink that is flamed...... it has to be something the would be highly flamable...... that 151 would do it....... I"m not sure about the sugar cubes though...... that might burn to long, or cause a sticky mess...... I would guess the caterer would know, or maybe even the bar tender........ The venue may not allow it..... think "SPRINKLER system"..........

Maybe make a moat on one of the layers in foil and fill it with high proof liquor. But I would rather cut flames from fondant in red, orange and yellow, due to the fact that setting a cake on fire is hazardous and a disaster waiting to happen.

It's just the chicken in me.

Best,
Karen

Ha ha! I never even thought bonfire when I opened this thread. I thought you were having trouble making a cake and got extremely frustrated with it....enough to want to set it on fire! I'm sure Duff knows how to do this. Good luck!

Bacardi 151 would certainly do the trick! Kind of a bomb in a bottle!

I would be more worried about what this 'torch' would make the cake taste like, such as if there would be any residue flavor from it.

thats really funny thats what i thought before opening it set it on fire or throw it out the window ha ha good luck dennis

So-If I use Bacardi--could I just spray the regular bacardi on there and then light it or does it need to be hot alcohol that I pour on the cake? I was thinking about making a moat and putting liquor in that then lighting it. Any other ideas would be great. I saw this on the net but I'm not sure that would work for this. http://lacoolj007.tripod.com/id15.html thanks!

I did a cake for my Grandson one year and wanted flames on it. I used the sugar cubes and just the alcohol in the extract burned. It did not flame up high and the sugar cubes did not burn. The flames did not last very long though, only a few seconds. I wish I had taken a picture of it.

I did an, "Iron Maiden" cake with Eddy the mummy running through a wall of flames. For a bonfire effect I would think you could stack fondant logs over the cubes and the cubes or fondant would not burn...only the alcohol. I am sure there are some alcohol which would burn better than others. I used the lemon extract because he was only 14 at the time.

I would experiment some first before doing it on the cake though.