Have you ever seen those propane cylinders in rural areas? I am trying to figure out the best way to make one that I can cover completely with Fondant. I guess it would be like making a 3-D American Football with rounded ends. Any ideas? I just can't see stacking the cake that way, let alone being able to fondant the bottom of it!

Here is a picture of a real one

http://4lovespoint.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/propane-tank.jpg

since it has natural seams where the end caps meet the main cylinder ---

main body -- rounds sized to match the size of the soccer ball pan or the 1/2 sports ball pan (soccer ball one closer in curvature to the tank's) assemble standing up with good stiff buttercream holding all the layers together -- at least 6 to 8 layers. run at least on dowel all the way through.

then tip over on side onto a big ol' sheet of rolled out fondant. Roll it up in the fondant and seal the seam. Trim of excess at both ends leaving just a bit to make the seam with half domes.

make two soccer ball pan or 1/2 sports ball cakes --- while flat on counter, cover in fondant. and trim off excess.

using good stiff BC and dowels -- attach on 1/2 dome cake to each end.....

work the edges of fondant on dome and cylinder so it looks like an "on purpose" welding seam.

then add that little dome that covers the valve -- just a hollow piece of shaped gumpaste or hardened fondant.

for supports on bottom, I'd use carved styrofoam. and for extra support, I get a piece of plastic or stiff cardboard (covered of course) that could span the two supports and help hold up the cake. Could even just use a long piece of styrofoam, carve out a channel to hold the cake and then paint most out black leaving just two white sections for the feet.

Maybe you could bake it in a soup/sauce can the spagetti sauce I use is the same size as the Wilton mini ball pan. You could use one for each end.

Those do sound like good ideas, but I wonder how well the cake would hold up to the weight of fondant? I wonder if I should do it like a pillow cake and just carve it? Has anyone stacked a cake and layed it on the side with the filling vertical?

doug's way sounds great! Use a pound cake and it should hold up fine

AI'm making a cake similar to that but mine is going to be a shotgun shell lying on its side. I was thinking of making thick sheet cakes stacking them on top of each other and then carving it into a cylinder shape and covering with fondant