I am not a baker and did not sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night ... so I need some advice.

Experience: I have made about 5 cakes in 40 years with one of those being fondant. I made a batch of gum paste yesterday, but have never molded anything with it.

Goal: I want to make an "Ace of Cakes" style school bus for a non-profit organization my wife and I volunteer for.

Progress: I have a cardboard mock-up of the bus (8.5"W x 17"L x 8" H) and I printed out templates for windows, lights and such. I will also be constructing a two-tier cake stand so the bus tires will sit on the bottom layer and the bus will be elevated just like the real thing. I have gum paste/fondant/icing made. It looks pretty cool on board/paper, but executing the idea is more daunting than just planning.

Problem: Cake stacking. Ideally, I can just stack 4 layers of cake one on top of the other, but I hear horror stories about cakes collapsing under their own weight. Can I actually stack 4 layers of cake without support?

Any assistance, ideas or comments are welcome.

Thank you for your time!!!

You need support for every 4" of cake height. So if your bus is 8" high, then in the middle you will have a cake board and dowels underneath. Not only does it make it less likely to fall over, it will make it easier to serve...imagine trying to get an 8" high slice of cake on a plate

I don't know what materials you're using for the cake stand, but you could manage the part with the wheels by using foamcore boards cut to size and glued together. Personally I would cover them with the same thing you're using to cover the cake board (my favorite cake board covering is fondant and then glue a ribbon around the edge). Another good thing about using a stack of foamcore boards is that they would provide a good support for your center dowel.

Oh, I forgot to add...for any silver details on your bus (chrome lug nuts, window frames, etc...), Amerimist silver airbrush color is the best. You can paint it on with a paintbrush. Also, to get a glassy look on the windshield and windows, you might try confectioner's glaze, but don't forget to buy a bottle of thinner too so you can get the confectioner's glaze off of your paintbrush.

I saw that you're in TX...if you happen to live in San Antonio, you can get that stuff at American Gift Shoppe at 1604 and Blanco.

Texas Rose,
Being from Texas I thought the 8" slices were kinda small.

Thanks for the information.

100% with Texas_Rose recommendations.

Thank you for the helpful hints.

Here is how the cake came out

That looks fantastic!!! You did a great job!!!

I agree. You did a great job. You should be proud of your accomplishment.

Very impressive!

wow that cake turned out great!!

Your cake turned out wonderful!! Congrats!!

Thank you for the kind words.

My wife did all the "heavy lifting" as she is the artistic one. It turned out much better than I could have ever imagined.

it looks great! but did you notice on the side it says "pus" instead of "bus"

That was corrected before the bus went out .... the "B" die was horrible so we used the "P" and then added the bottom _) to complete the word.

oh ok ,lol i figured you had to hve noticed, that's pretty funny. i've done that before with mispelling a name. i posted pix of the cake to facebook before leaving and a friend called and told me before i left so i could fix it but it's still wrong in the pix, lol silly me

Very cool cake - I bet the recipients were thrilled!

Oh my goodness!! That cake is too cute!!