I'm doing a SD theme for my soon to be 5yr and ned some cake ideas. I think I want to make the Mystery Machine Van. I was planing on either buying a poundcake or making a loaf shaped cake. Then some how decorating it to look like the van. Has anyone done this before and are there ant tips i should know before atempting this? Like I'm not sure how to do the name on the side of the van. Should I somehow copy it and print it out and maybe use fondant to create it? Same w/the flowers that are on the van. I'm pretty new to this so any advice would help!! Thanks

I think I've actually seen a cake pan shaped like a 3-d van by Wilton, I think it's retired though might find it on ebay.

I forgot to mention I want it to be a 3D cake and his party is next weekend.

Here is the link to a 3-d cake pan on ebay, only 5 hours left and no bids, might take a look
http://cgi.ebay.com/Van-Cake-Pan_W0QQitemZ4418688208QQcategoryZ25466QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Here are a couple of ideas that I found:
http://www.birchfields.net/gallery/albums/crafts_cakes_mysterymachine/DSCF0013.jpg

Hope that helps you some.

Go to google.com and do an image search. Back when I was lookign for ideas for my nephew's birthday cake I came across several pretty cool cakes of the van. I'd search with words like cake, scooby doo, van

Hope that helps!

Here is a google search for mystery machine cake

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&lr=&q=mystery%20machine%20cake&sa=N&tab=wi


For a #d cake I would look at the instuctions for the semi truck and adapt it to a van...
http://members.nuvox.net/~zt.proicer/cakepict/semi.htm

Hope it helps

Hi! I made a sports car out of a frozen pound cake for my brother's b-day several years ago & used small chocolate doughnuts for the 4 wheels. Actually, I used chocolate iced doughnuts, but chocolate cake doughnuts would work, too. Just an idea I thought I'd throw out to you. GOOD LUCK!!!

Thanks everyone, How heavy is fondant? If I made the flowers and the light green w/the orange lettering and stuck it on the side of the cake would that hold? Or should I just try to do it w/icing only? What about Royal icing, I could just make a thin layer on a piece of wax paper and design it and let it harden and stick it to the side. I just don't know how good I would be at designing the cake free hand on the side of the cake. I think i'm going to buy a pound cake and stack it top to top to get the shape of the van and use chocolate covered donuts for the wheels.

That sounds like a good plan.... Royal icing sounds like a good idea also. Just be sure to make extra of the design in case of breakage.
Good Luck

Here is one I did for my son's birthday I took a 1/2 sheet cake and cut it to the shape I wanted. I actually drew it out on a peice of poster board, cut it out laid it on top of the cake and cut around it, I did it this way to make sure I would get enough serving and to save money on purchasing a pan to use only once. Well I can't figure out how to attach it look in my photos it is in there. [/img]