Hi everyone. I have a son who will be 6 in September, and "thinks" he wants a construction cake for his birthday. For the past 3 years, all we've heard is how he wants to be a general contractor when he grows up, and he's obsessed with building things. Unfortunately for me, he is alos very picky about his birthday cake! He told me he wants square cakes stacked, with fondant boards that make the cake look like it's being built. He wants just the frame on part of it, and part of it that looks like it's almost completed (and yes, this was almost his exact wording!). I can kinda picture this in my mind, but I'm having a hard time figuring out how I would do this! Any pictures or ideas would be GREATLY appreciated!
i have seen cake served in a plastic dump truck (the little tykes kind or whaever, big enough for a cake) and it's basiclly "dirt" cake Serve it with a plastic shovel? Easy, easy easy!! and quite a statement!
are you sure this isn't Frank Lloyd Wright reincarnated??? -- he was notorious for everything, even the furniture, having to be "just so" as in "my way!"
well now..
how are you chocolate skills or your gumpaste skills? I ask because this will be the easiest way to get an edible open framework (i, of course, vote chocolate!)
fondant might not dry hard enough to get the open framework part, but should work everywhere else.
and how familiar are you w/ how a house gets built?
example of model framed walls built out of balsa wall example
page with images of house under consturction: build in progress -- use it to see how open framed walls look, how walls covered only in OSB (raw wood sheeting) look and how walls covered w/ TYVEK house wrap look.
this one is the finished house. two square layers stacked and then detailed out (w/ my feeble attempt at plants around the foundation!)
(edited to fix links)
here's the bottom tier by itself.
boring, standard ol' square cake (torted if you like)
dowles placed for staking of second layer like (and forgot to draw them in where the little part of the L will be)
siding can be buttercream done w/ the smooth side of the basket weave tip or fondant boards....just cut it into long strips, allow to harden
then work from the BOTTOM up to apply just like they do w/ real siding.
here's the upper layer.
note that 1/4 of it has been removed (cake balls! -- my tummy!!!!)
rest is the "work in progress" section of the house.
two wall (1/2 front and whole side connecting) are iced to look like it has TYVEK house wrap.... real easy...just fondant and paint the logo on it (easy to find on internet)
back wall and 1/2 wall to right look like raw OSB (oriented strand board) -- a large (4x
sheet of wood made from glued together wood chips. again, fondant painted to give the effect.
the inner part of the L is iced (i suggest black) and then has "boards" applied to look like framed stud wall (see the website I put in first post. -- i've sketched it that the left wall is framed for a door and the back is just a solid wall.
and here's the little corner piece.
refer to the website in message 1 for how it should look neatly done.
this would be those fondant boards or chocolate (!) boards. you might want to glue to or form into the really thick vertical board sections of toothpicks to help get them to stand upright.
this part would be built up a stick at a time. chocolate will glue eaiser.
could also do as royal icing on a flat pattern (do in two parts) and then attache to the cake.
did i say 4 messages ....ok...can't count!)
and finally the roof.
I suggest cardboard cut to shape and bent (a big L shape)
cover in fondant on full side to look like shingles (draw parallel lines and then staggered vertical lines...look at your own roof for the idea)
the little part can look like part bare OSB wood and part like it has tar paper on it
and then fill in the gap w/ boards (rafters)
end detial out so it looks like a modern roof truss (could make a whole bunch of these and put them all along the top to "support" the roof.)
HTH
(really can't count!!!)
oh and a few more thoughts...fun detail style...
can make it look more like a construction site by:
covering cake board so it looks a muddy mess
having at least one stack of boards and stack of OSB sitting on ground, along w/ pile of shingles etc.
a dumpster -- full of course
and if you can model figures, workmen taking a lunch break.
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