I am very much a beginner and have self-taught most of what I know. Thanks for all the help and advice given here. I would appreciate if someone can help me.

Making a HotWheels cake for my boys. It will be a sheet cake and I want to build a track with a loop to put on top. I have worked some with fondant but wasn't sure if it would get hard enough to do this. Never worked with gumpaste but bought a package of the pre-made Wilton kind to try.

Here is my thought, will it work? Roll the gumpaste or fondant out and cut in long strip. Paint it orange. Blow up a balloon to about 10 inches and wrap it around. Once dry and hard, pop the balloon and remove the "track". I would leave about 6 inches of the "track" straight on each side before it goes into the loopty loop.

Will this work? Is there a better, easier way? Which product do you suggest?

easier -- lightly dust the OUTSIDE of a 10" cake pan with cornstarch.

wrap the ribbon of gumpaste around that.

when dry, just lift out pan

======

Welcome to CC -- your newest addiction!!!

===

so you can keep up with all the abbreviations we use, see this thread:
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-2926.html

Don't do the balloon thing. If you pop it, you can break your gumpaste too.

DUH!!!! That is such a simple answer. Thanks for the help!