I'm making a cake for a friend's twins. They've requested a hot air balloon and while I'm sure they aren't expecting anything grand and 3-D (they're turning 9) I'd really like to make it realistic. Any ideas how I could do this? One thought I had was to sculpt the balloon out of RKT or styrofoam and just make the basket out of cake. It's for 10 kids, 6 adults, so I don't think the basket would yield enough cake, unless I put it on a sheet or something and then I think it would be entirely too much cake. Any one have any ideas how to make the balloon out of cake and be stable? I could do the balloon laying down but I'd really rather not. I'm not too worried about sculpting the balloon, just getting it to stand and look right without doing a center dowel. I want it to look as much like an actual hot air balloon as I can. Thanks so much!

I made a hot air balloon cake not to long ago. I made the balloon & basket out of styrofoam & placed it on a square cake.
You cake take a look @ it in my photos.

http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1391626

http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1487872
Here's two pictures I have saved in my favs. I crew for a hot air balloon and I want to do a cake
for my pilot's birthday next year.

Dang, LCRN~! Your cakes are gorgeous!

sorry i cant locate the pic, but i remember seeing it a book. the bottom half of balloon was stryofoam so was easily supported by dowels pushed into styro. just cut a large ball styro in half. the flat side of the styro was facing up & dome shape cake was on top.