Hey all! I need some help and advice please. I have to make a fire truck cake. I want to make sure the cake is sturdy and have looked everywhere I can think of how to build the support and structure without any luck. Does anyone know of a video or tutorial on how to build a sturdy support for a fire truck cake? I was planning on making the support from foam core to get the height and then putting the dowels through the cake and the foam core and cake board. Will this be enough? Thanks in advance for your help. CC members rock!

Anyone?

this might help you.

I did one a couple weeks ago.   Before I ramble on with instructions, is this anything you are interested in?

Oh thank you both! Will watch the youtube louw48. I searched, but for some reason could not find anything that was close to what I wanted to do. Yes ddaigle I love the firetruck and would love any help you can give me. Thanks so much to you both

Ok....I used a double 6x6 for the front and back.   The back required nothing...the front I had to carve an angle. 

Cut a 6x6 board and crumb coat & ice the cake.   I did a butter cream one.  You can cover in fondant. 

I had a center strip of styrofoam that was 12" long and about 1/2" tall.    I painted it black with edible paint so it wouldn't smell.  I then hot glued it to the center of the board.

The little gray piece was another piece of sytrofoam that i eyeballed how tall and wide I wanted it to be.  I had to trim a couple times.   I think it was about 3" tall and 2" wide?   Again, I was winging it.

After the cake was cold and hard, I sat it on the strip (many times) to see if I liked the height.  Then I took a round cutter once I decided the size of tires I wanted and make a mark and carved out the area and crumb coated it so it wouldn't dry out.   When you carve out your tire well, make sure you take in account for the fondant (if you are covering in fondant) and the fondant covered wheels.   Once covered in fondant this will make your hole smaller. 

I glued that gray center conrol panel to the strip and also put in 2 dowel rods through the strip & drum. 

I used rice krispy treats for the tires. 

Once I was ready for the detailing, I put some hot glue on my strip and sat the cake (that is on a cake board) on top.   I than ran 2 sharpened dowel rods for the front and back through the strip and into my drum.  

I recommend whether doing in fondant or butter cream to put the tires on first...then put on the gray trim around the tires.  Put a skinny skewer or toothpick in the strip where your tire is going to go then just push the tires in.  Mine fit very snuggley.

So...these were super quick instructions.    Let me know if you need more information...I may have left something out. 

I never thought of making the gray control panel out of Styrofoam. Did you cover it in buttercream to get the fondant to stick? I have the Wilton black spray paint. I wonder if that would work for the Styrofoam that is under the firetruck? I plan on either using a few cake boards for the base as I don't have a cake supply store close to me. Did you carve the 6" cakes down and how many layers was it?

I used butter cream to have the gray stick to the control panel.

I made 2 - 6x6 cakes for the front and for the back.   I did not carve anything but the windshield.  Actually, I think I covered the brace in black fancy foil.   I'm thinking of another cake that I painted.  

I will have to figure out what to cover the Styrofoam under the cake with because of course I can't get my hands on the black fancy foil wrap.  So you made a total of 2 or 4  6x6  cakes? Are your pans 2" or 3"?  I have the 2" pans

I baked 2=2" 6x6 for the front (which makes a 6x6 double) and did the same for the back.   Each block will be about 4" tall.   I also split and filled each layer.

Oh, okay that makes since. I have to make a cake to feed around 15. My smallest pan is a 6".  I may use the 6" and carve a little off. I am going to bake and freeze on Monday and decorate on Tuesday and deliver on Wednesday. This has been planned for awhile. The person I am making it for called and said she wouldn't be serving it until Friday but she had asked for the cake Wednesday?  I had already planned on going out of town the next day. If this cake is covered in fondant do you think it will be ok for that long? I have read as long as they are not cut the cake stays moist.

Nice job and I love the way you went about it!

I love that firetruck cake ddaigle!! Awesome work, and I learnt a lot from reading your instructions. Some good ideas on how to support and structure 3D cakes. I have yet to venture into that realm! Lol!

Punkin..the cake will be fine served on Friday.  Just tell her to keep it in her refrigerator and take it out a few hours before the party.      Make sure you post pictures!

Thanks Nadiaa...There are many different ways for structure and support.   Read everything you can.   I always like to read other ways to do it. 

Thank you so much for your help. I never thought of doing the cake the way you explained. I will post pictures when the cake is done. Fingers crossed

Great Punkin...can't wait to see it.    Again...remember to carve you tire wells out bigger than the cutter you picked to allow for the fondant.

Thanks again! Today I have been trying to work on the support but every time I start I get interrupted. Will try again tomorrow.

Can't wait to see your final product!

ddaigle I finally found a quiet moment to work on the structure. I found Styrofoam as close to the size you mentioned. I used the smallest round cutter for the tires that I thought would look ok but I still have an 1/2" gap from the top of the Styrofoam to the top of the tires. Can I just carve the cake when I sit it on to fill in the gap or should I continue to build up with Styrofoam to the top of the tires?

I'm not sure what you mean "to fill in the gap?"  Once you have your height of your center structure, then you need to pick cutters that look #1 proportionate to the truck and #2...will fit in the hole you carved.    Once you have that cake fondanted...and your trucks made..if your tires are too tall due to the fondant...you will need to make more tires because you can't adjust that wheel well.   It's ok if the wheel well is big..vehicle tires do not sit snug in that hole.    Does this answer your question?

Sorry I didn't make that clear. My Styrofoam is a little over 1" high and my tires are a little under 1 3/4" there is about a 1/2" from the top of the Styrofoam to the top of the tire. I was hoping I could take the cake and carve that 1/2" from the bottom above the cut in the Styrofoam to make the wheel well. Actually I guess I would need carve more than 1/2". To me it looks like the base would be too tall if I added another 1" of Styrofoam and I want to make sure this cake is stable in transport. Hope that made sense.

I bought the premade because I find them easier to work with. I have already covered them in fondant.

Good luck! I am amazed at all the work that goes into something like this.

Wait until you start detailing it out.   That's what takes forever...but all those little details make it all come together.     I see you already did your tires.   This is the way I do mine...but you didn't need the tread for the firetruck.   It's something to print and save.

http://jessicakesblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/monster-truck-how-to-make-tires-part-1.html

I bookmarked the tyre tutorial, thank you! That is such a great blog.

Thanks it is a good blog..I'm doing 2 BIG mud tires for my son's groom's cake and because his tires are so meaty...I'm gonna put the tread on the cake...under the fondant.

That sounds cool! Can't wait to see a photo.