Friday, January 18, 2013

Making a Thomas the Train Cake

Since I took that first month of level 1 cake classes, I've been looking for ways to keep practicing what I've learned.  So when the topic of my nephew's third birthday party came up, I decided to volunteer to make his cake.  He's enthralled with Thomas the Train right now, so of course it needed to be a Thomas cake.

I started with a Funfetti style cake because kids always like sprinkles and color.  I used my cake leveler to level it off and make it easier to frost.  I decided to go with chocolate buttercream frosting, as it is quite delicious (says the person who ate about 2 cups of leftover chocolate frosting during the holidays).  In the middle, I did a layer of my homemade wineberry jam (I canned several batches of this jam since the berries grow wild on our land, so I seem to have an almost endless supply of it).  After frosting, I did a border of shells around the bottom.  I loathe making shells - they are the toughest thing I've learned so far, so I wanted to make sure I got to practice them.  You'd think they'd be much easier than they are.

Once I had the cake frosted, I mixed up a batch of vanilla buttercream, and set about mixing the colors I would need:  blue, red, yellow, black, gray, and white.  I used a coloring book picture of Thomas the Train as my guide for the picture on my cake.  I used the stars and dots techniques on the cake.  I still need to work on remembering to rotate my stars so the frosting below doesn't show through so much.  After I finished the train (which took me quite a while!) I used my #3 tip to write on the cake.

I'm pretty pleased with the results, and now I know some of my weaker areas that need more practice.  Luckily, I have tons of leftover frosting to eat spoonful by spoonful practice my skills.  My second level of cake classes started last Thursday, and I'm excited to learn new tricks!

41 comments:

Heather said...

Oh my gosh that looks so good! And now I really would like cake for breakfast...again. I have to start reading these cake posts in the evening :-)

The Cranky said...

I'd be willing to bet you wouldn't be so hard on someone else's cake! Face it, you did a great job. =)

Jill said...

Oh Lisa! This is fantastic! I can see many cakes in your future!

Kerri Farley said...

WOW!! You did a GREAT job!!

Anonymous said...

This is awesome! You did a great job!

Slamdunk said...

That is a home run Lisa! You may find yourself being invited to more parties with an added request to bring a cake.

An Apel a Day said...

That looks great!!! Did you find it easier to decorate since you took the class? It's a fun cake. I bet they loved it!

My boys were into Thomas to. Now Mica's outgrown it somewhat. When it's on he still watches it. Isaak's favorite character is Gordan. He says he likes him because he's so strong.

Karen thisoldhouse2.com said...

That's adorable!

Tina Fariss Barbour said...

You did a fantastic job! I can tell you have artistic ability, and you're putting it to wonderful use. Using the jam in the cake sounds absolutely yummy. And believe me, I'd be eating spoonfuls of that icing! :)

Marie said...

It turned out great! It realy looks good! I bet it taste delicious too! Our favorite cake is chocolate with raspberry jam in the layers. YUMMY! Happy Friday!

TexWisGirl said...

it turned out great! so glad you're continuing to use what you learned and are taking even more classes. i think you'll have plenty of opportunities for cakes in your future w/ your boys. :)

Anonymous said...

Really cute!

Tanya Breese said...

that turned out so cute! you are a cake artiste!

Sally said...

Wow, you're doing awesome with those lessons, Lisa. Great job! :)

Out on the prairie said...

We used to check cake pans out from the library and had a lot of fun with them

Kim@stuffcould.... said...

This is so cute....great job

Mere said...

Thanks for making such a great cake!

Buttons Thoughts said...

Looks great Lisa. MMMM frosting. B

Gail Dixon said...

That cake is adorable. You are getting really good at this!! Desserts have become a weakness of mine, so if I did a class like this I'd be bigger than a barn. At least you can run your spoonfuls off!

renae said...

wow Lisa! Look at you! Great work you did.

Thank you for your fun comments to me.

:D

andy said...

Wow Lisa that looks great !!!!!!hope you guys are having a snow day

Valerie Boersma said...

Lisa-I think it looks like a pro did it-really! It's fantastic!! And thank you for letting me know that I'm not the only one who eats leftover frosting:)

Our Neck of the Woods said...

It looks great! I bet the cake was a big hit :)

Sonya @ Under the Desert Sky said...

Wow!! Lisa, that is really impressive!! If we lived closer, I'd have you do Livie's cake next month!!

Chatty Crone said...

That is great. I am forwarding this to my son! His son LOVES Thomas too.

camp and cottage living said...

Lisa
It turned out great. I know your nephew will love it!
It looks yummy too.

Myya said...

That looks great (and yummy too). I bet the boys are LOOOOVING that you are taking these classes, they are definitely getting the benefits that come from it :)

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Lisa, You did a great job with the train.... Too CUTE.... Sounds like you are really enjoying your cake decorating class..

Hugs,
Betsy

jp@A Green Ridge said...

And the recipe for the Chocolate butter-creme frosting can be emailed to your truly anytime you have the time...but the sooner the better!!!...:)JP

Linda said...

Wow, great job! The train is adorable.

Nancy said...

So cute and I love the idea of the jam as the filling. Can't wait to see what you create during your next class. :)

Lin said...

It looks GREAT! And what a perfect excuse to practice. :) I hope he loved it!

Mary said...

Super cake..great for the happy B day boy. Have you found the job?

Ginny Hartzler said...

It is much better done than the kid's cakes in our local grocery store bakery!!!

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

Well, look at you! I think you did a fantastic job. I can't do it- I've tried and failed. I'm pretty good at eating leftover frosting though :)

Michaele said...

Wonderful! Always a shame to cut into a decorated cake. You have found a hidden talent.

Eat To Live said...

You have gotten very good at this cake decorating. It turned out GREAT, Dang.... you are good at this.

Vision By Mila said...

good job! that looks great! I'm sure itäs tasty too!

Grandma Bonnie said...

Your cake turned out beautiful. I don't mind making shells so much its the roses that get me.

Kim said...

I'm beyond impressed with your skills! And that buttercream frosting sounds devine - I don't think it would sit long in our fridge either.

Debra at HOMESPUN: http://www.thehomespun.com said...

You did a GREAT job on that cake! My little grandson is three and he loves Thomas. Grandma went a bit nuts last Christmas and we have a train table; the whole bit : ) I used to enjoy decorating my boys cakes when they were young so I know it takes awhile and yours looks just wonderful!