Car birthday cake

My son has surprised me this year for his birthday and would like a car. I am looking at this car tin 495408860.I am new to this type of cake decorating and I was wondering if I would use fondant icing like in 495216883. Then pipe on the details.

Any help would be appreciated as I feel totally out of my depth but would like to give it ago.

chicco2 posts here and does amazing cake decorating.She might pop in tomorrow :)

Hi misskittydragon & elliehen.Thanks for the mention ellie. The tin would be a great base for your shape. Sometimes keeping things in proportion is tricky and the tin will help.You could pipe the details, but you could also just use different coloured pieces of fondant. Do you have a Spotlight in Timaru! They stock Satinice Fondant. Also Regalice, which is available in small packets and may be useful for the details. Keep it bright and simple. We would love a pic when its finished. Also, youtube is your friend.

Bought fondant is good, but it's much cheaper to make your own marshmallow fondant.The fondant is also heaps easier to work with than bought fondant, and tastes better (which wouldn't be hard, let's face it).

You can also make your own classic fondant easily, but I find the marshmallow stuff easier still to work with.

500g white marshmallows (unless your car is going to be red, in which case throw in the pink ones as well and overcolour).Pascals taste way best.If you can get access to 1kg catering packs of Pascalls marshmallows, it's cheaper - packs retail at Moore Wilson for about $7-8 in Wellington, for instance.

2 tbsp water
1 kg icing sugar (put into the sifter so you don't forget to sift it)
Soft butter to use on hands and to rub on surface of icing for storage - about 1/4c at most
1 tsp vanilla.

Put marshmallows and water into a bowl, microwave on high 30s and stir, repeat till melted.
Add vanilla.
Sift half the icing sugar into mixer bowl, make a well, pour in marshmallows.
Beat (with K beater or similar, not the whisk) till combined.
Add more icing sugar till getting really quite stiff.
Sift a layer of icing sugar onto bench and turn out marshmallow mix onto it.Knead well till no longer sticky, adding more sifted icing sugar as you go.I usually use less than a kg of icing sugar in total.
Roll into a loaf or whatever, grease the outside lightlywith butter using your hands, to stop cracking.Cover w 2 layers of gladwrap and a plastic bag, exclude air.
Keep at room temp for a few days - is fine.Can refrigerate also.The only thing that may go off if left out in summer is the butter.You can use crisco in place of the butter, but it's hard to get and absurdly expensive.I've tried both, the butter works just fine.

Good video instructions for the kneading part:
http://www.youtube.com/watch!v=rFdOByutk88.
Forget all the crisco smearing, is timewasting and doesn't add functionality.

To roll and use, I roll it between layers of gladwrap adding a little sifted i. sugar if it gets sticky, is easier than using sifted icing sugar on bench, and the fondant doesn't get all dry.Add colour by kneading in a very little paste colour before rolling.(lots of youtube videos on this).

Keeps for over a year in fridge.

Hi chicco2. Thank you for dropping in. I decided after seeing your answer to buy the tin. I just hope that it gets here in time. I have left it so late. Normally I am organized a couple of weeks ahead but it wasn't possible this time.

Tin and fondant should be here in the morning. Talking about cutting it fine.I will post a picture when I have finished. You have to take into account this is going to be my first cake like this. My son has opted for a need for speed car. lol

If you cover the cake with fondant and then press the tin back on the cake you should get all the details on the fondant.Much easier to decorate that way.

Thank you. I was going to try that but was unsure if it was the correct way. Thank you everyone for your wonderful help with advise. I feel more confident in trying this car tomorow.

BUMP for pictures.

Yes, ditto bumping.

Hi. My son arrived home on Friday very ill with the flu. No cake for the next two weeks. He was at the doctors with complications. He is very sad no cake at the moment as he cant even tolerate jelly at the moment so he said he can wait.

Sorry to hear that. That H1N2 virus is really nasty. 14 days before some people are even starting to feel better. Take good care of your boy.