My nephew just turned eight recently! I made a fondant Mickey Mouse birthday cake for my daughter’s 2nd birthday, but other than that I have never really stacked a cake before! Especially not one decorated with fondant!
I reluctantly said yes when I was asked to take on an Army Tank cake! It actually wasn’t that difficult. I have never done anything like this before and wasn’t even sure if I could do it, so if you’re also a newbie at this, do not fear! You can do it!!
I used cake pans I already had and tried get them the right shape and size while baking so there was minimal cutting and sculpting. The top tier was actually baked in a small glass bowl that was dishwasher and microwave safe. But it worked perfectly.
I made the marshmallow fondant using the Wilton Recipe, as usual. And the icing is homemade cream cheese using this Martha Stewart Cream Cheese recipe since I like my frosting more cheesy-tasting, which helps cut the sweetness of the fondant. However this time I used a margarine type spread which consisted of part vegetable oil, instead of butter.
BIG mistake.
It is hard to substitute a liquid fat for a solid fat, since they behave differently with the other ingredients – like fondant! Instead of helping the fondant stick to the cake, the icing started to melt the second it wasn’t refrigerated and actually caused my fondant to slide OFF the cake. It was only an issue with my bottom layer though, since I realized what was happening and I pretty much stopped using the icing altogether. Moral of the story, nothing can compare to butter! Use BUTTER when the recipe calls for it.
I debated on how to do the camouflage effect and looked at different methods but I decided marbling was the easiest way to go. I colored three different sections of fondant with food coloring. Rolled them into log shapes and smashed them together into one big log. Then you want to form an S-shape with the ends facing outward. Smash it together again into one log shaped piece and twist the ends until you have your desired marbling. There are some marvelous YouTube videos that walk you through this process.
As for the details, I pretty much just decorated as I went. I didn’t have a set idea of how I wanted the cake to look. I was just trying to add a little detail and cover any imperfections in the process.
The canon and the hatch were the only non edible items on the cake. The canon was just a thick plastic straw (from a reusable cup/water bottle) that I covered in fondant. It’s hollow on the inside so you can add a sparkler. And the hatch is just a piece of cardboard cut into a circle covered with fondant.
These are some food labels I designed for the birthday party, along with a Mess Hall sign. Click the image to enlarge and then print. Please let me know if you are having trouble, I can always email them directly to you.
Click the image above (or here) to print it.
Click here for the BLANK Army Labels that you can write whatever you want on.
Click here for the printable Mess Hall sign.
You’ll need to save the image and print the size you want. For a full sheet and 4 inch labels select 8×10. If you are still having trouble downloading these printables, CLICK HERE.
If you enjoyed this post, please share this post and Follow Me on Pinterest! And let me know if you make an Army Tank Cake of your own!
That is awesome! You did such a great job. I have always wanted to try making a cake using fondant, but I haven’t been brave enough…. yet. lol
You can do it! 😉
Holy cow…they look INCREDIBLE!!
WHOA, that’s seriously AMAZING!!
Oh my, that is just incredible. You did a wonderful job! I just love that cake. I love the camo effect!!
I have never even tried working with/making fondant. I have only made simple cakes with frosting. Not sure I could do anything like this.
And happy belated birthday to your nephew. I’m sure he had a blast.
If you’re comfortable baking and stacking cakes you should totally try the fondant! It simple to make and cheaper than buying it! I’ve heard it tastes better too!
WOW – that is incredible!!! just wow….
This is a fabulous cake. Too much of a work of art to eat.
http://joycelansky.blogspot.com/2013/05/wordless-wednesday-our-new-nephew.html
Wow this is genius! I’m sharing on Pinterest. Wow again.
Thank you for sharing! 🙂
What a cool cake for a boy’s birthday party! Very clever!
Happy WW! 🙂
Wow! What talent you have! I just pinned this!
Thank you so much! 🙂
I am thoroughly impressed. Way to go!
WOW!!!! That is absolutely AMAZING!
http://www.homeofohm.com/2013/05/wordlesswednesday-future-author-w-linky.html
Absolutely Marvelous!
Great DIY cake project, Momma!
such a fantastic cake..:)
Happy Wordless Wednesday! My entry is here.
It looks great! I am terrified of fondant!
Ok, I was looking in the first picture for the cake, which I assumed was under the toy tank. No way did I realize that your tank WAS a cake — holy moly! My favorite part is when you say even a newbie could make a cake like that. Bwahahaha! I have pinned this and will just content myself with admiring your skill from afar. 🙂
Hahaha thank you! It can be done though!! I always thought fondant was incredibly hard to work with but it’s just like playdough or clay! This was the second time I’ve EVER worked with fondant!
No one would ever be able to tell that was your first time decorating a tank birthday cake. Great job. Very creative!
That looks AMAZING! I know your little one was stoked, what to go mama!
This is so cute! I’m trying to replicate for my son’s birthday. I know it won’t look close to yours! I love cake decorating but this is my first time to use fondant. How many recipes of the fondant did you use for this cake?
Thanks so much for sharing your tips!
I believe I used 2 of the fondant recipes for this cake. And I had just a little left over. You can do it! Use some wax paper under your fondant so you can move it and roll it out extra wide so you know it will cover your cake!
Did you find the camo printable a on the net somewhere? Are the colors interchangeable? Thx, everything looked spectacular!
I created the printables in photoshop so no the colors aren’t interchangeable.
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My brother is tank crazy this will be the perfect cake for him
Way Awesome cake! Thanks so much for sharing. I have never done fondant before and this gives me a little hope. I was also wondering what games or activities you did with this party?
Thank you! An outdoor obstacle course would be perfect for a military party!
Here are some ideas:
http://www.kayleeeylander.com/DIY-tips/boys-army-birthday-party-diy-army-obstacle-course-for-cheap/
OR
http://dukesandduchesses.com/2012/03/an-army-boot-camp-party
Can you email me the Army food labels and the Mess hall sign? Thank you!
I just saw your comment. The links are working, it just takes a minute to load them. Let me know if you’re still having trouble.
How many cake recipes did you use for this?
I believe it was two cake mixes: one in the 13 X 9 baking pan, and one for the remaining pans. Plus I had a little left over that I threw out.
Thanks so much!
This is a wonderful cake! I have never worked with fondant either and will have to really think about it and practice on something that can be eaten by my demolition team before I try anything for real but this would be fabulous for a boy’s birthday (or a older boy, like my husband) who likes military stuff.