October 8: Toby the Tram Engine Birthday Cake

Even though Tysen's birthday isn't until Oct. 18th we planned to celebrate it the 9th when Grandpa and Grandma Davies would be visiting from London, ON, for Koen's Grandfriend's Day at school. 



Thomas the Tank Engine



Last May -- Koen's 5th Birthday

And now a bit of a backstory...when Koen turned 5 last May I told him I'd make him a Thomas the Tank Engine birthday cake.  A friend told me she had a Thomas cake mold that I could use, but when she brought it over I saw that it was one where I was supposed to decorate it with "stars" of frosting and I just wasn't sure I was up for that.  I went online and found a Thomas cake design that I thought I'd be able to make and a fondant frosting recipe to use (Instructions for Thomas the Tank Engine Cake).  I'd never used fondant before (seriously...I'd never heard of it), but the recipe said it was as fun and easy to use a play-doh...I"m not sure that's the truth, but it worked. :)  Koen was THRILLED with his cake, and he and Ty began planning at that point what kind of cake I should make for Tysen's birthday...Percy, James, etc. 


Back to this month when suddenly Ty decided he wanted a Toby the Tank Engine cake instead of Percy or James.  I was very excited about that idea as Toby is probably the easiest shape to make!  Unfortunately, I was quite sick at the time I needed to make the cake for him.  Fortunately, Seth's mom was still in town and helped me out!  I would not have been able to do it without her, but I really wanted to make Ty's cake for his birthday party! 



Tysen's 3rd Birthday

I used a picture of Toby as a guide.  Working with fondant the second time was super simple.  I used some cocoa to make a brown color for Toby, we cut it into 1 inch strips and layered them to make the wooden slats.  With both Thomas and Toby, I used a tube of black frosting for outlining the face and adding details like the name.  (Notes:  To color the fondant, use gel food coloring; to get a black color, start with a brown -- like adding cocoa). 





Toby the Steam Tram -- (Sorry-I couldn't rotate the picture)



Though I feel like both of these cakes were a success, I think I'll take a break from fondant frosting for a while.  It's not the tastiest (though the recipe I've used and included is supposed to be better than most), so for Brielle's upcoming birthday, I'm hoping to return to the tradition of getting a yummy Costco cake for the celebrate!









Marshmallow Fondant
recipe from Recipezaar.com (now Food.com)
makes enough for one cake

16 oz. white mini-marshmallows

2-5 Tbs. water

2 lbs. powdered sugar

1/2 cup (plus) Crisco shortening (you will be digging into it so place it in an easy-to-reach area)

1. Melt marshmallows and 2 Tbs. of water in a microwave or double boiler.  Put the bowl in the microwave 30 second, open microwave and stir, back in microwave for 30 seconds more, open and stir again, and continue doing this until it's melted.
2. It usually takes about 2 1/2 min. total (not as long in my experience).  Place 3/4 of the powdered sugar on the top of the melted marshmallow mix.
3. Grease your hands GENEROUSLY - palms, backs and in-between your fingers, then heavily grease the counter you will be using and dump the bowl of the marshmallow/sugar mixture in the middle.
4. Start kneading like you would bread dough.  You will immediately see why you have greased your hands.
5. Keep kneading, this stuff is sticky at this stage!  Add the rest of the powdered sugar and knead some more.
6. Re-grease your hands and counter when the fondant is sticking.  If the mix is tearing easily, it is too dry, so add water (about 1/2 Tbs. at a time--then knead it in).  It usually takes about eight minutes to get a firm smooth elastic ball so that it will stretch without tearing when you apply it to the cake.
7. It's best if you can let it sit, double wrapped, overnight (but you can use it right away if there are no tiny bits of dry powdered sugar).  (Having done this both ways, I'd recommend using it right away.)
8. Prepare the fondant for staring by coating it with a good layer of Crisco shortening, wrap in a plastic-type wrap, and then put it in a re-sealable bag.  Squeeze out as much air as possible.
9. Marshmallow fondant will hold very well in the refrigerator for weeks. 
10. Notes I ran across while originally researching fondant:
1. Roll out black fondant on plastic wrap or wax paper so it doesn't stain your counter -- though I personally didn't have trouble with this.
2. If it gets too dry, sprinkle it with water.
3. If you did make the fondant ahead of time, microwave for 20 seconds before working with it.
4. Use shortening to thin the fondant after kneading.
5. Add cocoa for chocolate/brown fondant.  Do this when you add in the powdered sugar.