Tutorial: Transformers Autobot Cake

When I was a little kid, I used watch Transformers with my brothers and sister.  I remember we used to go to our parents' bedroom on Saturday mornings to watch cartoons.  It's so funny now that I think about it because now my kids are doing the same thing.  I guess that's my life coming full circle, huh?  My hubby also grew up watching Transformers, so it was no surprise when one day he decided to get the entire DVD set.  We had a Transformers marathon that weekend.  It was awesome :-)

My friend Jaycee asked me if I could make a birthday cake for his son, Sebastian.  When he told me that he's a huge Transformers fan, I already knew I was gonna have fun making this cake.  I decided to put the iconic Autobot symbol front and center on top of the cake.  It just isn't a Transformers cake without it.  For the sides of the cake, I was inspired to replicate the flames on Optimus Prime's body.  If you LOVE Transformers, I think you're gonna love this cake.



Here's what I used to make this cake:

-red rolled fondant
-blue rolled fondant
-black rolled fondant
-silver luster dust
-black icing color
-lemon extract
-paintbrushes
-rolling pin
-paring knife
-scissors
-small icing spatula



First, I covered the cake in blue rolled fondant.  Next, I created a template for the Autobot symbol.  I searched the internet for an image, saved it, resized it to fit the top of the cake and printed it.  Then, I cut out the image, placed it on top of some black rolled fondant and used a paring knife to cut out the black border.
I cut each piece of the Autobot symbol and placed them on top of some red rolled fondant and used a paring knife to cut away each piece. I let the rolled fondant pieces dry a little bit so they won't be so soft to handle when I attach them to the black border.  I brushed some lemon extract on the back of each red piece and gently pressed them onto the black border.  Last, I brushed some lemon extract on the back of the black border and placed it on top of the cake.



To create the flames, I took some strips of red rolled fondant and cut away a freehand flame design.  I attached the flames on the sides of the cake with a little bit of lemon extract. To give the flames some dimension, I mixed some silver luster dust and lemon extract then painted a silver border around the flames.  I also used some black icing color to paint a black shadow around the flames.



To make the birthday plaque, I just cut out a rectangle out of the black rolled fondant and used the silver luster dust/lemon extract and a small paintbrush to write out the birthday greeting.