Any ideas how to make this cake look edible?

[Helpmeiiam]

I promised my little boy a car themed 5 cake. I had a practice run and now I'm panicking 😫
What can I do to make it look better before I start putting cars etc on it?! Help!!!!!

Get some ready roll icing but don’t cover the whole cake (that would be very tricky), I would use the tin you used for the cake as a template to cut the icing, just place the icing (shaped as a 5) over the top. Colour the icing grey like a road, then stick cars on top?

I'm usually a total cunt and love pointing out other people's flaws, but this cake is epic.

I've always made my kids cakes, 3 every year for approx 18 years...and I've never improved. But my kids have always been wowed at them, it's the bloody cutest thing ever.

Who wants shop bought bollocks, when mum can make a cake. Everyone knows that mum's cooking is always best.

Throw more chocolate at it, chuck some cars on, add some sparklers and candles and your kid will be chuffed. Let him cut it and have the biggest slice.

Oh, lifting it reaaallllllly carefully and putting it on a clean plate, or cake board would instantly make it look better anyway.

Or I used to wrap a chopping board with tin foil as I'm tight fisted.

Well this has made me feel tonnes better already! I was really panicking and giving myself a hard time thinking I should have just paid out and ordered one but I'm going to preserve and grill it up a bit. Def like the buttons ideas for the road and smarties on the edge. Wish me luck!!

Looks great. I’d go with smarties and chocolate buttons or fingers to provide the details.
Don’t use tic tacs. Past experience tells me that when you use something mint flavoured it often flavours the icing around it and not all children are a fan of mint. Past experience…….! 🤣

Looks delicious.

I’d use white chocolate fingers along the middle to make road markings, and has he got any small traffic lights/road signs in his toys box you could wash and stick on along with the cars?

Diggers/construction vehicles would be great if he’s into that - I used them once and put one or two on top with some icing in the buckets/pushed into a pile, then had one excavating the cake from the side.

That looks fabulous!

It’s a great cake…..follow the suggestions above but he’s five…..he won’t be critical and he will remember the lovely mum who made him a cake for his birthday. The cakes I made for my own son were distinctly amateur, but he’s grown up now and remembers them with enormous affection and doesn’t remember my rather clumsy efforts.

Enjoy throwing sweets at it :) When my children were younger, deciding which combinations of sweets were going to be bought to decorate their cakes was often the best bit!

Now, I don't have a picture handy to show you, but my chocolate "yule log" at Christmas went from disaster to everyone enjoying it. I was keeping it simple, but after I'd filled and iced it (just a loaf tin layer cake, not trying to roll it or anything) - 20 minutes later came back and the top had cracked and a large portion fallen off on one side. I laughed to my daughter that it looked like the cliff had had a landslide. Then we realised it really did. A bit of marzipan and red colouring later (executed by my daughter), one stripy lighthouse teetering near the cliff edge looked rather neat (we know Happisburgh lighthouse well).

What about piping green icing round the side like this or getting green smarties around the side?

Genius idea!

It looks amazing I'd inhale a slice of that in a heartbeat 😂😂

Chocolate fingers placed vertically all along the outside edges to neaten and define them. You'll need lots!
if the icing/ganache is still soft then try and smooth it with a palette knife?
Then decorate with brown and white chocolate buttons or smarties on the top.
But I have to say it looks yummy anyway,

And show us the end result!

Have made cakes for years, including professionally.

It looks delicious and your 5 year old will be thrilled you made it.

Great job!

It looks delicious!

If you're worried about the buttercream (or whatever it is) on the outside, fridge the cake for a few hours and then go over again, using a palate knife (or smaller cake decorating equivalent if you have one). You'll have a firmer base to spread the second layer on, and if you dip the palate knife in hot water periodically, it'll help you get a smoother finish on the surface.

That said, I think the idea of using the cake tin as a template to roll out icing to lay on the top is the best idea!

Thanks for all the tips. I will post a photo next week when I've made the finished cake (this one was a practice with the new mould)

Turn it into a rally car track! Cars turned over and muddy, a slope one is climbing, would be so cool!

The finished cake 🤷🏻‍♀️

It is a triumph, OP!

Oh it’s AMAZING!!! Well done!!!

Amazing!

It is fabulous! Well done @Helpmeiiam!!

@Helpmeiiam Your little one will be so chuffed with it!! It looks fab 😊 well done you!!
You’ve inspired me to have a go at homemade myself this year 😊

I'm quite proud of myself actually, it's not perfect t by any means but not bad for a non cake maker. Thanks for all the tips!