Birthday party cake experts please advise me! Mystery Machine

[pookey]

DS is hoping for a mystery machine cake for his birthday but not a flat shop cake with a picture on! I have never made an iced birthday cake and am tempted to commision some one to make it (DB's girlfriend likes baking) but part of me wants to give it a go! Very disorganised 3 kids house in a mess but I have over 3 weeks, could I start now and freeze it or at least freeze the sponges?

This one looks Amazing and is roughly what I had in mind but a bit advanced . Is it plain sponge or chocolate would the colouring be added to the mix or has it been poured on once the cake is in the tin ready to bake? How did he make the picture windows and mystery machine label do you think. I have some natural dye from waitrose would that do for sponge and icing. What type of frosting would be good for holding it together but also taste nice. How did he get the external frosting so smooth!

Have seen an easier one using oreo cookies for wheels aswell.

Any tips would be really great . Feel a bit excited already probably been watching too much gbbo

I clearly don't know anything about cake making!

Personally.... I would buy something already roughly the right shape - like a Battenberg - cover with green roll-out icing and other decor (liquorice wheels, piped lettering) to finish

Had a go at making a mini version and covering it with white ready to roll. Rolling out the icing seems more of a problem than making the cake. (The other problem being that we keep eating the cake before its iced. liquorice wheels are a great idea thanks.

Right, I know all about mystery machine cakes. They are actually pretty easy. The only difficult bit is the icing, and only then if you want to make it nice icing.

Cook a vanilla victoria sponge cake in a square tin. Cut it in half and plonk one half on top of the other so you end up with a rectangle. Cut a slope for the windscreen.

I did a butter icing which I then coloured. (This is why I think a vanilla sponge would be better than chocolate, purely on taste grounds. Chocolate cake with vanilla icing is just wrong IMO.) Do different colours of butter icing. Find a picture of the mystery machine. Stick icing on cake. It will be a bit fiddly, but fine. I wouldn't worry about icing being particularly smooth. It would probably be easier to do authentic looking mystery machine icing with roll out stuff, but I think it doesn't taste very nice, so IMO it's better to go with the butter icing.

Stick biscuits on for wheels.

Very happy birthday boy!

Thanks neolara agree withy you 100 % about icing tasting yuk but I think I will try roll out so its easier to cut out waves. I am a bit rubbish with squeezing icing out. On butter icing can it be kept out of the fridge? Your right vanilla sponge will be better. Did you have any of the characters on yours? was thinking of sticking on a photocopy?

Actually I didn't squeeze the icing out, I just sort of trowelled it on with an ordinary knife. As I said, this bit was fiddly. And yes, IMO butter icing can be kept out of the fridge for 4 or 5 days no problem. We have the plastic characters which just stood around the cake. I'm sure photocopies would be great though.

Good luck!