Sunday, September 7, 2014

Ferrari California Cake Tutorial

I've ALWAYS admired those who are for up a challenge in making a car cake; even more so when the cake is beautifully done.  I must admit; car cakes looked so intimidating, I never really had a burning desire to try making one just to see how it'll turn out or simply to practice.  Perhaps it's laziness. lol!!!  This time, I got a client requested to make a Ferrari California model.  I was excited, yet a bit hesitant.  But with my brother/animation artist/partner's help, we somehow made it work.  

The key to make any cake that mimics something we see all the time and familiar with, such as the Minion Cake, my number 1 rule is always the same: Proportion, Clean workmanship, and Details.  However, don't worry too much about how the cars are made structurally.  You are making an illusion of a car rather than making a car.  With that said, let's get started!

1. Make your templates
- Templates are important, it will help to guide you through sculpting and trimming your stacked cakes. Give you a closer idea of what size the cake may be.



2. Get cake layers ready
- Shape the cake layers, fill between the layers, crumb coats. You know the drill! :)



3. Frost over all shape
- Take your car profile template, stick them next to the cake, so you know how much more cake to trim and buttercream to fill.



4. Trim the sides
- Make sure you Google a lot of pictures to help you understand the curves of the car.
- When yousculpt the cake, trim a little more than you think you need. Because after you trim the cake, you will apply a layer of buttercream. On top of that, there's another layer of fondant.  This way the end result of the car won't be too thick and look less like a cartoon toy car. 



 5. Frost and shape
- Use small offset round tip spatula to frost and make necessary curves.
- Use round cookie cutter to shape the tire area, so you will get clean lines on the round shape.
- Make sure to refer back to your templates to help keeping the shape as close to the right proportion.
- In this case, I was making a white car out of red velvet cake, so I had to make sure the frosting was as white as possible.  This is to prevent the car looking "pink" after being covered as the fondant might be too thin.


6. Cover with fondant
- Smooth all over the body of the car with your fingers and palms.
- Use modeling tools to form the edges on windows, hood, bumper, area, etc. 




7. Add details
- Make templates to help making windows cut outs.
- Add black rounds on tire areas to create shadow.
- Use red gumpaste to create lights. Utilize round tip piping tips to add circle textures on lights.  



8. Rims and Cake board
- Cut out thin lines of strips and line them up like in the photos.  Add touch of water with thin brush between gumpaste pieces to glue them together. After it's dried, use red food coloring with red luster dust mix, paint over the rims.  When it's all dried, use black food coloring to paint the infamous Ferrari logo!
- I'm big on presentation. When the cake looks great, an appropriate cake board should go with it to give it a great over all look.  In this case I've rolled out a thin layer of grey fondant to cover the cake board, then used cobble stone impression mat, pressed the mat all over the board.




9. Use an edible color printer
- While I'm big on making things by hand, I also believe when it comes to certain details, it is Okay to use a printer; to help enhance the look.  In this case, I've printed the very fine detail logos that I know for sure won't look good if I paint it free hand.


10. More details
- As you add more details, here are some more tips. Use corn syrup to brush shine over the light area. Corn syrup gives the look of the glass. It's a good and fun detail to add to your cake.


Here are better pictures of the finished cake.  Hope you guys have fun making it!






12 comments:

  1. This is the best tutorial I have seen on making a Ferrari cake. Thank you for sharing.

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  2. This is the best tutorial I have seen on making a Ferrari cake. Thank you for sharing.

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  3. I'm going to try to make this for my grandson's birthday, his request. How many layers of cake did you use?

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  4. Congratulations. I never saw a tutorial like this. I have to prepare a car. I'll follow your instructions and just wait and see ....

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  5. where can i get the template from

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  6. I appreciate you for this detailed car tutorial.
    A million thanks!

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  7. Donna, I am a grandmother in Edinburgh and have done a few cakes, handbags and the like. I have been asked to do a 40th cake and they want a Ferarri aaargh!! I love your tutorial but I am wondering where you got the template for the sides and the underside as I can't find decent pictures anywhere. Thanks. Liz

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    Replies
    1. Hi there! The templates I had was from Googling front, back, and side views of the car model of your choice. Print it to the scale that you like and tape both sides up, so you can place it against the cake without getting it greasy. Hope this helps!

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  8. thank you the best one i have see yet. i have to do two of them.

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  9. where can i find the link to print the stencils?

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  10. hello and a beautiful creation
    I wanted to ask you where I can find the template to print thanks

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