I made this army tank cake for my grandson’s 11th birthday. I am self-taught and read a lot about the various techniques on-line. I mix a common fondant recipe with a rolled butter cream recipe which gives a better tasting icing.
The cake itself was made by mixing chocolate fudge cake mix with brownie mix. This makes for a rich and dense cake that is easy to sculpt. I sculpted the soldiers out of gum-paste and covered a rolled cream-filled wafer with fondant to make the canon. The wheels were impressed into the fondant with circular shapes found around the house, then painted with food coloring.
I applied cake decorating dusts with a soft brush and my finger tips to create a dirty look on the tank. The ground was covered with chocolate icing and I put some chocolate chips through the food processor to create the dirt and gravel effect.
This cake was a hit with the birthday boy and his friends.
This look is what I’m going to try and do for our neighbors birthday (1940’s/WWII Theme). Can I ask, did you cover each individual section of the cake with Fondant then stick it together? Or layer the three elements and then cover with fondant? Also, did you place the iced cake on the board and then do the ground icing/covering or the other way around? Amazing cake, well done.
If I am to understand you took two icings and mixed them together to make your icing, also what size cake pans did you use for the main part of the cake, and was it 2 layers. I am going to try this for my grandson’s birthday and could use your help. Hopefully I will hear today for I am baking today 9/19. I think this is the best tank cake that I have seen, great job.
My son is turning 5 and is party is Saturday…and I have been looking at doing a tank cake. I am going to try this kind of cake, with the fondant. Thanks for submitting this, it was very useful!
My son is turning 7 in a few weeks and wants me to make an army tank cake, I will try your icing recipe, your cake looks great! Can’t be as difficult as making a ‘the Stig’ cake which I attempted last year! Thanks for sharing your excellent cake. Helen.
my brother is turning 18 this summer… he is obsessed by call of duty so I (his 15 year old sister) am going to bake it for his birthday!
I’m so sorry to have not responded sooner to some of your questions. I am not a regular on this site.
1. I did mix two icings to make the skin for the tank. About 1/2 fondant and 1/2 butter-cream. It’s a little more difficult to work with but it tastes much better (especially to kids).
2. I did not use special cake pans. I sculpted the shape from a dense, stacked layered cake. I don’t remember how many layers it was.
3. I believe I covered the tank sections before stacking them but it has been so long I cannot be certain of that.
I hope I covered most of the questions. Thank you all for the kind comments.
Tina