How to Make a Professional Thomas the Tank Engine Cake

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan/Gas Mark 4). Grease and line two 20cm square cake tins with baking parchment.

2. Cream the 500g softened butter and caster sugar together until pale and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract.

3. Gently fold in the self-raising flour using a metal spoon, then add the milk to achieve a dropping consistency. Divide the batter equally between the two tins.

4. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

5. Once cold, wrap the cakes in cling film and chill in the fridge for 1 hour; this makes carving much easier. Prepare the buttercream by beating the icing sugar and 500g butter together until smooth.

6. Sculpting the engine: Cut one square cake into three equal rectangles. Stack two rectangles with jam and buttercream to form the long chassis of the engine. Cut the third rectangle into a square for the cab and place it at one end. Use the remaining cake to cut a cylinder shape for the boiler.

7. Apply a thin 'crumb coat' of buttercream over the entire structure and chill for 30 minutes to set.

8. Roll out the blue fondant and carefully drape over the main body, smoothing with a fondant polisher. Use grey fondant for the smokebox (the front) and red for the buffer beam and decorative lines.

9. Create Thomas's face by rolling a circle of grey fondant and sculpting the nose and cheeks with a darning tool or small spoon. Use white and black icing for the eyes.

10. Finish by adding black fondant wheels and a black fondant funnel (supported by a cocktail stick) to the top of the boiler.

Notes

Questions