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  • Welcome to How To Cook That I am Ann Reardon

  • This week my baby boy turned three, his favourite thing at the moment is firetrucks. If I was

  • your mum and you could have any cake you liked what would you choose? firetrucks, firetruck

  • cake, Let me know in the comments.

  • To make the firetruck cake you need to print out the template which you can get from the

  • shop on howtocookthat.net, I'll put a link in the description below the video.

  • Now firstly you need to make the cakes. If you regularly watch How To Cook That then

  • you'll know I usually bake the cakes in flat trays and then stack them up, your other option

  • is to bake in a large tin or box like I'm doing here and then cut it into layers. The

  • advantage of doing it this way is you get neat and perfect layers. The disadvantage

  • is that for a cake this big to bake it takes a long time and it also tends to get overcooked

  • on the edges and the top and the bottom. That means you have to cut all that off and throw

  • it away. So you can choose which way you'd rather bake it.

  • Use the template for the top view and cut rectangles of cake. If you used the one big

  • tin method to bake it like i did then cut off any overcooked parts. Use a cake leveler

  • or knife to cut it into layers.

  • Stack them up to make the level of the back of the truck. Then fold your top template

  • on the line and cut another layer of cake to the right length for that top shorter section.

  • Then make your frosting of your choice, if you go to the Frostings taste test video you'll

  • see recipes there for 7 different frostings recipes. Today I am using the French buttercream

  • one.

  • Use your template for the top of the cake and cut a sturdy piece of cardboard in that

  • shape. Then cover it in foil and tape it into place.

  • Cut some extra rectangles of cardboard and stack them to the height of under truck so

  • they can support the cake. Tape those together and then stick them firmly into place on your

  • cake board. Lining it up with where the wheels of the cake will go so that they will hide

  • those supports. Add some tape and place your cake board on top of that.

  • Put a thin layer of buttercream onto the cake board, then add your first layer of cake,

  • then add more frosting, and another layer of cake. If you are not using the cake the

  • same day then add some simple syrup to each cake layer because that helps to keep the

  • cake really moist. And simple syrup is made by heating equal quantities of sugar and water

  • in the saucepan until the sugar is dissolved and then let that cool down and then just

  • use a pastry brush to dab some of it onto your cake. Continue to stack your cakes and

  • your frosting until you get to the height of the back of the truck and then add your

  • smaller piece to the front.

  • Now what you need to do it put the side template over your cake and follow the template to

  • shape the cake at the top and the front. If you don't trust yourself to keep the knife

  • straight in a straight line you can print two templates and put on on each side of the

  • cake so you can line the knife up with both of them.

  • Now you need to cover the entire cake in a layer of frosting and smooth it as much as

  • you can and then put that in the fridge for an hour to firm up.

  • While it is chilling we are going to make some fondant details.

  • Firstly to make the ladder roll out some white fondant fairly thickly and cut a straight

  • line using a pizza cutter down one side. Now I've made my own rectangle cookie cutter here

  • and I show you how to make your own cookie cutter on the twitter dessert video. If you

  • don't want to make a cutter you could cut these holes out by hand it will just take

  • longer and they wont be quite as even. Once you've cut them then use a ruler and

  • a pizza cutter to cut down the other side to make it match. And then leave that out

  • to one side to dry.

  • Cut the side panels from the template and roll out some light grey fondant. Using your

  • template as a guide cut around each one. If you go to the firetruck cake post on the website

  • it will detail there how much you need of each colour fondant and it will link you to

  • the frosting recipes and the cake recipes and everything else that you need.

  • Then use a ruler to indent lines all the way up each one so they look like a roller door.

  • Take some more fondant and roll a thin snake and using a little bit of water attach it

  • to the lower edge of the roller door. Then roll a tiny ball of fondant and add one to

  • each end of the handle. Then repeat that so that you have panels for both sides of your

  • firetruck so you should have 6 altogether. Now we are going to make the small square

  • panels, you can cut it out of the template or just guess and make a couple of squares.

  • Next to make the horns for the top of the cake. Take a ball of light grey and place

  • it on the bench top and gently roll it between your little fingers applying more pressure

  • in the middle to make it narrower there. By keeping it on the bench top it helps keep

  • the base of the horn flat. Make two of those then leave then upright to dry. roll out some

  • more grey and cut two circles using a drinking straw, we will add these to the horns when

  • we add it to the cake.

  • Moving on to the dark grey fondant we want to make the small square and then the rounded

  • rectangle. To do that cut a rectangle and then just trim a small amount off each corner.

  • Then make the door handle cut a thin rectangle, then put an indent across it on one side.

  • And a couple more lengthwise.

  • Now for the side mirrors roll a ball and cut it in half, place it flat on the paper and

  • smooth out the shape then turn it on one side the way that it will sit on the cake and flatten

  • it to one side. Repeat those so you have two sets, one for

  • each side of the cake. Then cut some thin strips for the windscreen wipers, bend them

  • to the right shape, cut them to the right length and leave them there to dry out.

  • If you will be short on time when you are making the cake then you can make all of these

  • fondant details up to a month before hand, leave them flat on baking paper on a tray

  • somewhere that they won't get bumped. And once they have dried out you can put them

  • in an airtight container. For the small bit at the front roll a little

  • snake and then cut it in half.

  • Now to make the hose attachments at the back of the cake cut three circles out of dark

  • grey using a straw. Then using a small round piping tip indent on each one with little

  • circle.

  • Now cut two small rectangles the size shown for the back corner of the cake. Now cut another

  • rectangle in the size of the panels on the back of the cake.

  • Take the cake out of the fridge and roll out some red fondant and work quickly lift it

  • over the cake and then lift and smooth the fondant on each side. At the corners of the

  • firetruck you can either lift and smooth your fondant around the corner. Or for an easier

  • option you can bring the fondant out at the corner and squeeze it together to form a join

  • and cut off the excess with scissors. Take a ball of fondant and gently rub it over

  • the cake to smooth out any lumps and bumps. Using a knife trim off the excess fondant

  • from along the base of your cake. Roll out some white fondant and cut out the

  • front windscreen and put that into place. Cut a white strip for along the front, using

  • a small amount of water attach it to the cake and then use a ruler to straighten it up once

  • it's one the cake. Cut some light grey head lights and stick

  • those on top. Cut a strip of white fondant and then cut

  • some thinner strips of red, and lay the red across the white to make stripes. Trim off

  • the excess red. Cut another rectangle of red in the size shown

  • for the front of the cake and then make some indents down the front. Add that to the front

  • of the cake and add your stripy piece just below it on top of the white strip there.

  • Just above the stripes add your two dark grey bits that you made earlier. Add the windscreen

  • wipers, using a little bit of water to stick them on.

  • Next cut a thin strip of yellow and place it across the front of the cake, trim it to

  • the right length and then use a knife or a ruler again to straighten it up.

  • Roll out some blue and using your straw to cut out circles and place them on for the

  • head lights.

  • Take some more blue and roll two cylinders applying more pressure at one end to make

  • them thinner at the top. Place them on top of the cake. Roll a thin snake of red and

  • wrap that around the base of each light.

  • Now to make our door, cut the shape out of red then flip the template over and cut another

  • one. Cut out the window shape out and cut it out

  • of white fondant and place it on the door. You can then add the door handles and the

  • side mirrors that we made. Cut a circle out of blue, I am using a piping

  • tip to do this and add it to the door. Then roll a tiny ball of yellow and place it on

  • the door. Using the tip of your knife indent and drag

  • it out to make it look more like a diamond or star shape.

  • Add the horns to the top of the cake and add the little circles that we made just behind

  • them.

  • Carefully place the door onto the side of the firetruck. Then using a little water to

  • make it stick add the side panels into place and grey squares into place. Add a yellow

  • circle into the centre of the dark grey square. Now on the back of the truck add the two dark

  • grey rectangles that we made. Then cut a rectangle from red and add the firehose attachments,

  • then place that on the back of the truck. Roll out some thin yellow snakes and cut them

  • to the size shown on the template. Roll out some blue and cut out the shield shape and

  • place the sheild over the yellow. Take a small ball of yellow, place it in the middle and

  • indent it just like we did for the side doors. Add the shield to the side of the cake And

  • then make another one for the other side. Then add your two grey rectangles to the back

  • off the cake and add two yellow snakes to one and a grey snake on the other.

  • Just like we did for the front of the cake roll out a strip of yellow fondant and criss

  • cross that with red. Then trim off the excess red and wrap it around the back of the truck,

  • then use your knife to make it straight. To make the wheels roll out a strip of black

  • fondant and use a fork to indent it all the way along. Flip it over then take a mini oreo

  • and roll it up. Trim it off when you get all the way around and gently press the fondant

  • around the edges of the oreo. Using a piping tip cut a circle of red and place that into

  • the centre of each wheel. Next roll out some white and cut circles, then cut semi circles

  • from the edges and place them onto the red of the wheels. Repeat that so that you have

  • 6 wheels. Add those to the side of the truck. If you want toto before you add the wheels

  • you can put some black fondant on the cake platter to make it look like a road like I've

  • done here. Cut a thin strip of dark grey and place it over the wheels bending it down at

  • the front and the back.

  • To make the fire hose you can roll a snake by hand but if you want it really smooth and

  • even a fondant extruder makes the job quicker and easier, place the fondant in the tube

  • and twist the end. To make the end of our firehose roll out a cylinder and make it thiner

  • at one end then using a knife make indents around it and trim it to the right length.

  • Using a dry paintbrush brush it with gold luster dust.

  • Now I've added a couple of dark grey strips to the top of the cake and to the sides of

  • the road, you can do that too if you want to. Then coloured the leftover frosting green

  • and smeared it over the cake platter for grass. To give the grass like look of not looking

  • like smeared frosting but looking more like grass just get a fork and put that through

  • the frosting pulling it up until you are happy with it. Add the hose attaching it to the

  • back of the firetruck. Then add the gold nozzle to the end. Roll some teardrop shapes in blue

  • and add them to the end of the hose. Get your fireman to check the cake is OK. Then you

  • can store it in the fridge until you need it. Just before serving to the table you can

  • add the ladder and if you want you can add a fireman Sam toy to the front as well.

  • Then it's Party time...