Train cake help

[bekki]

I offered to make a train cake for a two year old's birthday. He's choo-choo obsessed, and I like to bake, so there you go.

However, now I have some problems

1. I would prefer to bake and decorate the cake myself. I found a train shaped cake pan and I think I can pull it off, but it turns out that I have to go on a business trip for the thursday-early sunday morning before the party at 10 on sunday. I'm not sure that the cake would last that long.

2. I will have some time before the party. I think my flight will get in around 7:45, and the party is at 10. So, I found some ways to assemble pre-baked things (like pound cakes etc) into a 3D train shape. I'd have to assemble and decorate in the small amount of time, but if I had a plan I think it would be ok. However, I'm worried about frosting on poundcake. That just doesn't sound very good.

I am open to any and all suggestions and tips. I really want to come through, but I'm just not sure about getting it together in that short amount of time. Thanks in advance!

[valchemist]

here is a link to a picture of the train cake I made.

http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=70840&highlight=thomas

I used two different chocolate pound cake recipes, which I will post below.

the first one here is the one I used for the engine and the second is the one I used for the car.

I used a butter/powdered sugar frosting for the engine. Very rich and sweet, but I still loved how it went with the pound cake and I got nothing but raves from everyone.

I filled the car with a whipped cream cheese icing. I will post both icing recipes separately in case you are interested.

You should bake the cake(s) ahead of time and freeze them.




* Exported from MasterCook *

Chocolate Pound Cake

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Desserts

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 1/2 cups butter -- softened
3 cups white sugar
5 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons instant coffee
granules dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

1 Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10
inch Bundt pan. Mix together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2 In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and
fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Beat in the
flour mixture alternately with the dissolved coffee and buttermilk. Pour
batter into prepared pan.
3 Bake in the preheated oven for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick
inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 20
minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Source:
"allrecipes"



NOTES : A dense chocolate cake made in a Bundt pan. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

very good. dense and rich with a good chocolate flavor. I wouldn't call it tender, since it was so dense. but it wasn't as dense as the William Sonoma poundcake, since that one was like a fudgy brownie. this was more of a classic poundcake texture.

I used this one for the 3D train mold. it took 55 minutes to bake. there was about 1 1/2 cups of batter left over.


* Exported from MasterCook *

Chocolate Pound Cake - William Sonoma

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Desserts

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sifted unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa
powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate -- chopped
16 Tbs. unsalted butter -- (2 sticks)
2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream

Have all the ingredients at room temperature. Preheat an oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan. Over a sheet of waxed paper, sift together the flour, cocoa and salt. Set aside.

Place the chocolate in the top pan of a double boiler and melt over top of simmering water.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the
vanilla and the melted chocolate and mix well. Fold in the flour mixture
in three additions, alternating with the sour cream and ending with the
dry ingredients. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out
clean, about 1 hour. If the cake is browning too quickly, cover it loosely
with aluminum foil. Transfer the cake to a wire rack and cool in the pan
for 10 minutes, then turn the cake out onto the rack and cool completely
before serving. Makes one 9-by-5-by-3-inch cake.


Source:
"http://content1.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/recipedetail.cfm?sid=WSWCB



NOTES : this needed at least 70 minutes. it was very jiggly after 1 hour. I took it out at 75 minutes because it was getting overdone on the edges. but the middle still was underdone, so when the cake cooled, it sunk significantly. the cake turned out to be great and everyone raved, BUT it was more like a dense fudgy brownie throughout than a poundcake. still, it was really good and the taste was excellent. especially good with the whipped cream/cream cheese frosting that I filled it with for the freight car.

[valchemist]

Buttercream Frosting

1 lb powdered sugar (3 3/4 cups)
1/2 c butter -- softened
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbsps cream or milk -- (2- 3 tbsp)
food coloring (optional)

Beat powdered sugar and butter until smooth. Add vanilla and enough cream or milk to reach desired spreading consistency. Tint with food color if desired.

Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

1 ½ cup heavy whipping cream
8 ozs cream cheese, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

In a medium bowl, beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks form; set aside. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Beat for 2 minutes until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream. Frost cake. Store the cake in the refrigerator.

[Molli526]

Here is the cake I made my son for his first birthday last week :)

http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=75570&highlight=Charlies

I made the cakes (2 batches) in loaf pans. I got 3 loaf pans for each batch. I cut the one loaf for the top of the engine and steam chute (I don't know what it is called :o)

[Molli526]

Oh! I baked my cakes on a Sunday. Froze them after they cooled then pulled them out of the freezer Thursday and frosted the frozen cakes. I let them sit with the icing, wrapped, at room temp. We ate them Saturday in the afternoon and they tasted great.