Tools Cake Design for Birthday

📋Supplies Required

• Chocolate pound cake - 2 layers of 6 inch round cakes and 2 layers of 9 inch round cakes.
• Chocolate buttercream - to fill the cake layers as well as to frost the cake tiers.
• Fondant - to make the handyman tools and lettering on the cake. I used my homemade fondant. You can also use marshmallow fondant or store bought fondant.
• CMC powder (tylose) - added to fondant when making 3D decorations. It helps fondant set firm and hard and helps the decorations hold their shape.
• Food coloring - to paint the fondant tools.
• Silver edible dust and lemon extract - these are mixed together to form a thick paste and used to paint the fondant decorations.
• Fondant glue - to attach the screwdriver shank to its handle.
• Cake decorating brush - to paint the fondant tools.
• Bubble tea straws - to provide support for the bottom tier to hold the top cake tier.
• Star piping tip and disposable piping bag - to pipe the rope border for the cake.
• Alphabet molds - to make the lettering on the cake.
• Toothpicks - to attach the tools to the cake.

👩‍🍳How to Make

Step 1: Shape the Fondant Handyman Tools

Knead some CMC powder into white fondant. Shape the tools in white fondant, by hand.

To make the pliers (image 1), roll 2 long strips of fondant. Cross both at one third mark (for the pivot point). Press lightly and attach them together with fondant glue. Bend the jaws slightly and flatten the tips to make the teeth. Attach 2 toothpicks, one at the pivot point and another one at one of the handles.

Note: It is advisable to add 2 toothpicks to each fondant tool instead of one to better support the weight of the tools on the sides of the cake.

Set aside for the pliers to set completely. Repeat the process to make 2 more fondant pliers.

Note: Make at least one extra tool for each tool to give allowance for breakages.

To make the fondant hammer (image 2), roll white fondant into a sausage, with one end thicker than the other. Shape the hammer head at the thicker end. Attach 2 tooth picks at the back, one at the head and the other at the handle. Set aside to set completely. Make 5 hammers.

To make the fondant screwdriver (image 3), make a short fat sausage with white fondant for the handle. Use the end of a cake decorating brush to mark the lines on the handle.

Take another piece of white fondant and roll and shape it into the shank and blade. Use the end of a dowel rod or the cake decorating brush to make a dent at the end of the handle. Apply some fondant glue and attach the shank into the handle. Lay the screwdriver flat and support the shank with folded kitchen towel until the glue sets. Make 5 screwdrivers.

To make the spanner (image 4), roll white fondant into a slightly thick sausage with slightly fatter ends than the middle. Flatten it to make the shaft and heads on ends. Use a toothpick to imprint the lines on the spanner. Attach 2 toothpicks at the back, on each head and set the spanner aside to set completely. Make 3 spanners.

Step 2: Paint the Tools

Use gel based food coloring and dilute slightly with water when painting. Paint the hammer handle in yellow, the pliers handle in green and the screwdriver handle in pink. For the rest of the parts including the spanner, paint them in silver (mix a few drops of lemon extract into about one eighth teaspoon of silver edible dust. Mix to form a thick paste to paint the fondant).

Set the tools aside again until the paint is completely dry. Use the toothpicks attached to each of the tools to hold them by poking them into a styrofoam block to allow the paint to dry on both sides.

Note: Make the tools in advance to allow sufficient time for them to set and for the paint to set.

Step 3: Bake the Cake and Make the Chocolate Buttercream

Bake 2 layers of 6 inch round cakes and 2 layers of 9 inch round cakes. Each layer should be approximately 2 inches high. These will form the top tier and bottom tier of the cake. Cool all the cake layers completely before carving and decorating.

Make the buttercream.

Step 4: Frost and Stack the Cake Tiers

Once completely cooled down, level all 4 cake layers. Sandwich the 6 inch layers together with buttercream to make the top tier and the 9 inch layers together to form the bottom tier. Place the 9 inch tier on a cake board measuring 12 or 13 inches. Place the 6 inch tier on a 6 inch round cake board.

Give the cakes a light crumb coat to lock the crumbs on the cake. Refrigerate the cakes for 20 to 30 minutes before frosting them with the chocolate buttercream.

Note: Refrigerating the cake after crumb coat with keep the crumbs in place while you apply the final layer frosting.

Poke 4 bubble tea straws into the bottom tier, making sure the straws are within 5 inch diameter from the center of the cake. Cut the straws so that they are all of the same height and level with the cake.

Note: The bubble tea straws are meant to provide support for the bottom tier to hold the weight of the top tier without getting compressed. The straws should not be visible once the cakes are stacked.

Carefully place the top tier cake onto the bottom tier. Pipe rope border for both tiers (image 5).

Step 5: Make the Letters on the Cake

I used one of Wilton lettering tools for the letters. You can use any other alphabet cutters or molds you like. If using silicone molds, dust them with powdered sugar or cornstarch before pressing the fondant in for easy release. See my post here on how to use silicone molds for cake decorating.

Place the letters on the cake top (image 6). The buttercream icing should be able to hold them in place without any need for fondant glue.

Step 6: Attach the Fondant Tools to the Cake

Once the paint on the tools have dried completely, attach them all around the cake in alternate order with 2 spanners and 2 pliers on the top tier and 4 screwdrivers and 4 hammers on the bottom tier to complete the tools cake design.

Note: If the cake is to be transported to a different location, it is best to attach the tools to the cake at the destination. This is to avoid the risk of the tools falling off the cake and breaking.