Kids absolutely love shaped cakes, either matching their favorite toy, favorite TV or movie character, favorite Superhero, favorite party theme, or favorite Jimmy Buffet song (yes, you know who you are, you Parrothead!).  I have made a  Guitar cake, Spy Glass cake, SpongeBob cake, Patrick cake, Scooby-Doo cake, Nemo cake, Pablo cake, Uniqua cake, Ninja Turtle cake, Spiderman cake, Poodle cake, Pet Shop Kitty cake, Pony cake, Parrot cake, Cross cake, Butterfly cake and Flower cake.  Here are the basic directions that apply to all these cakes:

1) First, do your homework!  Go on-line and look at pictures of the character, toy, picture or shape you are trying to make.  Cut & paste pictures from on-line into PowerPoint and print out so you can practice drawing it on paper.  I always take some time to draw out the shape I want. I even draw the shapes of the cakes I think I’ll use (i.e. a rectangle pan) and then draw the picture again inside the borders of these cake shapes (that way I can plan out how I’m going to cut the cake and re-use scraps!).  Some cakes you can simply cut out of a 9x13 rectangle cake (see the SpongeBob, Patrick, Scooby-Doo, Pony, Uniqua, Pablo, Parrot, Poodle, Cross & Spyglass cakes), while some you will use round cakes (see the Nemo, Ninja Turtles, Spiderman, flower and butterfly cakes) .  Be creative and remember, your family will love you for giving them extra cake scraps so if you’re able, make extra cake if you think you might need it!  So, practice your drawing before you carve a cake.
 

What if I can’t draw?  Please do not worry if you cannot draw or are not an artist! For some reason when I put pen to paper, my stick figures look like they are done by Dali, but give me Sharpie, a paper-towel (see below re: my ‘method’) and the knowledge that this is for a cake, and all of a sudden, I can draw!  Just practice and it will come to you.  On your side is the fact that most characters, toys & other designs have relatively simple lines, so carving an outline is not that difficult.  Go for it! 

2) Once you’ve practiced, make your cake in the pans you will needed depending on your shape. I usually recommend using yellow cake for these types of shapes as it seems to hold up best for cutting.  I over-bake the cake just a bit to make it a little firmer (the taste is still great!), and always refrigerate the cake before cutting (I even froze the cakes once or twice, but refrigerating seems to work just fine as well).  I avoid chocolate cake as it is moister so it crumbles more when you cut, but you can use it. I never use white cake as it will not hold up when cut in shapes. 

3) To cut your cake, follow these simple steps (see all the details in Carving FAQ’s): 

• Take a paper towel and cut to the size of cake you’ve made (i.e. the 9x13 cake).  Then draw the shape you want in a sharpie marker on the paper towel and cut it out.


• Now that you have your template, pin it to the cake with toothpicks and get ready to cut your cake using a sharp serrated knife (or steak knife). 


• Cut around the paper-towel and you will have your shaped cake!

4) Once the shape is final, crumb coat the cake and refrigerate.  After 30 minutes or more of cooling, frost the entire cake with your base or predominant color.

5) Finally, start piping on the details, such as the face, outlines, decorations, etc.  See Decorating FAQ’s for details on decorating...you’ll be able to do it!

6) Sometimes, if I want the character to say something to the  child, I will use print-outs on photo paper.  I will print out a saying in a cartoon bubble, or have the character ‘holding’ a sign’ which the kids think is a hoot.  Also, while I usually do not cover my cake boards, I do try embellish them by putting some words on the board, or bubbles or tracks or whatever might set the cake ‘scene’.
 

A few extra things I have learned along the way...

• You can easily make these two layer cakes, just be sure to fill your layers and refrigerate before cutting to shape!
• I do not normally outline the cake in a black line of frosting unless it is needed to distinguish the shape (see the Pony legs for example).
• I love using props with these cakes like the bubble thought, stick signs and gummy spider (see the pictures).  I also try to embellish the cake boards for these cakes to help set the scene.
• By far the most fun cake is the SpongeBob cake, which uses Twinkies for his shoulders and feet, and little breadstick crackers for his arms & legs.  I think this idea is from the Nick Jr. site, or maybe Family Fun magazine...these are two great sources of cake inspiration!
• If you have the time, try to match the sides of the cake to the frosting on the top (i.e. frost the Poodles fur on the side or Patrick's green shorts all the way down the side).  It makes the cake look just like a character v. a picture drawn on a sheet cake. 
• Even if you are doing a flat cake, you can make it look more 3-D by making the top layer a different shape from the bottom.  See the Jimmy Buffet Parrot-head cake and note that the bottom layer is the blue & yellow island shape cake, while the top layer is the red parrot shaped cake.  This cake even has a few chocolate-molded shells  (using Wilton’s chocolate & sea-shell mold) and a cocktail glass also made from Wilton chocolate (I free-handed this one).