I am going to attempt making a goodbye cake for my husband, because he is transferring commands. What I want to make is a carved submarine cake that looks like it is scimming the surface of the ocean. I plan to put the sub cake on top of a sheet cake. I have never carved a shaped cake before. Could I bake the cake in bread pan and then carve the shape out of that? What is the best kind of box cake to use for carving? Also, I plan to cover the sub part of the cake with fondant. It will need to be as close to black as I can get it. How can I do that without making it taste horrible from the gel paste? Oh and I need to figure all of this out and make it within the next week and a half. LOL Am I a glutten for punishment or what?!?!?!

You could use a loaf pan if you wanted, and the type of mix is up to you, what's your favorite mix? Whatever that is, is what you should use. Freeze the cake before you carve it the way you want it. If you are worried about taste, you might be able to use Candy Clay, with "chocolate" candy melts. Not black, but dark and tasty. (If you like tootsie rolls).

Edited to add, yes, you may very well be a glutten for punishemnt, but if you don't try you won't know.

I think the loaf pan will work fine. I would probably use a cake mix with pudding added. I really like the yellow butter cake mix by BC or DH. Those tend to be a little bit firmer I have found. But I think like Cakeman66 pointed out, freeze it first and it shouldn't give you too many problem.

For the color, Do you have any americolor?? It's the best I have found for black gel coloring. Do you have any or can you get Hershey's special dark dutch processed cocoa? It's just about black in color and I have found it makes my chocolate buttercream almost black without adding any color at all.

Hope that helps!

WOW, SOUNDS LIKE U HAVE YOUR HANDS FULL. I KNOW U CAN DO IT...GOOD LUCK!

SORRY NO POINTERS...THOUGHT A LITTLE ENCOURAGEMENT MIGHT HELP!

LES

Thanks for the support! Can you use the dutch prosessed cocoa in the mmf to make it darker and then I could just add a little bit of the black color paste ( i have wilton, that is what michael's sells) to it. Would that combo taste okay? My husband just called and said that we are doing his party on the 1st, so that gives me 7 days to figure all this out. YIKES. We are also planning on putting a green pudding in the reactor compartment on the sub, so that when you cut into it green ooze comes running out. OH boy, I just remembered you aren't supposed to refrigerate a fondant covered cake....hmmmm anyone have any ideas on a non refrigerated pudding type thing I can make that doesn't need to be refrigerated? Do you need to refrigerate a lemon filling that is used in lemon meringue pies? Have I bitten off more than I can chew? Oh well, if your gonna dream might as well dream big and hope for the best! I will have to post a picture when I am done. This is gonna be fun! Anyone's continued suggestions to make it the best cake ever would be appreciated. Thanks.

Here is my suggestion about sculpting your submarine. I am wondering if there would be a way for you to cut small round cakes in half and then forst them together to give you your shape. I did this for my armadillo head and it was pretty easy. The only other idea would be to use 1/2 of the 3D egg or maybe a 3D football pan. You might be able to somehow use cupcakes as well.

These are just some brainstorming ideas that I came up with. I am the worst about those 3D cakes!

Good luck and be sure to post pics and instructions on what you did!

thanks for your ideas

I only learned you were not supposed to refridgerate MMF last week. I've been putting mine in the fridge and never noticed an issue except for mild condensation when it came back to room temp. But, there are pudding cups pre-made in the snack isle at the grocery store that do not require refridgeration. I use those for filling all the time as well. You could get the vanilla and color it green.

the pudding cups are a good idea thanks.

I think once opened, pudding needs to be refrigerated? You could tint some piping gel green for reactor fluid.

I was thinking that jelly donuts don't need refrigeration, does anyone know a good recipe for a lemon jelly donut filling? If not I wonder if a local store would sell me a small tub of it for a reasonable price.