Make an Eiffel Tower Cake

There is nothing more satisfying than making a custom shaped cake for your family and friends. For those who adore all things French, and Paris in particular, this cake will be a hit and it's easy to create.

Ingredients

  • 2 sheet cakes of choice (a sheet cake is a cake baked in a large, flat rectangular pan); the article uses a chocolate sheet cake with 'Ghirardelli Chocolate Chips' mixed in
  • Butter cream icing/frosting
  • Fondant and food coloring (gray, red)

Steps

  1. Bake the two sheet cakes of your choice. Let them cool.
  2. Cut four 12" x 12" (30.5cm x 30.5cm) squares from the sheet cakes.
    • Stack the squares on top of each other. This will give you the base of the cake.
    • Shape the base by shaving gently with the knife down each side of the layered squares. Shape the base as shown in the picture here:
  3. Using the remaining cake from the sheet cakes, cut three squares (the size of these will depend on how much sheet cake you have left over). The cakes need to be the appropriate size to continue creating the narrowing shape that approximates the shape of the real Visit the Eiffel Tower.
    • After you cut the three squares, stack them and then shape them as shown below. Ensure that there is a gradual narrowing to the top layer, using the image as a guide:
  4. Once you have the base and middle section shapes correct size-wise, you can dismantle the base and middle section to start crumb coating each section. A crumb coat is a light coating of butter cream icing. Do this for both the base and the middle section. Only the base is shown below:
  5. Since the real Eiffel Tower is gray, use gray fondant with gray butter cream icing for the majority of the cake. Color and then roll out the gray fondant. Then cover the entire base of the cake with the fondant.
    • Cut out the gray fondant to make arches on all four sides as shown below.
    • Use a red fondant for the middle sections.
    • Use a model kit knife to slice through the fondant. Do not worry about matching the fondant edges to each other exactly as these will be covered with a border in the next step.
  6. Use a darker gray for the border and roll a brick pattern over it before cutting it into strips and applying them to the edges of the arch. This covers any gaps you have between the red and gray fondant.
    • It is important note at this time that you do not need to worry about any small bumps or blunders with the base. As the cake progresses, the small bumps and blunders will be hidden.
  7. Cover the middle section with the gray and red fondant as you did with the base section. You can use a different pattern and color for the border if you want.
  8. Start the piping, this is where any bumps or blunders will be hidden. Using the gray butter cream, start with the base and pipe as shown below. You can use freehand when piping, however, you could also use a guide by using a straight edge pressing in on the fondant and then piping over the creases. Use the image below as a guide:
  9. Continue to pipe the middle section and then stack it on top of the base section as displayed below. Make sure you use dowels and cake pads between the two sections to ensure stability. As you can see now, the cake is starting to take shape:
  10. For the top portion use Styrofoam covered with gray fondant. You could use Rice Krispie treats covered in fondant as well. Make sure you have a dowel protruding from the top portion so you can attach it to the middle section. After covering the Styrofoam in fondant, continue to pipe it with the gray butter cream as shown in the picture below.
  11. Create a cylinder covered in fondant with a small tower at the top and attach it to the top section of the cake. Finally, you will need to assemble the top section to the base and the middle section. Your final cake should look like the image below:



Tips

  • If you have small models, add a few cars, people, park benches, and trees around the base to make it appear more lifelike.

Things You'll Need

  • Cake baking equipment and recipe
  • Bread knife or similar suitable cutting knife
  • Flat, clean surface to work on
  • Picture of the Eiffel Tower to help your sizing (optional)
  • Model kit knife
  • Piping equipment
  • Brick pattern roller (ask at cake decorator's)
  • Dowel and cake pads
  • Styrofoam

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