In answer to those who are asking how I made the Iron Man cake and if I will share the information, the answer is yes, I will be happy to. So, here goes:
You will need a large square cake board, about three sheets of black med-heavy stock paper, 4 cake mixes, Iron Man miniature figurines and one large Iron Man for the top, assorted Wilton cake decorating tips and icing bags. I also used some Wilton black sugar sprinkles (optional). I made a large square cake (1 cake mix), another square cake (a little smaller square pan but still 1 full cake mix), and yet another smaller square pan which you will layer (1 cake mix, 2 layers).
A final cake mix can be made in that same smallest pan because this cake will be cut into pieces which make up the top
square that is behind the large topper Iron Man, and is also used for the square "steps" around the cake (which are hard to see in the photo). If you look to the left hand side of your screen at the photo, you can see the kneeling spider-like miniature Iron Man is actually sitting to the side of the cake on one of these steps. Behind him, there are more steps, though they are obscured in the photo because of the ladders. There are also small steps which jut out from the cake which allow the miniature figurines to appear as though they are climbing up.
So, you will want to make up your rock walk, spears, ladders, medallions, jagged pieces, etc., first so they can sit overnight to harden.
Once you mix the royal icing, tint part of it yellow (spears, ladders, medallions) and part of it with black, but only enough black so the tint is gray rather than black (for rocks and jagged decorations). I used tip #61 to pipe out the rocks (which will be used for the walkway) onto waxed paper, flattening the pieces with my finger and a tiny touch of water. Note: it takes a lot of rocks to cover the entire board, so make a lot! Make them in all shapes and sizes too. I also made a few half-circle pieces using tip #10 by doing a back and forth motion. These half-circle pieces were used to look like sidewalks (you can see one in the left hand corner of the photo).
I used tip #7 to pipe out thin lines and criss-crossed those lines to make ladders. I also made the button-looking medallions with the same tip. (Just squeeze out dots onto the waxed paper.) I used tip #78 to make the jagged looking gray decorations which are made by piping in a back and forth motion making sure you have haphazard, sharp edges at the top. I used tip #10 to make the yellow fences. Again, it is simple: just use a back and forth motion and pipe them onto the waxed paper. If you will arch some of this fencing, you can drape it from one layer on to the next layer, as seen in photo. Next make the spears. I used tip #15, (though there is probably a better tip available for this), I didn't have one, so I made do with what I had on hand. I piped these as straight as I could then used a little water to shape the tops into points.
Make all the cakes, placing the largest cake on the bottom, frost with Buttercream Icing that has been tinted black. NOTE: I made 3 recipes of the buttercream icing. I would rather throw some away than come up short on icing that has been tinted a particular color.
Place next layer on top, frost with black icing. Place one of your layer squares next, frost, place next layer (which matches in size) on top of that one and frost with black icing....(this layered procedure makes up the thick, ( #3 layer) that the large Iron Man is standing on). Using cut up pieces of cake, make steps on the sides of the cake here and there and add one square piece of cake behind the Iron man. (I did this to help stabilize Iron Man and to keep him from falling backward and toppling off the cake.)
Now, using tip #7, pipe out log-like pieces onto sides of each layer, using short, staggered pieces (like laying bricks), so they do not look uniform. Next, I sprinkled the top layer of cake and the edges of each layer (tops only) with black sugar crystals. Now, cut the black paper into sections that will cover the edges of the white board that is showing, slipping just a bit of the paper under the bottom layer of cake so the paper "disappears," and no edges are showing. I used a razor cutter tool to cut the front edges of the black paper to the exact edge of the white board. Now, using buttercream icing or the royal icing (in black or gray), slip some icing under the paper in various places to help adhere the black paper to the white board. Now, place a dab of black or gray icing on the bottom of each rock and start laying the walkway onto the black paper. You want to place the rocks so they look kind of like a tiled-floor. Add a few rocks to the top layer by Iron Man's feet. Add medallions, figurines, jagged pieces, fences, spears, etc., and you are done! Note: I also placed icing on the feet of the miniature figurines to keep them in place!
Comments