Best Kids’ Cake Ever!
Learn how to make a super fun (and very cool) ice-cream truck cake for your child's next birthday!
BY HEJIRA CONVERY, KINDICARE
Novelty birthday cakes are so much fun, and although you don’t have to be a parent to roll one of these beauties out, having a little kid definitely gives you a great excuse to make a crazy-creative cake!
Suddenly, doll cakes, swimming pool cakes, caterpillar cakes and slightly wonky Bluey cakes are all on the table; and although some kids’ birthday cakes require serious skill, Tigga Mac’s ice-cream truck cake is totally do-able.
It comes from a brilliant new book called Tigga Mac’s Cake Hacks by Tegan MacCormack and Katie Scoble, which means this cake is achievable and affordable, with that WOW factor that every kids’ cake really, wheelie needs.
It’s as fun to make as it is to eat (well, almost), and as soon as you park this thing in the middle of your next birthday party, the kids will come running!
So, without further ado, here’s how you make Tigga Mac’s ice-cream truck cake
You will need:
- 30cm round cake board
- 1 piping bag
- 1 square 20cm chocolate cake
- 1 batch Tigga’s buttercream
- Pink gel food colouring
- Teal gel food colouring
- 4 white Iced Tic Toc or similar biscuits
- 1 50g packet Smarties
- 7 square Arnott’s 100s & 1000s biscuits
- 3 rectangular ice-cream wafers
- 1 ice-cream cone
Then, follow these steps:
1. Cut the cake
Slice the cake directly in half down the middle, following the cutting guide below.
Piece 1 is the base of the truck.
For the second cut, slice down diagonally to create the windscreen on piece 2, which will be the cabin.
The remaining bit – piece 3 – will be used to make the ice-cream cone.
2. Colour
Make the coloured buttercream – remembering to add the food colouring a little at a time until you are happy with the result.
Scoop 1/3 cup of buttercream into a bowl and colour it pink. Colour the rest of the buttercream teal.
3. Assembly
Spread a little buttercream on the cake board where the cake will sit. This will be the glue that stops the cake from moving around while you are decorating it.
Secure the larger cake piece (1) on the cake board.
Now, use a layer of buttercream to stick the next piece (2) on top, making sure there is space left at the front for the truck bonnet.
4. Buttercream time
Cover the entire cake with teal buttercream, smoothing it out using a palette knife and scraper. This is the crumb coat.
Chill in the fridge for 10 minutes or until firm.
Add a second coat of buttercream, using a palette knife and cake scraper to create a smooth finish.
Chill once more in the fridge until firm.
5. Elevate truck
To give the illusion that the truck is sitting off the ground, mark a line along the side of the cake about 1cm up from the cake board.
Using a sharp knife, carve diagonally from here into the base of the cake on all sides.
6. Wheels
Attach the 4 round white biscuits onto the sides of the cake to make the wheels.
Using buttercream, pop a purple Smartie in the centre of each wheel.
7. Lights and windows
Use 2 yellow Smarties on the front for headlights and 2 pink Smarties on the rear for brake lights.
For the windows, place 2 square 100s & 1000s biscuits on both sides of the truck.
Now, for the windscreen, place 2 more square 100s & 1000s biscuits side by side on the front of your cabin.
Lastly, add your remaining biscuit on the back of your truck as the rear windscreen.
8. Bumpers
Cut an ice-cream wafer in half lengthways and fix each piece to the cake to form the front and rear bumpers.
9. Awning
To create the open awning, use a wafer and stick it into the cake so it extends out over the serving window.
Cut another ice-cream wafer in half lengthways and secure one half underneath the front window as a ledge.
Use the other half as an awning over the windscreen.
10. Ice-cream
Now it’s time to make the scoop of ‘ice-cream’ that will sit on the top of the cake.
Smoosh the remaining piece of cake (3) into a ball and place on the roof of the truck.
Heat the pink buttercream in a microwave-safe bowl in 10-second bursts until it reaches a pouring consistency. The melted buttercream should be runny, but NOT hot.
If it is too hot, it will melt the buttercream icing, so allow it to cool before pouring it on!
Next, mix the melted buttercream well and very gently spoon it over the ball of cake to create a melting ‘ice-cream’.
The buttercream should cover the ball and pool on the top of the truck. If it drips down the cake a bit, that’s okay!
Add the ice-cream cone, making sure it’s on an angle with the point facing towards the rear of the truck.
And there you have it!
You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice-cream!
This ice-cream truck cake is guaranteed to be a massive hit, and once you’ve made it, there are plenty more cakes to try.
Tigga Mac’s Cake Hacks is full of super fun and very easy children’s birthday cakes, and whether your kid wants something pretty, or pretty kooky, their next cake day is covered!
Tigga Mac’s Cake Hacks is published by Penguin Random House Australia, and you’ll find this book where all amazing titles are sold.
