Goal: Bring Optimus Prime to Life

Cost: ~ $85.00
Planning Time: 4 hours (1 amatuer planner)
Baking Time:  22 hours (2 amatuer bakers)

Ingredients

9 8" square white cakes, baked and frozen ($10)
3 batches of buttercream icing ($5)
5 pounds of white fondant ($20)
1 bag Oreo cookies ($3)
5 12" dowel rods ($5)
3 cans black color mist ($18)
2 cans red color mist
1 can blue color mist
2 bottles silver luster dust ($8)
1/2 cup clear vodka ($4)
4 13x19 cake boards ($5)
4 feet thin silver wire ($1)
1 pack edible ink writers ($6)

Accessories

electric carving knife
dough scraper/cutter
paint brush
icing spatula
cake leveler
circle cookie cutter
lazy susan
tiny bowls for silver paint
rolling cutter
exacto knife
yellow electrical tape (optional)
lots of space in your freezer
endless patience
good shoes

Basic Directions
1. Bake all 9 of the 8" square cakes, leaving out 1/4 cup of water each to make them more dense, and freeze in multiple layers of plastic wrap
2. Cab - Level and stack 3 pairs (6 cakes total) with dowels and boards in between, cutting out the front wheel wells - this part is the trickiest!
3. Bed - Level and stack 1 pair (1 cake in half) on a board
4. Tail Lights - Level and stack cake pieces from the 8th cake to form feet/tail lights
5. Wheels - Use circle cookie cutter to cut 6 wheels to size out of the 9th cake
6. Crumb coat everything and freeze
7. Ice each piece again so fondant can stick
8. Roll and apply fondant to each of the pieces - the Cab, the Bed the Tail lights, and all six wheels
9. Cut window shapes out of the cab - be careful, you'll need to put them back later
10. Use cutter, knife and other tools to create markings on the side of the cab and the back of the tail lights
11. Use fondant to mold roof accents and attach with clear vanilla extract and a paint brush
12. Spray the pieces - Cab is red, Bed is blue, Tail lights are blue, windows and wheels are black (Hint: spray black twice under the blue to make it darker)
13. Use fondant to mold roof accents, grill, bumper, headlights, icons, and exhaust stacks (wrapped around dowels for stability); freeze for easier handling
14. Use Oreo cookie pieces, discarding (or eating!) the center creme - stick 10 cookie sides together with royal icing and paint silver, then freeze to harden
15. Paint the miscellaneous pieces to match the toy's various details with silver luster, red and black markers
16. Use stiffened buttercream to attach the pieces to the cab, and the wire to help hold on the exhaust stacks
17. Cover one 13x19 cake board with aluminum foil and use yellow tape to make lane markings (optional)
18. Place the pieces together on the large cake board - you might use a second 13x19 cake board underneath for added strength
19. Complete any final touches, then take pictures and show all your friends how much of a geek you are!
20. Eat cake (yum!)