How to make a 3D Thomas The Tank Engine cake with Free Template
Watch how to make a cute Thomas train cake. Perfect birthday cake for a little boy.
In this video, I’ll to show you how I made this 3D Thomas train cake step by step.
I will also show you at the end of the video, how to stack the cakes so that Thomas is a little elevated from the ground and looks as if it’s really standing on its wheels instead of laying flat on the tracks.
First let’s see how to build the structure of Thomas.
Following are the dimensions of the cake layers I’m using to build Thomas:
H*W*L in cm
- Board: 3*10.5*19.5
- 1st layer: 3*10.5*19.5
- 2nd layer: 2*9*16.5
- 3rd layer: 3*9*14.5
- top layer: 3*9*7.5
Following are the cake layers, all cut out for the train. There’s also a cake board cut out to the size of the bottom-most layer to build the structure on.
Assemble the train by stacking the layers one on top of the other sticking together with ganache.
I used Ganache to sandwich the cake layers and also to cover the structure. here’s my go-to Ganache Recipe
After stacking the layers I used the Thomas Cake Template to shape the structure a little more.
Before covering the structure with fondant, the ganache should be set, you might want to refrigerate the cake for a while after covering with ganache if it would not firm up in room temperature.
When the ganache is all set and dry, it’s better to mist it slightly with water so that the fondant would stick.
Covering this shape is a bit tricky, start from the top and take your time to smooth out any wrinkles and stick the fondant to the cake. Smooth as much as possible from the front and sides.
I smoothed the back of the train last and then cut out any extra fondant with a pair of scissors.
Trim the excess fondant from the bottom leaving the bottom-most layer uncovered. So, this is how it looked when finished covering with blue fondant.
Fondant details of Thomas
Preparing the fondant decorations or rather the details on Thomas is quite easy with the Thomas Cake Template
Some usefull tips
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- I recommend adding some Tylose powder or CMC powder to your fondant to make this as it will make the fondant dry out faster and hold the shape well. I usually do this by taking a small amount of fondant that I’m going to work with and mix a pinch of Tylose powder with it just before using it.
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- Note: If you mix Tylose and keep the fondant without using, it will become harden and no longer pliable.
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- I always use a little bit of water to stick the fondant cutouts/details, no need for sugar syrups or edible glue. Just apply a small amount of water to the fondant with a brush and stick it to the cake, you might have to hold it for a few seconds until the two fondant layers stick together.
I used a large round piping tip to cut out the tiny circle at the centre of the wheel.
The Face of Thomas
Here’s how to make the face of Thomas.
The face is a bit heavy and tends to tilt down after some time if it’s not properly supported. So here’s what I did.
- Insert a bubble tea straw through the middle to hold some of the weight of the face.
- Place some black fondant underneath the face for more support from the bottom.
The Base cake
The base is a three-layer cake. I’ve alternated between vanilla and chocolate. I used chocolate buttercream to sandwich the layers and cover the cake.
Covered this cake with a lighter blue colour fondant. and covered the board with green fondant. You can get really creative in decorating the base layer.
I’ve added some brown stripes on top for the railway. and after that, inserted a few bubble tea straws to support the train cake on top.
So, this is a piece of form which is slightly smaller than the base of the train on which the train cake is to be placed so that it is a little elevated. I covered it with foil and then covered all around the visible perimeter with blue tape so that it blends nicely with the cake. I applied some ganache on both sides of the form to stick it in place on the cake and then stick the train cake on top of it.
When the train is placed on top of the foam, the wheels can be added. I had to trim the wheels a little bit on the top so that they fit right in.
So here’s the final look.
The Template
A template would definitely make your life easier with this kind of cake. So that’s the reason why I created this template! You can download it by clicking the button below 
Template Reviews, Feedback and Pictures
I asked a bunch of the people who downloaded the template how useful it was, and I received some very impressive pictures and feedback from some of them.
