• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Craftulate logo
  • Art
  • Crafts
  • Fine Motor
  • Food
  • Play Recipes
  • Sensory
  • Gross Motor
  • DIY Crafts
  • DIY Gifts
  • DIY Projects
  • Inspiration
    • DIY Guide
    • Parenting
    • Learning Resources
    • Product and Service Opinions
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Art
  • Crafts
  • Play Recipes
  • Food
  • Fine Motor
  • Sensory
  • Gross Motor
  • DIY Crafts
  • DIY Gifts
  • DIY Projects
  • Inspiration
    • Parenting
    • Learning Resources
    • Product and Service Opinions
×

Quick and Easy Car Cakes

I am really excited to have this guest post from my good friend Sara H. Today she is sharing with us how she made these super easy car cakes – all made during her son’s naptime!

Quick and Easy Car Cakes

My son was turning two, and I decided to indulge his love of vehicles by making him a car cake for his birthday. I looked around online for inspiration and came across a basic design from Betty Crocker that I thought I could adapt for my purposes.
Instead of using a cake mix, I made a basic yellow cake from scratch. Just as easy, and I like knowing all the ingredients I’m using.
For the yellow cake batter:
2.5 cups AP (plain) flour
2.5 tsp baking powder
0.5 tsp salt
2/3 cup butter
1.75 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1.25 cup milk
Mix flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Beat butter for 30 seconds, add sugar, vanilla and eggs, beat till combined. Add dry mixture and milk, and beat until combined.
I poured the batter in equal parts into three 8×4-inch loaf pans and baked them in my small oven at 350 for about 30 minutes.

Quick and Easy Car Cakes
Quick and Easy Car Cakes

I didn’t do a great job greasing the pans, and the cakes fell apart a bit when I removed them from the pans. Also, the center of one of the cakes fell while cooling. Luckily, frosting covers any number of ills.
Quick and Easy Car Cakes
I made a big batch of powdered sugar frosting while the cakes were cooling, reserved a bit of white, then added food coloring to the rest for a yellow and purple.
For the frosting:
0.5 cup shortening
2 tsp vanilla extract
2.25 cup powdered sugar (icing sugar)
milk (2 or 3 tablespoons)
Beat shortening and vanilla. Add about half of powdered sugar, beat, then add a splash or two of milk, beat, then add the rest of the powdered sugar and as much milk as needed for desired consistency.
Quick and Easy Car Cakes
Once the cakes were cooled (I sped up the process by popping them in the freezer for a short time), I frosted one with yellow and one with the purple.
Quick and Easy Car Cakes
The third cake I cut in half for the tops, and tapered one end on each for the windshield. I placed the car tops on their bases, frosted the windshields and windows with white, then frosted around the white with the colors.
For the finishing touches, I used butterscotch candies for the headlights and chocolate sandwich cookies for the wheels. I think string licorice, as suggested by the link, would have been a nice demarcation between the windows and the rest of the cars, but I couldn’t find any at three different stores, so I decided to skip it.
Quick and Easy Car Cakes
All this was accomplished during my son’s nap. When he woke up and saw the car cakes, he laughed with delight and immediately made the sign for “car.” Despite the frosting looking a bit sloppy, and the cars looking a little uneven, when I served the car cakes to my son at his birthday party, he gave an appreciative “wow” before digging in. Success!
Sara H. is a former newspaper copy editor and lawyer who currently stores her journalism and law degrees in a closet while working as a full-time stay-at-home mom in Chicago.

Related Posts

  • Hot Wheels Birthday PartyHot Wheels Birthday Party
  • Cow Birthday CakeCow Birthday Cake
  • Minecraft Party AccessoriesMinecraft Party Accessories
  • Nerf Party Favor BagsNerf Party Favor Bags
  • Ornament CookiesOrnament Cookies
  • Cars and Trucks From A to Z Art BookCars and Trucks From A to Z Art Book
  • Host a Halloween Crafting Party!Host a Halloween Crafting Party!
  • Cardboard Tube CarsCardboard Tube Cars
Pin48
48 Shares
Pin48
48 Shares

Primary Sidebar

Latest Crafts for Kids

  • Educational Resources You Can Use to Balance Parenting and College
  • How To Work With An Autistic Child On Your Own?
  • 30 Easy Winter Crafts for Kids – Art and Craft Activities
  • 25 Easy Fourth of July Crafts: 4th of July Crafts for Kids

Footer

↑ back to top

About

profile

Hi, Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and explore Craftulate!! This blog was started in January 2013 and offers a wide range of arts, crafts, activities, fun games, printables for toddlers, young children and kids of all ages. Find More

Contact

  • Contact
  • Advertising
  • Privacy Policy and Disclosure

Craftulate is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Copyright © 2022 Craftulate - Art and Crafts for Kids