WHO DOESN'T LOVE LEGO?

Here's a Lego cake you can make yourself.

You can adapt it to be any size, color, Lego shape, and flavor!

Lego Ice Cream Cake

Below you will find a step-by-step tutorial for making the Lego Ice Cream Cake.
However, simplest way to make a Lego cake would be to do it as a regular cake
consisting of simple frosted cake layers. At the bottom of this tutorial are instructions
for how to make this cake without ice cream.

Components

1 9x13 sheet cake (a dense cake is preferable)

1 rectangular box of premium ice cream
6 Oreo cookies
1 1/2 cups buttercream frosting
6 Oreo Cookies
1 1/2 - 2 pounds rolled fondant
a sheet of corrugated cardboard or cake board
Assorted Lego

Before you start: make some room in your freezer to accommodate the cake.

Step 1: Bake and cool cake. Wrap and refrigerate overnight. This will tighten up the
crumb.
Step 2: Level the cake using a cake leveling tool, or a large kitchen knife.

Step 3: Measure your box of ice cream. Most boxed ice creams are around 5x7. Cut a
template out of light weight cardboard or cardstock that matches the dimensions of your
boxed ice cream. In my case, the box measured 5x7. I cut my template to be 4.75 x
6.75, since the ice cream inside the box is smaller than the box itself.

Step 4: Lay your template on one side of the top of the leveled cake. Using a sharp
kitchen knife, cut cake around the template. Repeat with the other side of the cake.
Remove scraps. What remains should be two rectangular cakes.
Step 5: Slide one of the cakes on to a cake board or piece of corrugated cardboard cut
to the same dimensions as your template. This is cake A.

Step 6: Slide the other cake on to the template (to make it easier to transport, and less
likely to fall apart). This is cake B.

Step 7: Stack cake B (still on the template piece) on top of cake A. Freeze for 1 hour.

Step 8: Prepare your work area with a small cutting board and sharp chef's knife.
Remove ice cream from freezer and remove from packaging. Working quickly, slice
two 1" thick layers from the block, lengthwise. Set to the side of your small cutting
board. Put the left-over ice cream in the freezer and remove the frozen cake layers.

Step 9: On your small cutting board, set cake A (the piece with the cake board). Put a
an ice cream slice on top. Slide cake B off of the template and on to the ice cream
layer. Finish with the final ice cream slice. Put the cake, still on the cutting board in the
freezer immediately. Freeze for 1 hour.
Step 10: Prepare buttercream frosting. Remove cake from freezer and quickly give the
cake a light 'crumb coat' of frosting on the top and all 4 sides. This will help fill any gaps
and give the rectangle a nice even shape. Do not over-frost. The main purpose of the
buttercream is to smooth out the shape and give the rolled fondant something to adhere
to.

Tip: Use an offset spatula to frost your cake. They can be purchased at many grocery
stores and craft stores. They are inexpensive and a worthwhile kitchen tool.

Step 11: Place the six Oreo cookies on the top of the cake to simulate the look of a
Lego piece. Make sure you can fit a finger in-between the cookies. This will make it
easy to form the fondant over the little knobs later. Work quickly, and return cake to the
freezer when you have finished. Freeze for 1 hour.
Step 12: Prepare your work surface to roll the fondant. Rolling fondant is like rolling pie
dough. Lightly dust your work area with cornstarch to prevent sticking. Gently knead
your fondant to bring it up to room temperature. Once it has softened up, use a rolling
pin to roll the fondant in to a 14" circle (about 1/4" thick).

Tip: Rolled Fondant can be purchased at most major craft stores in the cake decorating
department. It can be purchased already tinted or plain white. You can tint it yourself
by kneading in small amounts of gel food coloring until you achieve the desired color.
You can also make your own rolled fondant, which is simple and cost effective. I like
the recipe from cake maven Colette Peter's. You can find her recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cooking-live/rolled-fondant-recipe/index.html.

For this project I purchased the rolled fondant made by Duff Goldman, the "Ace of
Cakes". It was easy to work with and tasted fantastic. It was tinted a perfect shade of
red, which typically takes an exorbitant amount of red gel color to achieve (messy,
messy work -- wear gloves). I definitely {heart} Duff's Buttercream Fondant and highly
recommend it!

Step 13: Remove cake from freezer. Slide on to a clean work surface near the fondant.
Gently lift fondant circle and place evenly on top of cake. Lightly press fondant to
adhere to the shape of the cake. Use the side of a finger to mold the fondant around
the little Oreo knobs on top.
 Smooth out wrinkles, and trim excess fondant with a sharp knife.

Freeze until ready to serve.

Tip: Putting rolled fondant on a cake with sharp angles can get a little tricky. If you're
new to working with fondant or haven't covered a square/rectangular cake before, watch
this helpful video from Sarah Jones of the Especially Delicious Cake Company here:
http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-put-fondant-on-a-square-cake

Step 14: Decorate: I presented the cake on square cake plate lined with a flat sheet of
Lego. The Happy Birthday candles that I purchased at a local market fit nicely into the
cake and were supported by the hands of the little Lego people. The candles on the
board were tricker. The picks were too thin to be held firmly in the hands of the Lego
people. To help the candle picks stand upright, I rolled a tiny ball of fondant and stuck it
to the bottom of each pick -- worked like a charm! These candles were really cute but
burned way too quickly! Next time, I'd probably try the tall, skinny birthday candles sold
in most craft stores (made by Wilton). I have a hunch they'd fit into the Lego people's
hands perfectly, and wouldn't burn up quite so fast.
 For the Lego Cake Without Ice Cream

Components

3 1" cake layers (a dense cake, like pound cake is preferable)

6 Oreo cookies
3 1/2 cups buttercream frosting
6 Oreo Cookies (or more depending on your desired Lego piece shape)
1 1/2 - 2 pounds rolled fondant
a sheet of corrugated cardboard or cake board
Assorted Lego

Step 1: Cut cake layers to the desired shape.

Step 2: Set one cake layer on a cake board cut to the same size.
Step 3: Spread a layer of frosting on this layer. Top with a second layer of cake.
Step 4: Spread a layer of frosting on the second layer of cake. Top with the final layer
of cake.
Step 5: Spread a crumb-coat of frosting on top and all four sides of the cake. Set Oreo
cookies on top to simulate the look of a piece of Lego. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Step 6: Roll fondant to 1/4" thick and wide enough to drape the cake.
Step 7: Remove cake from refrigerator and set on a clean work surface near cake.
Place fondant on top of cake. Work the corners first, then the sides. Using a finger,
gently work the fondant around the Oreo knobs on top. Trim excess fondant from
bottom of the cake.

Tip: If you refrigerate the cake after applying the fondant, the fondant will develop a wet
and shiny look. It is best to store the cake in a cool room until ready to serve. The
fondant helps to seal in the moisture and freshness. For an excellent video tutorial on
applying fondant to a cake, click: http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-put-fondant-on-a-
square-cake.