My son, Joshua, is a big fan of Thomas the Tank Engine, so it was no surprise to me when he requested a Thomas the Tank Engine birthday cake.
I love making and decorating my own cakes, but I’m also very busy. I knew I had to come up with a simple design for this Thomas cake.
Inspired by Pinterest (of course), I created this fun Thomas the Tank Engine birthday cake.
To make this cake, you’ll need:
- a basic sheet cake
- gel food colors
(this brand is my favorite because it makes gorgeous colors) - cake decorating tips and bags
- buttercream frosting (this frosting recipe is the one I used)
- a Thomas the Tank Engine toy
(
toyBake a basic sheet cake and mix up your buttercream frosting. You’ll need plenty to do the basic frosting, then extra for the decorating.
I doubled the frosting recipe so I’d have plenty (it’s no fun having to stop and make more mid-way through a decorating project and have to remix colors too!) Then I divided it into thirds. One third I colored a light blue, the other third a light green, and the last third I saved for the decorating.
Frost the top half and upper sides with the light blue frosting. This is the sky.
Frost the bottom half and lower sides with the light green frosting. This is the grass.
Now, mix up the colors you want to use for the decorating. I included white clouds, green patches of grass, a red border, darker blue frosting for writing “Happy Birthday, Joshua” and of course black for Thomas’s train track! (Hint: I bought a tube of black frosting
from the grocery store.)
My favorite part was drawing the track – so much fun!
Lastly, don’t forget to add Thomas to your Thomas the Tank Engine birthday cake! He’s the star of this show (other than your birthday boy or girl!)
One of the fun things about this Thomas the Tank Engine birthday cake is that Thomas isn’t the cheap break-right-away toy that you usually find on cakes from the store. He’s the real deal and kids will play with him for a long time!
I hope you and your Thomas fan enjoy this Thomas the Tank Engine birthday cake as much as my Joshua did!
aurie says
June 19, 2012 at 2:05 pmI love it 🙂 Sophie wanted a Thomas birthday when she turned 4, but I caved and bought a cake.
Great job!!
Erika says
June 19, 2012 at 4:27 pmThanks Aurie! I bought the cake last year, but this year I just had to make it. I love baking cakes but I don’t do it often because we don’t need all the sugar around! When I have an excuse I’m all for it, lol. 🙂
MIa Dentice Carey says
June 22, 2012 at 12:56 amI did something very similar for my son…added some RR crossing signs….funny when he took the train off the cake licked it then stuck it back on the cake! =)
L says
November 29, 2012 at 10:25 pmI’m pinning this idea for my niece’s next birthday. I hear that she is quite the Thomas fan and this looks fun!
ANN*H says
December 23, 2012 at 7:38 pmmy grandson would love this hes a train fanatic – thanks
Kathy Idol says
February 20, 2013 at 12:17 pmLooks wonderful! I love making cakes but when it comes to the decorating I always mess it up. Wish my cakes looked so pretty
md kennedy says
March 11, 2013 at 1:58 amMy grandson is 2-1/2 and he just saw TV for the first time (what an accomplishment for his parents, I say!). And what did he see? Thomas! And he was in LOVE. He’ll get this cake for his 3rd birthday for sure.
lisa says
March 14, 2013 at 5:51 pmThat is so cute. I wish I were creative like that.
Bonny says
April 7, 2013 at 5:29 amIt’s so cute, you did a great job! It’s always fun to be creative, when it comes to decorating a cake!
kelly Nicholson says
April 30, 2013 at 8:33 pmif only i had time..i love to bake cakes,but decorating is the hardest part..
Erika says
May 1, 2013 at 8:49 pmIt can take hours, doesn’t it?! I wish I had more time to decorate.
Jill says
August 11, 2013 at 6:20 amGreat cake! My little boy wants a Thomas cake for his 3rd birthday next month. Love the idea of putting one of the little take n play trains on as I was going to get him one or two of these as extra presents so would be a fab way to combine the two.
Erika says
August 11, 2013 at 2:50 pmGlad you like it, Jill. It really is very easy and my son loved it. Good luck and Happy Birthday to your son!
heather says
September 29, 2013 at 11:53 pmThis is sooo darn cute I’d love to tackle something like this but I’m a little scared. Thanks for the great post and wonderful pics.
Jan says
October 13, 2014 at 9:37 amCan you give me your recipe for your Thomas the train cake icing please????
Erika says
October 13, 2014 at 3:46 pmAbsolutely! It’s the same buttercream frosting recipe as here:
Pink Velvet Cupcakes with ButterCream frosting