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Make a Spiderman Birthday Cake
by Martha Matthews
Due to the release of three blockbuster movies, the Marvel comic
character Spiderman, originally created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in
1962, is once again very popular with little boys. In fact, if you have
a son who is between the ages of three and ten you may have already had
a request for a Spiderman birthday.
When my son requested a Spiderman theme for his 5th birthday I decided
to check the cakes that were available at several local bakeries. Once I
saw the prices these novelty cakes command, $25.00 to 45.00 for a small
1/4 sheet cake, I thought maybe I should try making my own. That way I
could save some money and my son would have the cake he wanted.
If you’ve been hit with “cake sticker shock”, take heart, you can make a
novelty cake that will put a big smile on your son’s face while leaving
your budget intact.
I made this 1/2 sheet cake (see below) for approximately $16.00 and it
fed 12 hungry children and 24 adults with plenty left over (half sheet
cakes general feed 35 to 40 adults). The technique I used is
called a Buttercream Transfer Method which I will explain in detail
below. This cake decorating method can be used to create a picture of
almost anything on a cake. You can create a special cake for any
occasion.
If you plan on making more cakes in the future it is worth the cost to
invest in quality equipment. I already owned a cake decorating set that
included the tips and bags so all I needed to purchase were the mixes
and icing colors. I also purchased a pan but since I will reuse the pan,
the cost will be spread out over many future cakes.
This is not difficult project but there are a multi steps to complete.
You’ll need to start at least three days before the party in order for
everything to be done in time. Please make sure you read all the
instructions thoroughly and gather your supplies before you begin.
When you are done, this cake will have everyone saying, “You made that?
I thought it came from a bakery! It looks so professional”. And your
child will be very happy because his cake will be a one-of-a-kind cake
that will be the hit of the party.
Supplies
One 11 inch by 15 inch 2 inch deep sheet cake pan (Wilton 2105-158)
2 boxes of store bought cake mix in your choice of flavor
Shortening for greasing the pan
Flour for dusting
2 boxes of Creamy White Buttercream Icing mix (Wilton 710-112)
1 can Chocolate Ready-to-Use Decorator Icing (Wilton 710- 119)
1 large mixing bowl - 4 quart
4 small mixing bowls - 1 quart
6 disposable decorating bags (Wilton 2104-358)
# 2 round decorating tip (Wilton 402-2) (to write and make outline)
# 12 round decorating tip (Wilton 402-12) (to flood)
# 21 star decorating tip (Wilton 402-21) (to make star boarder)
13 inch by 19 inch piece of heavy card board
Red (no-taste) Icing Color (Wilton 610-998)
Royal Blue Icing Color (Wilton 610-655)
Black Icing Color (Wilton 610-981)
Wrapping paper with a glossy finish in a coordinating color
Wax Paper
Clear tape
Large flat surface such as a cutting board that will fit flat in your
freezer.
One picture of the image you want to put on your cake. Hint: look for
images in coloring books.
Day One
Making the Buttercream Image Transfer
Before you start, make flat space in your freezer for the transfer.
1. To make the novelty image of your Spiderman, enlarge or reducing the
size of your image to fit on your cake. Also make the copy in a reverse
image (mirror image) especially if it contains any text. These tasks can
be done at most copy facilities.
2. Place the image on the cutting board and tape it down securely. Place
a piece of wax paper over the image that is slightly larger than the
image and secure it with tape.
3. Scoop out the Chocolate Ready-to-Use Decorator Icing into a 1 quart
bowl. Add black coloring gel a little at a time until the icing is
completely black. Note: colors darken after they dry so don’t add too
much.
4. Cut about 3/4 of an inch off the tip of a decorating bag and drop a
#2 decorating tip into the bag with the narrow end of the tip down.
5. Fold back the top of the bag to form a 3 inch cuff. Fill the bag with
1/2 cup of the black icing. Do not over fill the bag. Unfold the cuff
and twist the top of the bag down to force the icing into the tip of the
bag. Squeeze a small amount of the icing out of the tip to make sure
that the tip is primed.
6. Use the black icing to trace an outline of the image onto the wax
paper. When you have completed the outline, place the image with cutting
board into the freezer for 20 minutes.
7. While the outline is setting up in the freezer, mix up one box of
Creamy White Buttercream Icing Mix. Divide the icing into two 1 quart
bowls. Add red icing color to one bowl and the blue to the other. Mix in
each color thoroughly. This is very important because you don’t want
streaks in your icing.
Save some of the red and blue icing to be used later for piping a
boarder and for writing a message on the cake.
8. After 20 minutes, remove the outline from the freezer. Follow the
directions about for filling a decorating bag. Using a # 12 tip, fill in
the colors of the picture one color at a time. Return the image to the
freezer for 10 minutes between each color so that the colors will not
bleed into each other.
If the icing in the bag gets soft during this phase of the project,
place the bag in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes to firm it up.
9. When you have finished coloring in your image, gently smooth and
press the icing with a metal spatula so that the icing fills in any
gaps. Be sure to be gentle so that the colors underneath don’t bleed.
This will settle your frosting and create a smooth finished image.
Return the image to the freezer and chill for 20 more minutes.
10. Mix up the second box of Creamy White Buttercream Icing Mix. Remove
the image from the freezer. Gently spread the white icing over the
image. Remember this is going to be the back of your image. Covering the
image with the same color as the main icing on the cake will give the
appearance of the image being set into the icing. DO NOT go beyond the
black outline. Place the image back in the freezer. After 20 minutes of
freezing, cover the transfer with plastic wrap so that what is in the
freezer won’t affect the flavor and smell of the transfer. Continue
freezing for at least 90 minutes or over night.
Store the rest of the icing in an airtight container in the refrigerator
for use on day three.
Note: You can make your icing 2 to 3 days in advance. Store it in an
airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator. You will need to
stir the icing to bring it back to a smooth consistency.
Day Two
Baking and Frosting the Cake
Before you start, make space in your refrigerator for the cake.
11. Using two boxes of cake mix make your cake according to the
directions on the Wilton cake pan. Follow the recommended batter amount
for the pan size you are using. Don’t forget to prepare your pan with
shortening and flour so that the cake will release from the pan after
baking.
12. After baking allow the cake to cool in the pan for ten minutes, then
unmold it onto a wire rack and cool for at least one hour.
13. Level the cake by trimming off the raised center portion using a
serrated knife. Gently brush off any excess crumbs with a pastry brush.
14. Cover the cake board with wrapping paper or heavy foil. Transfer the
cake onto a prepared board.
15. Take the Creamy White Buttercream Icing out of the refrigerator.
Stir icing to bring it back to a smooth consistency. Using a large
off-set spatula, coat the cake with a thin coating of icing (crumb coat)
and set aside to harden for 1/2 hour. When the crumb coat has set, ice
the cake as you normally would.
Note: This cake can be stored at in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Make
sure that the cake is covered but that there is nothing touching the
icing. For the best results use a cake cover.
Day Three
Putting It All Together
16. Remove your transfer image from the freezer. Pick up the transfer
with the wax paper against the palm of your hand and carefully place the
transfer onto the cake. Gently press the transfer into the cake. Slowly
remove the wax paper. Allow the transfer time to fuse into the cake
icing.
17. Follow the previous steps for filling and using the decorator bag to
decorate the rest of the cake. Use the #21 tip to make stars along the
bottom boarder of the cake. Use the # 2 tip to write a message on the
cake.
You can store you cake in the refrigerator but make sure to use a cake
cover so that the cake does not pick up any bad taste or odor. DO
NOT cover with plastic. If possible, use a box or cake cover to
protect your master piece.
The Day of the Party
Remove the cake from the refrigerator one hour before the party. Do not
remove it any sooner or the colors my bleed before you have a chance to
serve the cake.
Cake Decorating Tips
Most icing colors deepen and intensify as they dry so don’t go overboard
with adding color.
Make enough icing for each application of color you are doing. It is
very hard to make another batch of the exact same color.
For complete instructions on how to add coloring agents to icing, go to:
www.wilton.com/cake/icing/coloringicing.cfm
For detailed icing instructions see:
www.wilton.com/cake/cakeprep/icing/index.cfm
About the author
Martha Matthews is the Executive Director of Christian-Homemaking.com, a
web site with resources devoted to helping Christian homemakers manage
their home. She also has a popular free monthly newsletter for Christian
homemakers called The Christian Homemaking Newsletter. To subscribe
visit
www.christian-homemaking.com/newsletter.html
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