Guitar Cake with your top ten bands & artists
We asked what your favorite bands and artists were and after more than 6000 responses we’ve tallied up all the votes and the results are in. This was a fun cake to make. If you’re new to cake decorating, give yourself a couple of days to make it. One to bake the cakes, make the frosting, chocolate and the fondant details and the next day to assemble and decorate the cake.
To make this guitar cake you will need:
Fondant extruder ( you can get them online here )
1500g (52.91 ounces) white fondant
core flute board
fondant smoother
brown, yellow and black gel food coloring
vodka
paintbrush
rice paper printed with edible ink for band logo ‘stickers’ and chromatic tuner (optional)
480g (16.93 ounces) chocolate, tempered
Chocolate Cake
450g (15.87 ounces) of 70% cocoa dark chocolate
715g (25.22 ounces) or 3¼ cups margarine
18 eggs
5 cups or 1080g (38.1 ounces) caster sugar
2¾ cups or 440g (15.52 ounces) plain flour (use GF flour if coeliac, this recipe has been tested with gluten free flour and works well)
2/3 cup or 70g (2.47 ounces) cocoa powder (unsweetened)
3½ tsp baking powder
A double batch of my basic vanilla buttercream
Make some very fine snakes of fondant for the strings, this will be easiest if you use a fondant extruder. Then make some slightly wider ones for the frets. Line these up perfectly straight and leave to dry out.
For the cake, combine the cocoa powder, baking powder and flour using a whisk. Then whisk to aerate and remove any lumps.
Add the chocolate to the margarine and melt in the microwave.
Pour the chocolate mixture into a large mixing bowl and add the sugar and the eggs. Whisk on high speed until smooth.
Turn to low speed and add in your flour, cocoa powder and baking powder mixture. Whisk until it is just combined and you can’t see any more flour.
Split that into three trays and bake until cooked through (15-20 minutes). My trays are 15in (38.1 centimetres) x 10in (25.4 centimetres).
Cut a cake board the shape of the body of the guitar.
Make a mold for the neck, head and support of the guitar using core flute (see the video for instructions).
Melt some chocolate and then temper it. If you haven’t tempered chocolate before please watch this first.
Once that is done pour the tempered chocolate into each mold and then tap it on the bench to smooth out the top. With the smallest box tilt it to one side and support it so that the chocolate sets on an angle.
Roll out some black fondant and using the template cut out the shape of the bridge. Then cut an extra strip of black, place it over the top and trim it to the right size.
Then cut a strip of white for the saddle and add that into place in the centre. Then using your template make indents where the strings go.
Now for the top of the tuners find cut out a circles of black fondant. Roll a snake of black then cut it into short strips. Using a little water add them to the centre of the discs.
For the underneath of the tuning mechanism, cut out a piece of black in the shape shown on the template. Use a piping tip to make an indent at the top and the bottom, then indent a line and another across so it looks like a screw.
Cut another circle of black and squash it slightly, then flatten it on each side to give the shape of the tuning pegs.
Now using a little water, join the base plate the the peg using a snake of fondant. Then take some gold luster dust and brush it all over the black pieces.
Once your cakes are cooled and levelled, cut out the guitar shape using the template.
Add some buttercream to the cake board so the cake doesn’t slip. Then slide the first layer of cake on top of the board. Cover that in a layer of jam spread out thinly, then add a layer of buttercream over the top.
Stack on the remaining two layers in the same manner. Then cover the whole thing in butter cream. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or more.
Take the chocolate out of the container and join the pieces together as shown in the video.
Position the body of the guitar on one end of a long cake board.
Cover the whole thing in fondant. Lift and smooth down the edges all the way around. Cut the excess fondant from around the base of the cake. Use a fondant smoother and your hands to sharpen the corners.
Also add a layer of white fondant and add it to the head of the guitar.
Paint with gel food colour diluted with vodka, brushing it on in long strokes from top to bottom. Then make the colour a bit deeper towards the edges. Then do the same on the sides and on the head of the guitar. While that is still damp add the posts on top.
Using your template mark where the bridge should go. Then add that on top.
Put the neck in place and add a strip of black fondant over the top. Use the template to mark where the sound chamber is and push your cutter down to cut a circle out of the fondant, take out the fondant and buttercream so that it dips down a level. Then add a circle of black. Paint the inside edge with the brown food colour so it looks like wood.
Place a slightly larger circle cutter on top and add a thin snake of cream colored fondant around the cutter. Then just remove the cutter. Add one more slightly bigger circle indent for decoration.
Add a strip of white just below the head and using your template add the indents for the strings. Then mark off where the frets go all the way down the neck. Trim the snake of fondant to the right length for the frets.
Using some chocolate add the tuning pegs into place on the underneath. Then very carefully add the strings into place and trim to length. Use some fresh white fondant to make loops around each peg.
Add your chromatic tuner to the side, then make some fondant details to add on top (see video).
Then finally add your rice paper stickers on top.
My Cookbook
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All recipe quantities in the book are in grams, ounces and cups.
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hi Ann
just downloaded the template but I don’t see the fret board or the other templates am I missing something
thanks
melanie
Hi Melanie, It’s a 9 page pdf, fret board is on page 2. If you’re still having issues please email us at [email protected] ?
Ann, can i make the fondant and chocolate pieces a week in advance? If so, how do i store them?
Hi Patches Peck, chocolate should be stored in an airtight container. Fondant pieces that you want to dry out need to be stored on baking paper on a tray. You can put another piece of baking paper over the top to stop the dust. Once it’s dry you can put in an airtight container or just leave on the tray. ?
Hi Ann,
Is there a way to connect the neck of the guitar for transportation? I’m afraid of it falling over or off in a car ride with just the fondant piece and peg.
Hi Patches, two ideas 1. pad under the neck to support during transportation or 2. keep the neck and strings seperate and put it together on location
Hey Ann,
i want to bake the guitar cake tomorrow, but i can’t find the template that you used. Do you have a link for me?
Thanks, Mariella
Hi Mariella, If you have purchased a template there is a link on screen immediately to download and it is also emailed to the address given. If you have problems with both of those methods you can contact on the email given on the checkout page customer-care [at] howtocookthat.net ?
Hi I am doing the guitar cake. Can you please tell me the exact amount of chocolate used for the cake and the amount used to temper?
Thanks
Hi Lara, you need 450g of chocolate in the cake recipe. Then an additional 500g chocolate to temper.
I made it! Only I alter the side of the template to look exactly like my son’s ukulele
Thanks Ann
Amazing Kat, It looks awesome – happy birthday to your son ?
thanks
Wow Monica, that looks fantastic, well done ?
Dear Ann, this is my attempt to bake your guitar cake. Thank you
Hi there – how many people will this cake feed? Thank you!
Hi SJR, there is enough cake here for 30 people ?
After many hours of work it paid off!! Thank you so much!
Made it for my husband’s birthday
He loved it!
Wow Malka, well done!!!
hi one more question, if i plan to serve the cake on friday night, is it okay to bake and decorate on thursday afternoon????
Hi Malka, It should be fine if kept in a cool place out of direct sunlight.
I love this idea I am hoping to make an attempt next week. Can you freeze the tempered chocolate ? Or how far in advance could I make it?
Hi Elaine, most of the decorations can be made well in advance. The cake could be assembled and decorated the day prior to service.
hi! how long in advane can i make this cake? and after i make it before its served where should i keep it.. fridge… on a table???
and is red velvet a good subsitute for chocolate cake?
Hi Maka, red velvet cake should work well. Cake is always best made and served fresh. Ideally within a couple of days of cooking. A fondant cake can be kept on the kitchen bench in a cool position out of direct sunlight.
thank you!
Thanks for the template and instructions. Here’s my effort.
Great work Febin!
Hi Ann, this looks amazing. I‘d love to make this cake for this Friday. For a freinds Dad. He turns 65yrs and love Vanilla cake. Will this recipe work out as a vanilla cake mixture if I leave out the chocolate & chocolate powder? Or do you please have me a vanilla recipe that would work out gor a guitar?.. thanks a million
Hi Fary, This is a large sculpted cake, so denser cakes work better. You could use a vanilla cake recipe if you prefer: https://www.howtocookthat.net/public_html/how-to-make-a-princess-cake-using-fondant/
Hi Ann, I am wondering if I can substitute margarine for butter, or a butter/oil mix because I just can’t bring myself to use margarine after all the info I have read on it. Eagerly awaiting your reply 🙂
Thank you Ann
Guitar cake was big hit yesterday,
Thank you thank you so much
that’s great to hear Amita 🙂
How to share the pic
I am trying to attach the file
Somehow it not accepting
We love it Amita. Great work!!. Maybe the photo was too large to be uploaded to start with!
Can we use compound chocolate
Hi Amita, yes you can use compound chocolate in the chocolate cake recipe ?
OKay, I am in the middle if making this cake. Am I suppose to blow up the template I bought? It sure does look small. REAL SMALL! 🙁
Hi Dawn, double check the scale on the front page it has a 1cm and 1″ if you print at 100% they should be correct. If you make it in that size it will be the same as shown in the video. You are welcome to scale it up if you want it bigger than that. ?
Which jam you used
From where did you get the long base or cake board for guitar cake
Hi Amita, Ann would usually make a cake board like this.
Hi Ann, I am just wondering what core flute board is? Do you know if it is called something else in Britain?
Thanks, Caroline
Hi Caroline, I believe it is referred to as corrugated board or correx fluted board.
Thanks so much. Did the cake at the weekend for my brothers 40th and it went down a treat. Technically challenging but very enjoyable creation. Everyone thought it tasted yum as well. Here’s a picture, Caroline
Well done Caroline!