Blast from the Past Aircraft Cakes – Spitfire and Fighter jet

It’s been a week full of aircraft of all types for me. Firstly, on Monday I saw the new “Top Gun: Maverick” movie with Tom Cruise at my local Imax cinema and wow, wasn’t it brilliant. I loved the original 1986 film, but to see actual F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets flying real manoeuvres was captivating. Today I’m at the RAF Cosford Airshow (the only remaining RAF airshow) waiting for the show to start…

Aircraft Cakes

As I wait, I am thinking about the aircraft that I’ve created out of cake and sugarpaste over the years. Admittedly these aircraft cakes were created quite a while ago when my son was small and we lived near RAF Halton. It’s also made me think how much has changed over the last 20 years or so, in how we actually create our cakes.

ADVERTISEMENT

Spitfire cake

The Spitfire is probably one of the UK’s most iconic aircraft so it was an absolute delight to create this cake. The cake didn’t need to be big, it was for my son and a few of his friends, so placing it on a painted landscape as if the plane was flying over fields really worked. If I was creating this cake today, yes I would approach it differently.

The painted cake board

I would definitely paint the board using cocoa butter. I’m a complete convert to cocoa butter painting its so much easier than using paste colours and dust mixed with water, as we once did. See my beginner’s guide to painting with cocoa butter blog.

Spitfire wings

I think I’d also approach the wings differently. They probably wouldn’t be solid cake as in my original. Instead, I am thinking that a supporting frame, would allow them to look thinner, more optical and more realistic…more lightly to get airborne! That would mean the fuselage and hence the whole cake would need to be bigger – perhaps making the whole cake more impressive. Maybe I should create an updated version…

Fighter jet cake

This was a cake I’ve made at least twice and one you may have created too. Why? Well, it’s one of the designs that appear in my ‘Quick and Clever Party Cakes ‘ book first published back in 2002 – wow 20 years ago! It was my second book, I now have sixteen…time flies.

For this fighter jet cake design, the clouds comprise the cake and the jet is a sugar model made from pastillage and modelling paste. I remember the jet was an upscale version of a small toy fighter jet that my son loved playing with. I believe it is an F14-Tomcat. Would I change how I would create it today? Possibly.

The sugar fighter jet

Whilst creating the cakes for my ‘One-tier party cakes‘ book (published in 2020), I finally discovered the joys of creating models from chocolate modelling paste. Now I know modelling chocolate paste isn’t for everyone, especially those with hot hands or sugarcrafters who live in warm climates, but it works a treat for me. I love the way you can blend one piece into another so easily and how much more detail it is possible to add to a design when compared to sugar-based modelling paste. For these reasons, I would preferably make a chocolate jet rather than a sugar one. I would keep the pastillage wings, craft the body from white chocolate modelling paste then probably paint the jet with cocoa butter. I’m a much more skilled painter these days than I used to be😄.

The cake clouds

I believe the cake clouds work well as a backdrop to the fighter jet, however, with today’s techniques to hand I may have taken a different approach. I’m thinking that shaped, perhaps distressed white wafer paper could add a little more drama to the scene. It’s amazing what can be done with wafer paper, have you tried experimenting with it yet?

Fighter jet afterburn

Not something I added to my original cakes, but I think I’d definitely include another time. Painting I think would be my prefered option. Perhaps you have another? If so do let me know.

Have you created aircraft cakes?

I’d love to see your aircraft cakes, no matter when you made them or your skill level. I’m sure you’ll agree, that my aircraft cakes of 20 years ago are very different from the cakes I create today, yet I’m still sharing. If you’d like to share your aircraft cakes, please use the comments box below.

That’s all from me at the RAF Cosford airshow. I’ve still got quite a wait until the planes start flying but there is plenty to see and do, who knows I may even find cake…

Sweet wishes

Lindy

Bringing world-class sugarcraft into your kitchen