Mission: North Carolina Cake

 One of my closest friends was putting together a surprise 30th birthday party for her husband.  I had developed a 'taste for cakes' and asked if I could make one.  I was originally thinking of doing frosting stars on a 9 x 13 cake of the NC logo.  I googled NC cakes and my brain started working ahead of my capabilities.  Toward the end of my search I ran across this shoe.  And I thought, I'll make a cake that looks like that shoe!

 First I baked two 9 x 13 chocolate cakes.  I cut out the general shape of the sole out of the two cakes and stacked them with vanilla frosting in between.  I then took the pieces I had left to piece together the high top portion of the shoe.  Then I covered it in plastic wrap and stuck it in the freezer.  After a bit of time to chill solid I began to carve it.  Lesson here, always carve it smaller than you would like the final product.  Finishing with the frosting and fondant adds more than one might think.  Exaggerate your carving!  I then gave the whole thing a crumb coat.  There is one dowel in this cake down the highest part of the cake.  Another lesson, always trim the dowel shorter if the cake has been in the freezer.  It settled as it thawed. 

 We made templates out of parchment paper for the individual pieces of fondant to be pieced together like the shoe.  When I say "we" I mean my husband and I.  There was no way I was going to get this cake done all by myself in the time I had.  I had to bring in reinforcements :). 

 My favorite part of these cakes is the details.  The logos, the fact that the shoe laces actually go into the holes, and the "stitching". 

 We finished this cake and walked out the door to make it to the surprise birthday on time.  As soon as the guest of honor arrived we lit the candles, he blew them out, and his wife (my dear friend) asked if I would cut it.  Now, I love making cakes, and the best part is that you can eat them.  I have no problem cutting into one of these beauties.  However, I had literally just finished making this cake.  I wasn't about to cut it. 

I watched them do it instead :).

Last lesson from this particular cake.  The board that one presents the cake on is just as important as the cake itself.  This cake would have looked great on a board covered in fondant to look like a wood floor (like a basketball court).