Fire Truck Cake

You will need a serving tray at least 14 x 11 in.
2 1/2 cans (12 oz each) fluffy white frosting
2 whole graham crackers broken in half
(4 squares) and 6 whole graham crackers
License plates: 2 sticks Fruit Stripe gum
Siren light: 2 red Jolly Rancher Fruit Chews
2 family-size frozen poundcakes (16 oz each), thawed
One 12-oz, 7 x 31/4-in. all-butter loaf cake
2 thin pretzel sticks, broken in half
2 cans (1.5 oz each) red decorating spray used as can directs
Hose: 8 green Jolly Rancher Fruit Chews
Ladders: 1/4 cup white chocolate chips and 12 thin pretzel sticks
Tires: 1 Red Jolly Rancher Fruit Chews and 6 chocolate sandwich cookies
Valves and knobs on side: assorted candies

Note: In place of decorating spray, you can tint 3 cups frosting with red paste (gel) food color.

Hose: Roll 2 Fruit Chews together into a 4 1/2-in.-long log. Repeat 3 times. Place all 4 logs side by side on a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap. Press ends together to make 1 long, curving hose.

Ladders: Melt white chocolate to use as glue. Glue 2 pretzels together end to end. Repeat with 6 more pretzels. Place on plastic wrap. When dry, place parallel, cut remaining pretzels to fit for rungs, glue in place and let dry.

Tires: Cut red Fruit Chews in 6 equal pieces; roll each into a ball, flatten and press onto cookies. Spoon 1/3 cup frosting into a small ziptop bag. Snip tip off 1 corner; pipe bolts on tires. Add to lined baking sheet.

Vents on sides of truck: Cut 3/4 in. off 1 graham cracker square. Cut 3/4-in.-wide piece in half crosswise; pipe lines on both pieces.

License plates for front and back: Pipe FDNY on sticks of gum.

Siren light: Roll Fruit Chews together into a 2-in.-long log. Pipe a line crosswise in center; place on plastic wrap.

Using frosting as glue, glue 3 whole graham crackers on top of each other. Repeat with another 3 whole crackers, then with remaining 3 half crackers (you?ll have 3 stacks: 2 of 3 whole crackers, 1 of 3 half crackers). Place stacks end to end down middle of serving surface. Frost top and sides.

Trim and assemble cake: Place 1 poundcake on right end of stacked crackers. Frost top. Top of truck: Trim 1/4 in. off both long sides of remaining poundcake. Bed for hoses: Mark 1/4 in. in from both sides of one end (click for diagram). Within marked lines, cut out a 4 1/2-in.-long, 1/2-in.-deep rectangle of cake. Center cake on top of other poundcake. Cab: Cut loaf cake crosswise 5 1/2 in. from 1 end (reserve smaller piece for another use). Trim front (click for diagram) for windshield. Set in place in front of poundcakes.

Spread a thin layer of frosting over truck to set crumbs, then frost truck, carefully frosting inside of hose bed. To hold ladders in place later, partially insert halved pretzel sticks in place on both sides of truck.

Cover exposed area of serving surface with wax paper. Choose a well-ventilated area; following directions on decorating spray can, spray cake to coat. Remove wax paper. Press tires in place.

Pipe windshield, windows, grill, headlights and NY Fire Dept on doors.

Carefully set hose and ladders in place. Press on vents, license plates, siren light, valves and knobs.

Serves 20