I had the brillaint idea of making a tardis cake for a big fan who got top of his class at the course he's doing ( wishing now i'd just bought a bag of haribo!! )

I've got all ingredients , including that roll out icing to cover , but was wondering hows the easiest way to do the sponge bit. I don't have a rectanglular cake tin and only know the method for round victoria sponges. Could I just cut the sponge out in rectangles and stick it together? And if so how?

Really need some help from all you clever baking people :) :) 

Can you not use a loaf tin?  A madeira cake type recipe would be the best for that shape tin.  If not, just do a couple of victoria sponge cakes and cut out shapes to make a rectangle.  I'd do squares and build the cake up, stick them together with jam and/or butter icing. 

Ooh you star!! :)  Squares and build it up - fab idea ( and one I can do ;) )

Don't have a loaf tin so that idea's just flown out the window!

What's a tardis cake?

make sure you cut the top off the sponge cake as well, so it's level as you build it up - stating the obvious I know, but you'd be surprised!  Are you using the easy roll type icing or butter icing to decorate?

Or use a swiss roll upright and trim a bit!!

make sure you cut the top off the sponge cake as well, so it's level as you build it up - stating the obvious I know

See , now I hadn't thought of that so all advice is helping me!

Am using the easy roll icing as I thought it would be easier to get even. And then i can add the details onto it (fingers crossed)

Tanya - Tardis cake is a sponge cake cut and shaped and iced to look like the Tardis in Dr Who , hopefully! ;)

Oh lol... I thought it was some sort of cake lol... not a Doctor Who fan so never thought of that

As long as you stick your squares together well (butter cream is stickier, make sure you whisk it well until it's really light, like 'cream' as in the name), roll your icing out into a big rectangle, and just wrap it around, make the join at a corner if you can, less obvious that way, and trim off the top and bottom.  I know some people use lard to join icing together, I'm assuming if you don't like that idea you can use the veggie alternative, I've always just wet the edges and got them to stick together by pinching and rubbing icing across from one side to the other, and then smoothing the surface out again.  You can either paint rolled icing, or add colour in and knead it until even.  Is the top like a pagoda shape (four sided pyramid type thing)?  You can do that separate and stick it on, just using a bit of left over sponge to make the shape.  For the door, you can buy liquorice pens, or even use liquorice laces and stick them on, otherwise you can mix up black food colouring and paint on details. 

Oh blimey , hadn't even thought about the top! It is a pagoda shape. Am used to making butter cream so will use that , and use your idea about joining the icing together by wetting and pinching it!

Thank you so much for all your help! :)

Are you planning to do it as a proper vertical model (very fiddly!) or a flat profile (much simpler)?

Just another little question - if I put blue food colouring in the cake mixture will it turn it blue , or mix with the yellowness of the mixture and go green?

Flat profile would be fine , and probably better because after making it I have to take it on train up to Durham!! So the chances of it still looking like a tardis are probably better if it's lying down!

I wondered if there would be any instructions for a Tardis cake online since Dr Who is so popular and came across this  http://www.doitmyself.org/2009/08/tardis-cake.html

This one looks really good and might be more helpful though http://www.designer-cakes.com/cake-blog-article-203.htm

dont know about you but i would love to be exterminated by this cake, i lurvvvvve chocolate.

http://www.chocablog.com/recipes/dalek-chocolate-cake

That looks incredibly yummy!! Dread to think of the calories - but who cares!! :) :)

It's done and looks good!! :)

Thank you to everyone for helpful tips and guides on how to make it! Couldn't have done it without you :) Made a ton of mess in the process and my hands look as if i'm an extra on Avatar , but it was well worth it!

> It's done and looks good!!

We need pics! :)

I don't know how to put them on!

> I don't know how to put them on!

Can you load them onto something like Photobucket or Flickr and post the link?

I don't even know how to do that. Have never even looked at either so wouldn't know where to start

My OH is 55 soon and Ive arranged a party. I have ordered (cant cook) two "5" cakes in moist chocolate with chocolate fondant icing. They say it will serve 40 in fingers there are 20 of us so we get a bigger bit!!