Firetruck Birthday Cake

I was so excited to make this firetruck cake for my youngest son's 3rd birthday! There were a few times that I felt in over my head, so I just kept adding more icing.  Of course I found the inspiration on Pinterest.  There was actually a YouTube video with step by step instructions for the cake.  The cake was made from 3 loaf pans and then cut into the shape of the firetruck.

This cake experience has taught me what a crumb coat is and how to do it.  Basically it's just my first attempt at icing the cake and then putting it in the fridge to set the icing.

After the second coat of icing, I pipped the windows and ladder.  I thought the gum drops were so adorable as the lights and Oreos for the wheels.

Jack was so excited for his firetruck cake! The expression on his face says it all.

And I remembered to actually take pictures of the cake pops this time.  The first picture below is the cake pops just before dipping.  Of course, the cake pops were red to match the fire truck.

Pinterest inspired me to make pretzels dipped to look like matches. I also added some sprinkles.