Trains are always very popular among boys, my own son included. So, I thought it would be time for another tutorial for the boys. I have made a sweet little train cake topper inspired by one of my son’s “old” birthday cakes. He loved it very much and it makes me so happy.
I have tried to make the train very simple in the design so that even beginners in cake decorating can have a go with it. So, I hope that you will enjoy my tutorial on how to make a train cake topper.
What You Need to Make a Train Cake Topper
Tools in Making the Fondant Train Cake Topper
This is what I used to make the train cake topper:
- Gum paste;
- Rolling pin;
- A pair of fondant smoother;
- Cornstarch duster;
- Small knife;
- Tylo glue;
- Veining tool (Jem) (if you don’t have such a tool, then just use a knife);
- Paintbrush;
- Gel paste colors;
- Round piping tips in various sizes. (circle cutters can also be used).
Tip! If your gum paste is a little too soft, then knead in a little Tylo powder. This will help the gum paste to thicken and hold its shape.
How to Make (Step-By-Step Tutorial)
Step 1:
Start by coloring in the gum paste for the train’s “body” in your chosen color. Take a piece of gum paste and roll it into a smooth ball without any cracks. Then place the ball on your work table and roll it into a thick sausage about 3″ long. This will be the “base” for the train. Take your pair of fondant smoothers and flatten all the sides.
Step 2:
Flatten one of the short ends with the fondant smoother (see photo). Set aside to dry a little.
Step 3:
Take another piece of gum paste, and again roll it into a smooth ball. Then roll it into a short sausage on your work table. It should cover about 2″ of the “base”.
Flatten the ends with the fondant smoothers. Brush a little tylo glue on the “base” and attach the “sausage” on top of the angled end. This will be the front of the train.
Step 4:
Next, roll another smooth ball of gum paste and form it into a block. It should be slightly taller than the “front” part, and about 1″ wide. Flatten the sides with the fondant smoothers. Attach with a little tylo glue.
Step 5:
Roll out some gum paste thinly and cut out 2 small windows for each side of the train. Glue them on with Tylo glue.
Step 6:
Roll out some gum paste (about 4-5mm thick) and roll it out large enough to cut, both wheels and roof for the train. Find 2 different sizes of piping tips or circle cutters and cut out 1 pair of large and 3 pairs of small wheels.
I have used round piping tips to emboss the center of the wheels. Set the wheels aside to dry. Then cut out a square piece of gum paste for the roof and glue it on with Tylo glue.
Step 7:
Now it is time to decorate the front “base” of the train. Roll out some gum paste (4-5mm thick). Cut a strip of fondant and cut the ends slightly slanted. Next, make indentations in the gum paste with either a veining tool or a knife. Glue it on the angled front with Tylo glue.
Step 8
Glue on the wheels.
Step 9:
Take a small piece of gum paste. If it sticks to your hands, then rub your hands with a little cornstarch. First, roll a small ball, and glue it on with tylo glue on top of the train (not shown). Make the chimney by rolling some gum paste into a large pea size ball and then rolling it into a cone.
Step 10:
Rub some more cornstarch on your fingers. Slowly pinch the “thick” end of the cone all the way around. While you pinch, press down in the middle of the cone with your index finger. So that it gets slightly hollow (see photos).
Trim a little of the end so that the chimney can stand upright. Attach it on the train with a little tylo glue. Set aside and let the whole train dry completely.
Step 11:
If you like, you can make small train wagons as well for your train cake topper. Make them out of a ball of gum paste, that you shape into a block. Flatten all the sides with the fondant smoothers and attach some wheels.
Tip! It looks very sweet placing birthday candles on the train wagons.
Suggested Read: How To Make Easy Spring Flower Cake Tops
Will You Make a Train Birthday Cake Topper?
Finally, that’s about it for today. I hope you found this train cake topper tutorial and all those tips helpful! Also, please share with all of us your results. Not to mention that I am always open to suggestions: So, how was your train cake topper for birthdays? Tell us everything in the comments section below. You might have made a more incredible version. We’re excited to hear from you!
Happy Caking!
You might also want to check out other similar articles like DIY Race Car Cake Topper Tutorial, How To Make a Teddy Bear Cake Topper, How To Make A Bunny Cake, and more tutorials on our website’s tutorials section.
Have you made a Thomas train before?
Love this topper! Can I use fondant instead of gum paste? Went to the shop today and bought fondant! How many days in advance can I do it? I This will be my first encounter with fondant! Thanks in advance for any tip!!
If you are trying to get rid of cracks it’s less is more really. Work the icing as little as possible. Keep the icing you are not using in a bag away from the air. And also a black gel colouring is bad for cracking added to white you are best buying a pre made black. DON’T LET THE ICING DRY OUT! I hope this helps
This is adorable and just what I was looking for! Thank you!
Fantastic! I am a novice at this but just what I was looking for and so easy to make….thank you sooo much. Do you have a book available to buy?
No, I don’t have a book 🙁
I am a total amateur at this… how do you get rid of all of the cracks? I am having the hardest time with this part… Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you!
I love this cake topper! Is there a print function for the instructions please?
No sorry.
Thank you so much for this tutorial..I made it for my sons 2nd birthday and he loved his little choo choo train..Thank you 🙂
Thanks so much for this, easy to follow with clear pictures and instructions. The train looks really good and saved me buying a ready made decoration for my friend’s twins baptism cake. Thanks again
Your welcome, Lisa 🙂
Ok now im jealous. Lol Good job!
This is adorable, Louise. Thanks for sharing!!
Absolutely Amazing! Thanks for sharing. My son is going to love this.
Love this. I have been looking for this for so long and you made it all so easy. Thank you
Thanks for this tutorial! I just made them to put on my son’s 2nd birthday cake! He’s going to love them!
Here’s the link to pictures of his cake! He absolutely loved the train. He wanted to play with the train rather than eat the cake! 🙂
https://armstrongfamilyfare.com/train-cake/
So sweet. Thank you for sharing.
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[email protected]gfamilyfare (unregistered) wrote, in response to [email protected] (unregistered): Here’s the link to pictures of his cake! He absolutely loved the train. He wanted to play with the train rather than eat the cake! 🙂 https://armstrongfamilyfare.com/train-cake/
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i enjoyed learning a simple train. thks it was great and simple to do
You need to cover the cake with buttercream before you can cover with fondant. It will not stick to the cake otherwise.
Very sweet cake 🙂
i love this! u r a GREAT teacher! can i use fondant instead of gum paste?
You can, but it may take time to dry and it can have trouble holding the shape.
This is so adoreabe! you make it look so easy.thanks for the tutorial.
Very sweet!
I just made this out of Mazipan for my sons 2nd birthday. He was watching me make it and just keeped saying toot toot.
Aww.. How sweet 🙂 I made train themed cakes for my son from his 1st year to his 4th. Then it was car’s and now Lego and Beyblade are the big thing 🙂 I haven’t decided what I will make for him next month….
Bello y perfecto!!
Another lovely tutorial. I am going to make these trains for the top of my Sons Christening cake in January.
I’m from Iran.I enjoy from your recipe.thank you very much!
I used your tutorial and it is brilliant. Thank you so much. You can see the results if you like!
https://buyacake.blogspot.com/2010/10/train-cake-for-oliver.html
thank you so much for your generousity to share all your wonderful and awsomme job for all of us, May God bless all your work and your family, too…love this site soooo much!!
Thank you so much, I have just followed your instructions and made this train for my sons Christening cake this Sunday, you don’t know how happy you’ve made me as I’ve been struggling for ages to know what to put on the top. Thank you
very cute… my son like it so much…until he ask me to make it.
Jasmine: A simple and fast way to make gum paste is knead in a small amount of tylo powder (cmc) to your colored fondant. You can immediately feel when the paste thickens.
I love this train topper.. it looks so cute specially with the 2 little candle at the back … My son is turning 2 on Aug. Wish that i able to do this.. How to do the gum paste? Any recipe for it?
I love it! I just color my gum paste and hopefully tomorrow I would make the train for a boy baby shower. Thank You soooo much for the step by step, very helpful.
Thank You!!!
What a fantastic tutorial! You make it look so simple!
I am so happy to read that some of you have made the train using the tutorial 🙂
Becky: I never pay attention on the time. But if working only with this you should be able to make it whitin a couple of hours, I guess.
Andrea: As long as you store it in a dark place you can make it weeks in advance. I would let it air dry for 1-2 days before placing it in a airthight container.
I love this tutorial! Thanks for posting it 🙂
Thanks for posting this; I love it!
Thank you so much for sharing! you are wonderful!
What awesome pictures! I love the detail and all your great tips! Thank you so much for sharing! Have you ever done any vegan baking?
Much love,
Chef Veronica
This is just great! Thanks for posting this.
How long in advance can this be made and stored?
Oh my gosh, every one of your designs is cuter than the next!!! How long does it take you to make the train???
Love it, simple and nice!
I made this over the weekend and it turned out adorable…thank you for sharing it.
You are so kind to share your tutorials! Thank you!
Hi Luise, I love all your tutorials and I love your photo. They are so cute. Thank you very very much.
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So cool!
So wonderfully cute! I always love your tutorials…especially your lovely photos! Thank you!
How cute is that!! Thank you for sharing.
I think thats a wonderful idea for a cake topper for a boy. Will keep it in mind for my next cake! Thanks again for a superb website, this is one of my favourites!
This is just too adorable! I will have to try it out. Thanks for sharing, I love all your tutorials!
I love this. It’s so simple in design and so sweet!
Shimmering: I do have a tutorial for a race car topper: https://cakejournal.com/archives/how-to-make-a-race-car-cake-topper
Wow that is so cute. the train topper is too cute. I think I make a car topper for my nephew, maybe just tweak your design a little bit. He loves cars.
WOW! what a great cake topper. Thanks for showing how to make a train another amazing tutorial. 😀
I love the train. Your tutorials are so easy to follow. Thanks so much!
Another excellent tutorial. Thank you so very much. You make cake decoration look so much more fun and effortless. Thank you again and God Bless.
thanks so much for sharing this tutorial. I just love how simple you make everything look.
OMG it’s so cute, thanks for sharing:)
neat !
cute !
love the train cake !!!
thanks for sharing this louise. will try and make them for my nephew’s bday.
This is absolutely adorable! Can’t wait to try to give it a try. Thanks!
love your work, you are very talented
and this tutorial is very cute
Really nice tutorial, it’s so easy to follow. Thank you very much for sharing this. Your tutorials are always good.
Lovely tutorial as always, well laid out and photographed
Hi, Louise I lovet the train is beatiful and easy,tanks for the send
You always have the best tutorials! These are adorable and you break them down and make them look so simple. Great job!
amazing….as always — cute!
A big THANK YOU!!! My son’s having a train themed 2nd birthday party a month from today and this is going to help out for this beginner. I’ve been looking for ideas the past month, so again a big THANK YOU!!
I really look forward to your news letter. The demos are excellent and very detailed.
So cute! You make it look and sound so easy! Can´t wait to try this out sometime!
Perfection as always.
imera: It sure can. It will look cute in a mix of soft pastel colors
Connie: Ohh im not that into Backyardigans. Im sure that you can find inspiration at cake central
Mrs. Cozy Home: They look very lovely.
MixxieB: I have just added it to the steps. But it is only 3″ long.
Gorgeous!! looks so sweet
I love making fondant decorations. Thanks so much for the step-by-step. Simple shapes that build up into cute objects are great for children’s cakes! I love all your tutorials and am a real fan of your site!
Great tutorial! I’m just curious how big your final train was.
That’s gorgeous Louise! I might pinch that idea and do that for my little man’s 2nd birthday which is coming up!!! Thank you soooo much, you’re clearly a very talented person.
thank u Louise 🙂
Amazing work as always, thanks for yet another great tutorial :o)
This is too cute. Thank you for the step by step instructions.
Looks easy to do…Thanks for the wonderful tutorials!
Where was this last year when I bought a molded Wilton train pan? I’m thinking I might make my son have a train birthday again this year just to get some mileage out of it.
HI!! I am a huge fan of yours, I tried out your petit four for a Mother’s Day brunch, I’d love to show you!:) The post is at:
https://cozyhomechronicles.blogspot.com/2010/05/mothers-day-brunch-tea.html
Cute!
Thanks for this wonderful tutorial, I can´t wait to try it ☺
Well done!!! This is so cute!!! I wish you made this one year back coz my son loves trains. Last year I made a cake for his B’day with Thomas the train. But I didnt know how to make a train so I just kept his toy as a model. Any way I can make this for my cousins babies later. Thanks for the tutorial. Love your work!!!
Looks great and fun to do. Have a blessed day.
So adorable!! thanks you for all your tutorials .
A very neat train topper. Your step by step picture is great! Looking forward more of such tutorial and thanks for your generous sharing! 🙂
Love your web site! !! Your step by step guide is Great…any tips on a Backyardigan cake??? my niece is turning one in june and i was asked to make her birthday cake.
I have an idea, but I’m always opened to suggestions!
Love it! I did a train cake for my cousin’s baby shower last year..would have loved to had this then! I guess there’s always the next one!
Simply superb Louise! Thank you for sharing.
I was looking for something cute to put on the top of the cake I’m planing to make for my sisters baby, but I didn’t want any car or doll or something like that because we don’t know the sex yet, this train is perfect! Thank you.
NO DOUBT!You are some TALENTED lady;)Thankyou for all ur wonderful tutorials,i have learned soo much from you.God bless u….
Really cute! Love your newsletters.
Thanks Louise, very neat work and looks great 🙂
Such a cute idea! Thanks for sharing.
So cute and simple. Brilliant tutorial!
Wow thank you!!!
Oh that’s so cute ! Thanks to share with us !
I follow this blog since the beginning and you have never disappointed me. Your posts and your ideas are so fresh and stunning in their semplicity and so sweet! I really admire you.
Thanks for the tutorial. It’s too bad it wasn’t up 2 months ago when I needed it for a train cake that I needed. It looks pretty fun to make. Maybe another time.
SO cool!
Great tutorial – I have a 20 month old boy now so I need to brush up on my boyish stuff. Thanks
Oh what a wonderful step-by-step. I can’t wait to have an excuse to give this a whirl 🙂 Thank you so much!
Wow!!! I think this will have to be on my son’s first birthday cake…he’s now 4 months old so I’ll have plenty of time to practice to get it looking as adorable as yours, Louise 🙂
Awww that’s so cute!!! This is a wonderful website. I just discovered it on the weekend from a link in bakerella.
Thank you! My firends just adopted a two year old boy and in a few weeks we are going to have a small welcome party for him. I am making the cake and wanted something sweet and simple like this to top his cake…adorable. Thanks again. Your tutorials are wonderful. This has become my favorite site.