Instructions

1. Select the pan you'll be using to bake the cake and trace the bottom of it on a piece of cardboard.

2. Draw the shape of an airplane on the cardboard, within the outline of the pan. Go all the way to the edges with the wings, the tail and the nose if you want to make the most of the cake. Draw a rounded shape for a child's cake, or use a more realistic angular shape for an adult's cake. Cut the shape out of the cardboard.

3. Bake the cake. Let it cool on a wire rack and take it out of the pan.

4. Lay the cardboard airplane shape on top of the cake and carefully cut around it with a serrated knife. Keep the excess cake in large pieces, if possible, to use for other parts of the airplane.

5. Place the cake on a flat serving platter or piece of cardboard so you don't have to move the completed cake.

6. Cut out a rectangle of cake from the extra pieces. Add the rectangular shape to the top of the cake to add some height to the plane. Cut a triangular piece to use as the vertical tail wing. If your extra pieces aren't large enough, you can piece together a few to make your shapes. The frosting will hold them together.

7. Prepare your frosting and frost the top of the cake. Add the extra pieces. The frosting will cement them in place. Secure the tail wing with a toothpick if it seems unstable.

8. Add a thin layer of frosting to the cake to secure all the crumbs that were loosened with the cuts.

9. Place the cake in the freezer for 10 minutes to set the frosting in place and prepare it for the second layer for frosting.

10. Frost the cake with another layer of frosting. Use contrasting piping gel to create trim to look like windows, lights or plane logos. Draw a smiling nose for a young person's cake.

11. Frost the piece of cardboard or serving platter in light blue if you want your plane to look like it's in the sky. Lay cotton balls or cotton candy around the plane to look like clouds. Create a runway in frosting if you want the plane to look like it's landing.