Making a Cake Shaped Like a Motorcycle Tire

1. Mix your cake batter according to the directions on the cake mix box. Most cake mixes call for 2 eggs and a small amount of vegetable oil.

2. Coat a round cake pan with flour to prevent the cake from sticking, and then pour your cake mix into the pan.

3. Bake the cake according to the directions on the box, and test it with a toothpick to make sure it is done before placing it upside down on the cooling rack to cool. You should stick the toothpick in the middle of the cake--if it comes out clean, then the cake is done, if cake sticks to the toothpick, then it needs more time.

4. Transfer the cake from the cooling rack to the serving plate.

5. Using your melon baller, carve out the middle of the cake, leaving an island in the very middle. This is to give the cake the shape of a motorcycle tire. Reference the picture linked in the resources section to get the right shape. The result should be a round wall around the edge of the cake, a moat, and then an island in the center of the cake that's the same height as the wall.

6. Frost the outside wall of the cake with your spatula and black frosting, and the inside of the cake with the gray frosting.

7. Draw spokes and bolts in the appropriate places in the center of the cake with the black piping gel, again using the picture as a reference.

8. Write your message or the brand of the tire on the black part of the cake using your white piping gel.

9. Draw treads into the tire part of the cake using a butter knife.