Whether you’re hosting a lockdown toddler birthday party, or having a few friends over for an outside party, it's all about the centerpiece: the birthday cake.

Although there are plenty of great supermarket birthday cakes for kids, there’s nothing quite like making something from scratch. And even if you’re not quite ‘Bake Off’ standard, your toddler will still be thrilled that you went to the effort. Plus, it’s quite fun to look back on in years to come.

Thomas the Tank Engine is one of the most-loved kids’ characters and is often the theme of birthday parties from young children. Forget the Thomas theme decorations, if you want to wow your young guests, it’s all about the Thomas birthday cake…. and here’s how to bake a real showstopper....

Think about the design

Before you attempt to make a train cake, be realistic about the time you have as well as your skill level. There’s some amazingly cake recipes out there, but they can take quite a lot of technical know-how. On the other hand, there’s also some simple ideas that still bring the magic of Thomas & Friends™ to life.

Do you want your cake to be a train statue (usually involving a high-level of skill), or are you happy with a one/two tier circle in the shape of a train track? Do you want it to be 3D or 2D? Will you buy a cake and ice it, or will you make it all from scratch? And finally, if you’re creating a Thomas train model to put on top, will you create this yourself or hire someone to do it (if so, there’s plenty of talented fondant sculptures on eBay)

Search Pinterest and Instagram

As anyone with a fussy eater knows, Pinterest is a much undervalued resource for finding kids recipes, as well as baking ideas. Here you can find a whole host of recipes for your Thomas the tank engine cake, suitable for every skill level.

Instagram is another great option, but tends to be image-led only. Pinterest, on the other hand tends to offer videos and step-by-step guides which are very useful.

To help you, we’ve collected some of the best Thomas cake recipes together, which you can access on our Pinterest page here >>

Have a pre-run

If you’re new to baking, it might be worth doing a pre-run in advance. You’ll learn lots from the experience about timings and technique, plus you’ll get to sample the goods in advance, which is always a bonus.

Try and do the pre-run about two weeks before the big day, so that you can stock up on any ingredients and the recipe is still fresh in your head.

 Get the right ingredients

About a week before you plan to bake your Thomas the tank engine cake, ensure you’ve got all the necessary kit and ingredients, as well as all the extras, including:

• Moulds
• Fondant and icing
• Cutters
• Cake stand
• Thomas plates for serving
• Thomas party decoration
• Candles
• Thomas soundtrack for the authentic experience!

Don’t forget, if you’re hiring someone to create a fondant Thomas to add to the cake, they can take anything from a few days to a month to create it. So there you have it, how to create a Thomas cake in four easy steps.

For more train fun and inspiration, check out this post.