A Beginner's Guide To Baking Polo T-Shirt Cakes

Making a polo t-shirt cake is a fun and creative way to celebrate a birthday or other special occasion. This type of cake is perfect for those who love polo t-shirts and want to incorporate that theme into their celebration. The process of creating a polo t-shirt cake involves baking and stacking multiple cake layers, carving and shaping the cake, and then decorating it with fondant and other edible materials to resemble a polo shirt. The collar, sleeves, and logo are important details that require careful attention to achieve a realistic look. Fondant is typically used to cover the cake and create the various components of the shirt, such as the collar, cuffs, and logo. The cake can be customized with different colours, patterns, and even a stacked design to resemble multiple polo shirts.

Baking the cake

For a polo shirt cake, you will need to bake a rectangular cake. The size of the cake will depend on the number of servings you require. A 9 x 13-inch cake is a good starting point and can be used as a base for your design. You can also make a round shirt cake, which is easier to decorate. If you want to make a stacked polo shirt cake, you will need to bake multiple cakes of the same size and torte them to create four layers in total.

Once your cake is baked, let it cool completely to room temperature before you start decorating. You can place it in the fridge to speed up the process. It is important that the cake is cooled before you start frosting and decorating, as warm cakes will cause the icing and fondant to melt and create a sticky mess.

After your cake has cooled, you can start by frosting it with a flavour of your choice. A chocolate cream cheese frosting or a vanilla buttercream are good options. Make sure to frost the cake smoothly and evenly. If you are making a stacked polo shirt cake, you will need to fill and stack the layers, and then carve away a little on each layer to give the edges a slight curve. You can then put a strip of fondant around the edge of each layer to create the stacked shirt look without using too much fondant.

Covering the cake with fondant

Roll out your fondant and drape it over the cake, smoothing it out with a fondant smoother. Cut off any excess fondant from the bottom of the cake. If you are making a plaid or striped shirt cake, place the stripes on the cake after covering it with fondant.

Adding the details

Now comes the fun part – adding all the details to create the polo shirt design! You can make the logo, collar, cuffs, and buttons in advance so they have time to dry properly. The logo can be made by rolling out fondant, adding texture with a fondant wheel, and using a template to cut out the shape. The collar is made by cutting out strips of fondant and shaping them to form the base and leaf of the collar, which is then attached to the cake with a little water or vodka.

The cuffs are made by rolling out fondant into strips, stitching the sides, and cutting out triangles from the top edges. These are then attached to the sleeves of the shirt, which are made from rectangular pieces of fondant. You can also add pockets, buttons, and other details to your shirt cake. Get creative and use different colours and patterns to make your polo shirt cake unique!

Making the logo

Roll out green fondant and use a fondant wheel to add texture. You can use a different colour if you are making a logo for a different brand.

Print or trace the image of the logo and cut out a template. Carefully cut out the logo on the green fondant using this template.

Cut a small triangular piece of red fondant and attach it to the mouth of the logo.

Place the logo on a rolled-out piece of white fondant and cut a white outline around it. This will create a border for the logo.

Let the logo dry completely before adding the final touches with a black edible marker. If you don't have a black edible marker, you can use a pointed brush and black colour paste instead.

Now that the logo is complete, you can move on to the next steps of baking, frosting, and assembling your polo shirt cake.

Drape cake in fondant

Firstly, you will need to bake a 9 x 13-inch rectangular cake. This size is not mandatory, but this tutorial will be based on this size of cake. Once baked, frost the cake and drape it with light blue fondant.

Next, you will need to make the fondant for the drapes. Mix 50% gum paste and 50% fondant to get a consistency that is not too stiff and not too soft. Roll the paste out into a rectangle, cutting off any excess. It should be rolled out fairly thin to give a fabric effect. Brush the fondant with luster dust to give it a velvet look.

Now you can start to form the drapes. Place some dowel sticks under the paste and use your fingers to run along the dowels, forming the paste into pleats. Leave the fondant to set for about 3 minutes – not too long, or it will crack. Once set, remove the dowels and gather the pleats, placing them on the cake. You can either place them as one long piece or cut them to the length you need. You can place the drapes lengthways on the cake, or double them up to make a big bunch, making sure you cover the seams well.

Finally, decorate the cake as you wish.

Making the collar

Part 1:

Using the rhombus template as a guide, cut yellow fondant into a teardrop the same height as the rhombus. This can be done by altering the top half of the rhombus into a semi-circle. Cut two rectangular pieces of yellow fondant, stitch one side of the rectangles with a stitching wheel and stick these to the tip of the teardrop cutout to make the shirt placket. Cut off any excess fondant and stick this on the cake.

Part 2:

Roll out yellow fondant into a strip of about 12 inches to make the collar flap. Using a fondant wheel, make vertical marks on the fondant. There are other tools that make this task easier. When you are done, cut the strip into a rectangle measuring 11 x 2.5 inches. Cut a thinner strip of yellow fondant measuring .5 x 12 inches to make the base of the collar and stitch the edges. Flip over the collar flap and stick the base of the collar to it. Create a buttonhole at one end of the base of the collar and stick the collar to the cake, making sure it aligns with the shirt placket. Stick a yellow fondant button to the base of the collar.

Alternatively, you can make the collar by following these steps:

• Roll out fondant and cut out 2 strips. One strip should be 1.5 x 16 inches (base) and the other should be 3 x 16 inches (leaf). Stitch the edges of the collar.
• Make a “V” on both ends of the collar leaf and stitch. Attach the collar base to the bottom half of the leaf and shape the ends of the base to take on the ”V” shape of the collar.
• Fold the collar at the point where the base is attached. Note that you have to work fast so the fondant does not dry out. If the fondant gets dry, it would crack/tear where you bend it.
• Place the collar on the shirt on top of the yoke. You might or might not need some water to stick the collar to the shirt. Depending on how firm your fondant is, you might need some tools (paper towels work well) to support the collar pending when it dries. Try to make sure the collar is shaped in a circular manner. You might need to use a round object as a guide when placing the collar on the shirt.

Adding the finishing touches

Now that the shirt has been made, it is time to add the tie, buttons, and other items. You might also wish to make a chest pocket on the left-hand side of the shirt. Simply roll out fondant, cut into a square, stitch the edges, and stick it to the shirt. You can also cut out triangles at the base tips of the square for a fancier pocket.

Stick the tie, buttons, and tags to the shirt using a little water or vodka.

For tuxedo shirts, use black sugar pearls for the buttons. If you cannot find these, roll small black fondant into smooth balls and place them on the shirt. You will also notice that in the shirt below, the bow tie extends all the way around the collar.

If you are making a polo shirt, you will need to add the logo. Roll out green fondant and add texture to it using a fondant wheel. Print out or trace the image of the logo and cut it to make a template. Use that template to cut out the image of the logo on the green fondant. Cut a triangular piece of red fondant and stick it to the mouth part of the logo. Stick the logo on rolled-out white fondant and cut a white outline around the logo. Leave the logo to dry before finishing the design with a black edible marker. If you do not have a black edible marker, use a pointed brush and black color paste.

Finally, finish the cake by sticking it on a cake board.

Frequently asked questions