Cake Prep

This is a photo David and Olivia used for reference. The Space Shuttle is comprised of the Orbiter (which carries the crew and cargo, and lands on a runway), the orange External Tank (which provides the main fuel source and burns up in the atmosphere after separation), and the white Solid Rocket Boosters (which provide additional thrust for liftoff and fall into the ocean to be reused).

The External Tank (center) and Solid Rocket Boosters. The pipe on the right will be used to push ice cream out of the External Tank.

Olivia cuts out the Orbiter's vertical stabilizer from foamboard. In the foreground is the cap for the External Tank.

David spray paints a white pipe orange for the External Tank. Ironically, NASA painted the orange tank white for the first two Space Shuttle missions to reflect heat, but stopped after determining that this wasn't a problem and that the white paint added 600 pounds of unnecessary weight. The real-life orange color is the spray-on foam insulation.

The Space Shuttle Cake

David loads a Solid Rocket Booster with chocolate syrup. The other contains caramel sauce.

David cuts a pipe that will become a Solid Rocket Booster

David loads the External Tank with ice cream

The External Tank, Solid Rocket Boosters, and wing mount for the Orbiter

David loads the External Tank with ice cream

The Space Shuttle Cake

Waffle cone main engines

Olivia secretly assembles the cake at Food Matters. The whipped cream, color mist, and sparkles will be used to create fire and steam on the brownie base.

David carries the finished product to the table