The Bus Cake, with Eggnog and Chocolate Chip Batter

Yep, it is indeed a bus-shaped cake.  You totally know that your life isn't complete until you've experienced the bus cake.  When most of us are out and about, buses are just another mode of transportation peppering the landscape. But to a certain 34 inch tall toddler, this mode of transportation is the most amazing thing ever.  Ever.  One never knew how much joy was to be had by a bus sighting until now.  His enthusiasm for this marvel of human innovation is so infectious, both Seth and I even find ourselves becoming genuinely excited when we spot a passing bus.  And a corresponding twinge of sadness when said bus moves out of sight.  Countless minutes have been spent doing Google image searches of buses, taking time to admire each and every bus on the page.  He is a delightful bus companion, radiating toddler glee while riding in this most favored vehicle, and every few minutes exclaiming "bus," as though I would have forgotten that we were on a bus.  Since it was his birthday last week, we decided to tackle a bus-shaped cake.  I made the icing and cake, and Seth assembled it into its bus form.  We originally wanted a double-decker London style bus, but we belatedly realized that much more cake would be needed.  Oh well... he recognized it immediately, exclaiming, "BUS!" and dove right in, so mission accomplished.  With the eggnog and chocolate chip batter and buttercream frosting, it was pretty tasty as well.

adapted from
cooking light pound cake

Ingredients
Cake:
3 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup egg nog
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Icings:
1/2 pound unsalted butter
3 cups confectioners sugar, whisked
1 tablespoon heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
red food coloring

1/2 pound unsalted butter
3 cups confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
black food coloring

Decorations:
4 mini chocolate frosted donuts
2 yellow chicklets for the front lights
2 red chicklets for the tailights

Instructions
For the icings:  Beat butter in electric mixer.  Add in sugar.  Mix in cream, extracts, salt, and red food coloring.  Set aside, and repeat process for the black icing.

For the cake:  Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.  In another bowl, stir eggnog and buttermilk together.  In mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Add in eggs one by one, being sure to mix well after each one.  Mix in vanilla extract.  Turn mixer to lowest setting, and alternate between adding flour and the buttermilk/eggnog mixture into the mixing bowl.  Once the flour and buttermilk mixtures have been incorporated, place batter in two greased 9x5 loaf pans and bake at 350 for about 50 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean.  Cool in pans for 10 minutes then remove to cool on wire rack.

For the assembly:  Once the cakes have cooled, cut into rectangles by slicing off any ends and curved parts, you want nice rectangles to work with.  Spread red icing on one and stack the other on top.  Place donuts where they will eventually fit as wheels, and tracing around them, cut out chunks of the cake to make wheel wells.  We didn't think of this until after making the cake, which is why the wheels stick way out on the sides.  Spread red icing all over.  Spread the grey-black for windows.  Pipe grey-black around the windows using a a pastry bag or ziplock bag with a corner cut off.  Paint the donuts with the grey-black frosting, and use toothpicks to keep the wheels in place.  Add the yellow Chicklets to the front of the bus and the red ones to the back.