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Coco Cake Land

Cakes and baking blog from Vancouver, Canada

Home » Cakes » animal cakes

Totoro Week Gone Wild: How To Make A Catbus Cake

By Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land

cat bus cake - coco cake land

cat bus cake - coco cake land

Catbus may very well be the ultimate feline party train – a flying fat cat faced furry magical bus that flies through the air, splaying eight fluffy spider-like legs, transporting sad children to catch a glimpse of their ill mother who is recovering in hospital. Continuing my celebratory snack attack EDIBLE TOTORO WEEK with I Am A Food Blog, I present to you: CATBUS CAKE!

drawing of miyazaki cat bus

You Will Need:

  • 1 recipe for a cake of your choice baked in a  loaf pan (I used a 9 x 5 x 3 inch) and cooled completely.
  • 2 cups of vanilla buttercream, tinted a slight yellow/orange
  • 2 cups of chocolate buttercream
  • An offset spatula
  • 2 piping bags fitted with a multi opening tip 
  • wooden BBQ skewers
  • 1 inch ball of yellow fondant
  • 1/2 inch ball of orange fondant
  • 4 inch ball of white fondant
  • 1 inch ball of black fondant
  • Rolling pin
  • Small amount of cornstarch
  • A paring knife or pizza cutter
  • Piping tips in two sizes to use as small circle cutters
  • A cake board or large plate. I used a 10 inch round cake board.

frosting a loaf cake - cat bus cake

Step One

Carefully remove your loaf shaped cake from the pan. Begin spreading it generously with buttercream.

crumb coating a cat bus cake

Step Two

Cover the entire cake with buttercream – don’t worry if it doesn’t look perfectly frosted because you’ll be piping on top of it.

cat bus cake fondant details

Step Three

Make your fondant details. Using the white fondant, make two triangles for the catbus ears. Cut a wooden skewer in two and place a triangle on each skewer. Roll out a log-like piece for the catbus tail. Using your rolling pin, roll out the remaining white fondant. Using the pizza cutter, slice rectangular “windows” in even sizes. Finally, Cut out a banana-like shape for the smiley teeth – indent teeth marks by gently pressing down with a paring knife (without cutting through). Make an upside down triangle catbus nose using the orange fondant. Roll out the yellow fondant and punch out two large eyes and a “slit” like shape for the cat’s pupil. Roll out the black fondant and punch out black circles for the irises. Adhere it all together with a tiny amount of water. Roll the remaining black fondant into cat whiskers!

cat bus cake face

Step Four

Place the eyes and teeth on the designated front of the loaf cake by gently pressing into the buttercream. Insert the ears.

cat bus cake - windows

Press the windows into the sides of the cake.

cat bus cake supplies

Place the “tail” on the cake board. Get your piping bags ready!

cat bus cake - piping chocolate frosting

Step Five

Pipe an inverted triangle shape of chocolate buttercream onto the face of the catbus.

cat bus cake - piping chocolate frosting

Step Six

Continue piping the entire top of the catbus with the chocolate buttercream.

cat bus cake - piping chocolate frosting

Pipe a line of chocolate buttercream across the side, underneath the windows!

cat bus cake - piping chocolate frosting

Pipe around the edges of the ears!

cat bus cake - piping chocolate frosting

Step Seven

Using the tinted buttercream, fill in the rest of CATBUS! Give him fur, people! Let him live!!

how to make a cat bus cake

Pipe the tail, too! Finally, place the nose and the whiskers on his face!

stamped speech bubbles - cat bus cake

I made a few speech bubbly hand stamped signs for my Catbus Cake! GET ON MY BUS! (no presh). I also hand drew a fat and funny Totoro! You can also make a Totoro out of fondant, too!

smiling cat bus cake on cake stand

CATBUS!

totoro drawing cake topper - coco cake land

STUNNED TOTORO!

cat bus cake - coco cake land

cat bus cake - coco cake land

Slice in before CATBUS cruises off!

cat bus cake - coco cake land

More Totoro-ness: 

Steph’s black sesame Totoro donuts!

The green tea catbus cake I made for my nephew years ago!

Totoro Macarons! this is a sweet and easy-to-follow video via Nerdy Nummies, just found this gal! Awesome stuff!

How To Make A Totoro Cake – my post earlier this week!

Steph’s SUPER KAWAII Totoro jalapeno grilled cheesies!

Way back in 2009 when I made a million felt Totoros and my first fondant cake for my nephew’s 1st Totoro birthday!

Totoro SPAM MUSUBI!

The original catbus cake that inspired this tutorial!

Happy Totoro cake making, everyone! xo Lyndsay 

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Comments

  1. Amanda Vuu

    October 30, 2014 at 6:36 am

    holy cow! i cannot belieeeve you made a catbus cake! i am seriously freaking out over here. this so unique, adorable and too much to handle.

    Reply
    • Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land

      October 30, 2014 at 8:08 am

      hehe! thanks so much amanda! ^__^

  2. jaime : the briny

    October 30, 2014 at 10:08 am

    it’s perfect and beautiful and amazing. you are a catbus cake wizard!

    Reply
    • Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land

      October 30, 2014 at 3:26 pm

      haha! thanks jaime! i like the idea of me wearing a giant wizard hat while baking.

  3. cynthia

    October 30, 2014 at 10:16 am

    Your tutorials are too freaking cool. As are you and Steph for the BEST THEMED WEEK ever! I love this!!!

    Reply
    • Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land

      October 30, 2014 at 3:26 pm

      aw thanks cynthia!! we gots to get some wacky themed week together in the future, all of us! it’ll be FUN! xo

  4. steph

    October 30, 2014 at 11:54 am

    i wanna get on the bus. i NEED to get on the bus.

    i love this so much lyndsay!! i gotta find one of those multi opening tips :)

    Reply
    • Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land

      October 30, 2014 at 3:27 pm

      DUDE YOUR CATBUS PASS NEVAH EXPIRES!!! lifetime bus pass! you will be especially dangerous with a multi opening tip, steph! can’t wait!!

  5. Sarah

    October 30, 2014 at 2:14 pm

    This is my new favorite cake of yours ever. It put a huge smile on my face and I even sent a link to my boyfriend who also loves Totoro. :)

    Reply
    • Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land

      October 30, 2014 at 3:27 pm

      ohmigosh thank you sarah! i love that you totoro as much as i do … ^__^

  6. kickpleat

    October 30, 2014 at 3:58 pm

    You are a crazy ass piper, Lyndsay!!!

    Reply
    • Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land

      November 1, 2014 at 6:10 am

      haha – thank you so much jeannette!! crazy-ass-piper, why didn’t i think of that as my cake biz name??? :P

  7. Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar

    October 31, 2014 at 7:04 am

    Um, this catbus cake makes me want to jump up and down. OMG!!!!!! This is the best. The absolute BEST!!

    Reply
    • Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land

      November 1, 2014 at 6:10 am

      katrina!! let’s jump up and down togethah! aw thanks so much! ^__^

  8. Nik@ABrownTable

    October 31, 2014 at 11:44 pm

    I need to learn how to frost and decorate a cake from you, you’re simply the best!

    Reply
    • Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land

      November 1, 2014 at 6:11 am

      nik you’re sweet! i could learn many wonderful things from you in the kitchen! love your recipes. thanks for stopping by!

  9. Millie | Add A Little

    November 1, 2014 at 2:57 am

    OMG Lyndsay!! This is so insanely cool – I would have to take a million photos before eating this if I ever made it!

    Reply
    • Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land

      November 1, 2014 at 6:11 am

      haha! oh man i take way too many pics of my cakes too … then i have to edit edit edit … thanks millie for coming by!!

  10. Amy

    November 13, 2014 at 2:22 pm

    I LOVE how you mention CATBUS at any moment where it could possibly make sense. This cake is hilarious!

    Reply
    • Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land

      November 13, 2014 at 8:13 pm

      haha! gotta love CATBUS!! thanks burger!! xo

  11. gyoza*girl

    November 24, 2014 at 5:54 pm

    i love your catbus cakes! i love totoro! totemo kawaii desu! xo

    Reply

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I'm Lyndsay

I'm a baker and cookbook author from Vancouver, BC! I love super cute cakes, sweet design and snacks. Here you will find cakes galore, tutorials, recipes and vegan baking recipes, too! Learn more about me here!

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