erupting volcano birthday cake

For my son's 5th birthday, I decided to go a little nuts. 4 months and about $200.00 later I think I created something one of a kind.
I wanted a volcano that would do several things...

smoke

erupt with lava

vibrate

and finally, make volcano noises.

Please check out my other instructables and I also have a diy podcast called mechanicalmashup.tv

Step 1 Lava

I was thinking of making my own piston type lava delivery system, but then I realized I had a perfectly good one sitting around the house already. We have a chocolate fountain we bought for $75 a year ago. Everything for the cake was built around this.

The actual lava was made by blending a $10.00 bulk bag of frozen strawberries with some icing sugar and corn starch. This was reduced on the stove to thicken. The flow rate was tested and the sauce was frozen. This was a mistake because I think freezing the sauce changed it's consistency slightly and it did not flow as well as I would have liked on the big day.

Comments

[dave spencer]

OK, I'm not sure if anyone is going to be interested or not but here goes...

This cake box/ pan thing is too big for me to want to store. I will never use it again and it is too small to get any reasonable materials from scrapping it so I am giving it away. That's right you read correctly, I'm giving it away.

For the low low price of $0.00 you get:
a stainless steel pan,
a rock textured wooden box with handles,
a vibrating motor,
Electrical plug with splitter box,
the motor that pulls the balloon releases,
I'll even throw in a few extra balloons and some of the plastic tubing.
MP3 file for sound effects
Free tech support

I will NOT be giving away:
My wifes Ipod Nano and speakers (sorry, I asked)
The chocolate fountain (I know its an important part but we got ours new for $75 and we actually use it as a chocolate fountain)
Power supplies (one 12v and one 6 v for the motors)
120v remote control
cake mix or icing

If you live in the greater Toronto area and don't mind coming to pick it up (it's too big to ship reasonably) it could be yours. All I ask is that you make another child happy and try to pass it on again after (maybe with a few more of the required parts) It would also be cool to see pictures.

First email gets it. I do offer a 100% money back guarantee!

[samando]

it looks to me like it is a drawer and i agree with exponent about it being soo koooool!!

[royalestel]

You should also try posting this on freecycle if you haven't passed it on yet . . .

[colorslam]

Am I interested! You bet!!!! I already did a (static) volcano cake for my son's fifth birthday, but his best friend was out of town so I promised I would do it again. All I managed was clear red candy designed to look like spewing lava. I haven't even read all your instructions yet, but I am SOOOOOOOOOOOO interested in your spare parts. I can't tell from the comments below whether someone wants the stuff yet. hope I'm first !!! I have some question about the shipping cost, but surely I can manage.

[dave spencer]

Unfortunately TeaBerry lives too far away to pick it up so it is still up for grabs.

[dave spencer]

Congratulations to Mike! He just picked up the cake. He says he is going to use the volcano with bread and chili in a chili contest. VERY COOL. Best of luck Mike and I can't wait to see pictures!

[canida]

That's fantastic! Pictures, sure- the chili modification process should probably get its own Instructable. I can't wait!

[SacTownSue]

What no left over cake?

[chasmyn]

This is amazing. Wow, fantastic job. After my own heart, but this...this is beyond my scope. I hope your son knows what amazing parents he has that would go this far for him on his 5th birthday. Kudos.

[chaydgb]

I am divorcing my parents, they should be ashamed at not having made me such an awesome cake for my fifth birthday. Very good effort, I hope your son remembers to do this for his kids when they turn five!

[lozzie_pie]

1. i dnt call it a bit nuts..... i call it "SO FREAING INSANE U SHOULD BE COMMITED!!!' 2. $200??!?!?!?!? are u serious? talk about a waste of money! jeez! ever heard of the global unequal distribution of resources??? ure making exploding cakes wen ppl in 3rd world countries can barely survive bcos their so poor!, fine, i, myself am a bit shallow, i like pretty cakes, but $200 on an exploding cake? that is just too. far.

[bsmaka]

You have obviously never seen the price tag on a standard wedding cake. Besides most of that cost is reusable. Please next time you wish to protest wasteful actions go to Al Gore's newest house.

[Javin007]

You really need a nice warm glass of shut the hell up. This cake was awesome. $200 is a small price to pay for an epic birthday for your child. Bravo to the parents. You: Plz die. Kthxbai.

[indomitable]

wow thats harsh. i thought the cake was awesome, im glad she had the idea. its always nice to see whats possible dont you think?

[bobbym529]

Nice! The only heresy is "to reduce the volume of cake". Gasp! Yes it will be hard to top this. Maybe a glow stick in there somewhere for the glowing part of the lava? This even out does those Ace of Cakes guys. :-)

[anji12305]

This rocks. Anyone that undermines a homebuilt effort like this needs their medication titrated. Nothing done for a child is wasted, and people that live with actual children (rather than a collegiate study) applaud your efforts. And I thought the cake was a lie! Bravo

[wirecutter]

WOW what a cake! I know that I go over the top with my 'Birthday' bits for my two girls and now the 4 grandchildren but your Volcano puts anything of mine to shame. A word of warning..... Next year something even more spectacular will be expected, if not from the family but from every child at the party!! and the Mum's and Dad's ( WHO ALL WILL BE HATING YOU!** for giving them more work )

[kjohns1007]

This cake is so cool but - can u eat it? lol

[andreajayros]

amazing! love it! only enhancement i would make would be to blow off a bit of the top into the crowd at the beginning :) $200 is a small price to pay for art.

[Insanitek]

I volunteer at a hands on science museum for kids. This gave me a very fun, unique and hilarious (also expensive) way to do a volcano demonstration during a fundraiser picnic. Thank you so very much. If I can find the money, I'm totally making one of these for that sort of event.

[geodez]

your kids are spoiled.

[estefany]

wow dat cake is soo big i gueess it was hard doin dat

[Sunny124613]

very cool!!!! And I really like science behind volcanoes so this is great!!

[RaNDoMLeiGH]

That is SO cool! I helped my kid make a volcano for her science project. Although made from masonry cement, I can draw parallels here. We used tinted marshmallow creme in a tuna can that sat just below the lip of the volcano. Inside, we put an empty tea light into a canned-beans can (just a regular size can that everything comes in). Had to punch some holes round the edges of that can. Into the empty tea light we added some of that Sterno gel stuff. Through a small hole in the side I lit it with a long lighter. The marshmallow creme bubbled and splurped and oozed down the side much to the delight of the sixth graders (the teacher was pretty impressed too). Only downside is that it will smell quite strongly of well-cooked marshmallow by the time the sterno's all gone. Not as sexy as yours, of which I am quite jealous (the balloon idea was GENIUS), but for someone in a bit of a rush, perhaps a solution. Good Job!! -- RaNDoMLeiGH

[RaNDoMLeiGH]

Revisiting my favorite instructables, I realized that this would be very cool for my youngest daughter. She will be 13 in just a few days, and her birthday is the same day that Mt. Vesuvius ate Pompeii in 79AD! What a fitting cake for a teenager born on 24 August.

[cookula]

Awesome...you could make a mint selling these!

[zorro3355]

your son is so luckly to have parents like you....my mother only give me a slice of cake that should only cost aroung $1.50

[deth2all]

my 9th b-day i got a pack of socks and a pack of cigarettes

[zorro3355]

i know that cigaretts may be cheap in your country,but in my country, an normal pack of cigaretts cost around $11.

[cornflaker]

Damn, thats pretty terrible. It doesn't really matter how much they cost.

[GorillazMiko]

Wow. On the featured section for Instructables, it says this was posted on April 26th, 2007. My birthday is on April 26th, also known as this Saturday. NICE JOB!

[stinkymum]

Happy Birthday to you Happy Birthday to you Happy Birthday GorillazMiko! Happy Birthday to you!

[Metal4God]

also known as the day i'm going to see Kutless lol, happy birthday eggs

[Who Needs Brakes]

LMAO THAT IS SO AWSOME how bad do them kids want to eat it >>>lets watch it lets eat it lets watch it lets eat it, your really go all out for him, good on yas can't wait till I see what is next, Thank now I have a daughter asking me for a volcano cake LMAO

[omnibot]

WOW! You REALLY went the distance on this one.

[Gonazar]

i didn't see anything about the audio, did you hook the speakers up to a computer or mp3 player?

[doublefry]

wait a minute wait a minute... you ATE this? lego dinosaurs and all? was it tasty? and wouldn't the kids try to eat the dinos? i would have.

[darkmuskrat]

All my dad did for my 5th birthday was push my nose in the cake :'( awesome instructable.

[msimon3]

A M A Z I N G ! ! ! ! ! ! !

[finfan7]

Just wow