How to make a Bowling Lane Birthday Cake

For my son’s Funky Bowling Birthday Party my sister and I created a Bowling Alley Birthday Cake. Now our cake was not perfect by any means – our Alley had a Bump and our Bowling Ball Rack could have stood up straight. It still looked good and the kids liked it – so really that is all that matters. After make this one we now know what we need to do right if we attempt it again. It is really not hard to make at all and let me tell you how you can make this and what not to do wrong.

Here is what you will need:

• 2 cakes baked in a 13″ x 9″ Pan (Flavor of choice)
• 2 Tubs of White Frosting
• 1 Tub of Chocolate Frosting
• Gumballs
• Fruit Roll Up
• Fruit by the Foot  Roll Up (to go down sides of the lane for gutters)
• 7 Mini Chocolate Chips
• Bowling Pin Candles or Mini Bowling Pin Kit (see below)
• Foil lined Cardboard to Display it on (make sure it is over 26″ Long)

Line up your cakes on your Cardboard.

Trim your cake as shown in photo B.

Trim two big cake scraps to 4 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide and stack them on the sides of the wide end of the cake to make the bowling ball rack as you see in photo C.

Now mix 1 1/2 cups of white frosting with 10-12 drops of yellow food coloring and 1 cup of chocolate frosting – this will give you the tan color for your Bowling Lane. Frost the entire cake this color except for the top of the Ball Rack which you will frost white.  Then on the Ball rack add on your Gumballs to represent your Bowling Balls.  I then cut a piece of Fruit Roll up and added it the end of my lane. I also added a thin cut piece in another color to make a line at the top as the break – you can also use licorice. Add your Mini Chocolate Chips right above that to form the triangle marker you see on a Bowling Lane. Take your Fruit by the Foot and add a strip down each side of the lane for your gutters. Now add on your Bowling Pin Candles or Pins from Mini Bowling Set and you have your self a great cake for your Bowling Party.

So what did we do wrong with our cake? Well for one our cakes were not evenly cooked. We should have cut them to be the same size and our Ball Holders had the same problem. Oh well – we know for next time. If you run into this problem cut it so it is even and then add a thin layer of frosting. Then stick in the freezer so when you frost the rest of the way you do not get all the crumbs all over – it is called a Crumb Coat.

Here is a photo Courtesy Bowlingdelights that we used for our Inspiration – see how even it all is. That is the result you want.

Be sure to check out the post we did on this party theme: Funky Bowling Birthday Party – Why have the same ol’ Bowling Party when it can be FUNKY!!