Building a life-size Stormtrooper cake (photos)

Boston-based Amanda Oakleaf Cakes created a 6-foot Stormtrooper cake for the Arisia sci-fi convention. For the project, the bakery team bought a life-size cutout of a Stormtrooper. All 10 employees of the company were involved with the cake, and it took two weeks to complete.

Given the large size, the team had to come up with a way to assemble the cake in segments on-site. The solution was creating sections using iron pipes that could later be screwed together on location.

Amanda Oakleaf Cakes molded the Stormtrooper's head using blocks of Rice Krispie treats.

With the Rice Krispie treats covered in fondant, Amanda Oakleaf Cakes' Tim, who has a degree in sculpture, can now go to work carving the finer details of the Stormtrooper's mask.

Rice Krispie treats were also used to form the Stormtrooper's legs.

A high-five for good work!

Slowly but surely, the Stormtrooper is coming to life. The team didn't start adding the cake part until two days before the event, because really, who wants to eat stale cake?

Amanda Oakleaf, founder and owner of the company, told CNET one of the biggest challenges of building the cake was keeping the fondant from slipping off.

"The reason you haven't seen too many sculpted humanoid-style cakes is because it requires a person to use very long stretches of vertically placed fondant, which is nearly impossible to keep attached to the cake," Oakleaf said.

One of the most nerve-wracking parts would be transporting the finished product.

Another sweat-inducing moment? Assembling the cake. In the end, the Stormtrooper cake measured in at 6 feet by 4 inches tall and weighed 300 pounds.

A work of delicious art.

Half of the Amanda Oakleaf Cakes team poses with their masterpiece.

We know the Dark Side never wins, and with one slice off the noggin, it's the beginning of the end for this Stormtrooper.

In case you're wondering, the Stormtrooper was made of yellow cake with vanilla Italian meringue buttercream and a homemade marshmallow fondant. Yes, please!

Everyone wants a piece of the Stormtrooper!

OK, who asked for the slice of Stormtrooper butt?

The team saved part of the Stormtrooper's head and arms, but we'd say the cake was pretty much a hit.