Walsall mum creates life-size Buzz Lightyear cake with working wings and lights
Lara Mason, a 39-year-old mother of two from Brownhills near Walsall, has dedicated 75 hours to crafting a remarkable life-size Buzz Lightyear cake measuring 5ft 3ins (1.6m) to celebrate the upcoming release of Toy Story 5. The creation features retractable wings, flashing lights, and sound effects, including the iconic catchphrase 'To infinity...and beyond'.
Ingredients and construction details
The towering confection required 250 eggs, 12.5kg of butter, and 35kg of modelling chocolate and edible stickers. Inside, approximately 50 layers of vanilla sponge are coated in rich chocolate ganache. Lara built the cake over five days at her home in Brownhills.
Her husband engineered the electrical retractable wings, cleverly baked inside the icing. Lara said: 'My husband was the brains behind the wings. I have no idea how he made them work so well but he did.'
Community impact and charity distribution
After the cake was completed, it was cut up and distributed to foodbanks across the West Midlands areas of Pelsall, Cannock, and Chadsmoor, ensuring the celebration also benefited the local community.
Reaction and social media success
Lara, who has been producing extraordinary life-size cakes for 13 years, said: 'Everyone has been blown away by this one. Even before they realise that his buttons work and his wings open. It was no easy task to get the wiring and buttons all working for the sounds and the laser, but I managed it thankfully.'
Footage documenting the cake construction has been viewed by nearly six million people via her Lara Cakes social media channels.
A history of celebrity cake creations
Lara created the Disney-inspired masterpiece to commemorate the announcement of Toy Story 5. Her previous works include recreations of Taylor Swift, The Grinch, Stitch, and Deadpool, earning acclaim from stars such as Ryan Reynolds and Jim Carrey.
