Last week I came to the end of a four year physics with medical physics degree, so my project partner of 2 years and I decided to make an MRI scanner cake!
The scanner itself was made from a standard 6oz Victoria sponge recipe, baked in a circle and filled with vanilla buttercream. The cake had a small segment cut off to allow it to stand on the board. The bed of the scanner, we created from a 4oz sponge recipe, baked in a square tin, cut to size and stuck together with buttercream.
In order to stick the (bought) royal icing to the cake once rolled, we used apricot glaze – a smooth apricot jam which is melted first before being applied to the cake. It tastes good as well as being practical!
White icing was rolled thinly and then put on the circular cake in stages – the front, back and around the edge – after the cake was stuck to the board with a little buttercream. To hide the joins, and to improve the look of the cake, grey strips were rolled and added around the edges. A bore was created using a circle of black icing (if we’d cut a real hole, there would have been less cake!) on each side of the scanner, made using the top of a wine glass as a template. The bed was covered similarly and was stuck to the board post-icing.
Our little man to be scanned was created from icing, and his dignity conserved with a scrubs-green blanket. Buttons were added using silver balls. This was not difficult to create – although it was definitely useful having 2 pairs of hands for the icing – and went down a treat with those at the Magnetic Resonance Centre!
Physicakes 
I love this. So comical. Hope your career post degree is going well. x