CONCORD, N.H.  — Love is looking for tractors. Endlessly.

That’s what my toddler taught me this year. That even when I’m bored, tired and really, really sick of hearing about, discussing and identifying examples of his latest obsession, all he needs to do is ask.

“Daddy look tractors?”

And love is spending weeks searching for just the right tractor-themed birthday cake. And failing to find it, a few more weeks designing one. Because someday he’ll be too old and too cool to care.

Last month, we celebrated Parker’s second birthday. The theme was obvious. The cake wasn’t.

Certain that countless parents before us had encountered the tractor obsession, I turned to the Internet, where I assumed I would find dozens of great cake ideas. So wrong. There were some, but none particularly inspired.

We wanted something that would — amid the chaos of presents and relatives and photographs — make Parker stop and stare. But as cake decorating amateurs, my wife and I needed that party-stopping cake also to be easy.

As we researched, we learned several tips essential to simplicity.

— Toys as toppers are good. Nothing you craft from food will look nearly as good as a die-cast John Deere toy.

— Copping out on the tractor means the rest of the cake (let’s call it the scenery) has to be really good.

— Anything intricate is best done off the cake, then applied to it later. This means little mistakes don’t ruin the whole thing.

After much research, we settled on a farm scene built on a double-layer 9-inch round white cake frosted and filled with chocolate ganache. There would be a “stone wall” around the base, and the top would be half “grass” and half “dirt.” Fruit and vegetables would be growing in the dirt and there would be a pond in the grass. And, of course, a toy tractor.

It sounds more complicated than it is. Planning is key. We broke up the process over a week, so we never felt overwhelmed.

The most challenging part was the produce, which we molded from marzipan (sweet almond paste). I have no artistic talent, but still found it fun and easy. If you can make Play-Doh snakes, you can make these fruits and vegetables. Plan for about 1 1/2 hours to make enough produce to decorate this cake.

It was time well spent. Parker stopped and stared. So did his mother and I. And he knew exactly what to do next.

“Parker eat tractor?”

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In addition to the recipes that follow, you will need the following supplies:

— 1 package blue Jell-O

— 20 chocolate sandwich cookies

— 7-ounce tube cake decorating marzipan (gently squeeze the package to ensure it is soft and fresh)

— Red, green, orange and yellow gel food dyes (available online or at baking supply shops)

— Cake platform (a 10-inch circle of thick cardboard covered with foil)

— Quart-size zip-close plastic bag

— Offset cake decorating spatula (not essential, but helpful)

— 1/2 pound candy pebbles (candy coated chocolate that resembles small rocks, available online or at baking supply shops)

— Kitchen foil

— 3-ounce bottle green candy sprinkles

— 1- to 2-inch-round cookie or biscuit cutter

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Up to one week ahead:

— Prepare the Jell-O using half the water called for in the package directions. Lightly oil a pie plate, then fill 1/4 inch deep with Jell-O. Cover and refrigerate. Discard (or chill and eat!) unused Jell-O.

— Place the cookies in a food processor and pulse until they resemble coarse sand. Store in an airtight container.

— Mold the marzipan produce. To do this, we used the excellent directions from the April 2000 issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine. (To find similar instructions, go to marthastewart.com and search for “marzipan fruits and vegetables.”)

Completed produce can be refrigerated until needed on a plate between sheets of waxed paper.

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The night before:

— Bake the cake (recipe follows). Cool completely. If needed, use a large serrated or bread knife to level the cakes. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature overnight.

— Prepare the ganache to the stage at which it is chilled (recipe follows). Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

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The day of:

— Let ganache come to room temperature, then continue with the recipe. Set aside.

— Cut several 2-inch-wide strips of waxed or parchment paper and place them along the edges of the cake platform. These keep the platform clean as you decorate the cake.

— Unwrap one cake and center it on the cake platform. Make sure the edges of the cake rest on the paper strips.

— Spoon about 1 cup of the ganache into the zip-close plastic bag. Press out any air, then seal. Snip off  1/2-inch tip from one corner. Squeeze the bag to pipe a thick bead of ganache along the top outer edge of the cake.

Squeeze any ganache remaining in the bag into the center. Spoon additional ganache into the center and use an offset spatula or butter knife to spread evenly. Filling should be even.

— Unwrap the second cake and center it on top of the first, pressing gently to ensure it sits evenly.

— Use the spatula or knife to frost the cake. This need not be perfect, as most of the frosting will later be covered.

Begin with the sides of the cake, spreading a thin layer at first, then doubling back to add more if needed. Aim for a smooth, even coat. If the ganache sticks to your knife or spatula, dunk the utensil in hot water, then dry it and try again.

— Gently slip the waxed or parchment paper strips out from beneath the cake.

— Press a line of candy “rocks” into the frosting along the outer edge of the top of the cake. Press more rocks along the bottom of the cake, working upward to cover about half the cake.

— Fold a large sheet of kitchen foil several times to make a thick 2-inch-wide strip. Bend it to make a wave or S-form. Set the paper on its edge across the top of the cake. On one side of the foil, cover the cake with cookie crumbs. Cover the other side with green sprinkles. Remove the foil.

— If desired, sprinkle additional cookie crumbles down the side of the cake.

— Select the location on the cake where you want to put the pond. Press the cookie cutter into the cake, going down about 1/3 inch. Use a spoon or fork to scoop out the frosting and about  1/4 inch of cake from within the cutter. Remove the cutter.

— Use the cutter to cut a circle from the Jell-O. You may need to use a fork or knife to pull the “pond” off the bottom of the pie plate. Insert the Jell-O pond into the hole on top of the cake. Edge the pond with candy rocks.

— Place the toy tractor on top of the cake, then arrange the marzipan fruits and vegetables as desired.

— Store the cake in the refrigerator. Let it stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.

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Classic White Cake

(Start to finish 1 hour)

2 1/4 cups (9 ounces) plain cake flour, plus more for dusting the pans

1 cup milk, room temperature

6 large egg whites, room temperature

2 teaspoons almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups (12 1/4 ounces) granulated sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still cool

Adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 350 F. Generously grease two 9-inch round cake pans and cover the pan bottoms with rounds of parchment paper or waxed paper. Grease the parchment rounds and dust the pans with flour, tapping to remove the excess.

Pour the milk, egg whites and extracts into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup and mix with a fork until blended.

Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in the bowl of standing mixer set at low speed. Add the butter and continue beating at low speed until the mixture resembles moist crumbs and no powdery streaks remain.

Add all but 1/2 cup of the milk mixture to the crumbs and beat at medium speed (or high, if using a hand mixer) for 1 1/2 minutes. Add the remaining milk mixture and beat another 30 seconds. Stop the mixer, scrape the sides of the bowl, then beat another 20 seconds.

Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Using a rubber spatula, spread the batter to the pan walls and smooth the tops. Arrange the pans at least 3 inches from the oven walls and from each other. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 23 to 25 minutes.

Let the cakes rest in the pans for 3 minutes. If necessary, loosen the sides of the pans with a knife and invert onto wire racks. Let cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.

Makes two 9-inch round cakes, or about 12 servings.

(Recipe from America’s Test Kitchen’s “Baking Illustrated,” 2004, $35)

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Whipped Ganache

(Start to finish 6 1/2 hours, 15 minutes active)

14 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

4 cups heavy cream

2 teaspoons vanilla

Put the chocolate in the bowl of an electric mixer and set aside.

In a medium saucepan bring the cream to a gentle boil over a medium-high heat. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let stand about 1 minute to melt the chocolate. Use the mixer to whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

Whisk in the vanilla, the cover with plastic wrap. Make sure the wrap makes contact with the surface of the ganache. Refrigerate until firm enough to whip, at least 6 hours.

Using the whisk attachment of an electric mixer, beat the ganache at a medium-high speed until it forms medium peaks and is firm enough to spread, about 1 minute. Do not overbeat.

Ganache can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Bring to room temperature before using.

Makes 6 cups.

(Recipe from Tish Boyle’s “The Cake Book,” Wiley, 2006, $39.95.)

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AP Food Writer J.M. Hirsch can be e-mailed at jhirsch@ap.org