Food / 5 June, 2019 / My Baba

10 Stunning Birthday Cake Recipes to Try at Home

Baby’s 1^st Birthday Cake

• 2.5 hours
• Makes: 18 portions

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

• 400g unsalted butter – softened
• 500g caster sugar
• 6 large eggs
• 200ml whole milk
• 2 tsp /10ml Madagascan vanilla bean paste
• 500g self raising flour
• 1 tsp / 5g baking powder

To Decorate:

• 2 tubs (800g) buttercream style icing classic vanilla
• 200g strawberry jam
• Extra strong pink food colour gel
• Extra strong blue food colour gel
• Extra strong green food colour gel
• Extra strong violet food colour gel
• Extra strong orange food colour gel

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180?C/160?C fan oven/gas mark 4. Grease and line 3x 8inch baking tins
2. Place your softened butter and sugar into a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light in colour and fluffy in texture
3. In a jug, beat together your eggs, vanilla bean paste and milk. Then, slowly add to the butter and sugar mix along with the flour and baking powder
4. Mix together until well combined
5. Divide your cake batter between your three tins, place in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes until cooked. To test if the cakes are cooked, insert a skewer and if it comes out clean then the cakes are ready
6. Place the cooked cakes onto a cooling rack and cool in the tins for 15 minutes then remove from the tins to cool fully
7. Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Pipe or spoon a 1cm thick ring of vanilla buttercream style icing on the rim of the cake. Spread a thin layer of jam in the inside of the ring of vanilla buttercream
8. Place the second cake on top and repeat the buttercream ring and jam layer
9. Add your third layer of cake. Then crumb coat the whole cake, start by spreading buttercream style icing on the top of the cake and then work your way down the sides until the whole cake is covered in a layer of buttercream. Chill for 10 minutes
10. Meanwhile, take the remaining 400g of buttercream style icing and divide between 5 bowls
11. Make your blue colour buttercream by adding a couple of drops of blue extra strong colour gel to one of the bowls, mixing well to create a pale blue colour
12. Repeat step using the different extra strong colour gels to create a pale green, lilac, light pink and coral buttercreams
13. Transfer all your coloured buttercreams into individual piping bags and snip off the ends to create a hole about 1cm wide to pipe through
14. Then, to create the buttercream paint smear pattern on the cake – pipe a line of buttercream dots of each colour 1 cm wide in a random pattern around the top of the side of the cake
15. To smear each dot, press a finger or the back of teaspoon into the dot then gently pull down to create a smear
16. Continue to pipe and smear dots of the coloured buttercream around the whole of the cake spreading out the dots more as you get towards the bottom of the cake

Funfetti Sprinkle Cake

• 2.5 hours
• Makes: 12-16 portions

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

• 400g unsalted butter – softened
• 500g caster sugar
• 6x large eggs
• 200ml whole milk
• 2tsp (10ml) Madagascan vanilla bean paste
• 500g self raising flour
• 1tsp (5g) baking powder

To Decorate:

• 800g vanilla buttercream style icing
• 1 jar of unicorn confetti sprinkles

For the Marshmallow fluff drip:

• 100g pink and white mini marshmallows
• 2 tbsp (30g) Golden syrup
• 30g unsalted butter
• Pink food colour gel

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180?C/160?C fan oven/gas mark 4. Grease and line 3x 8inch round cake tins
2. Place your softened butter and sugar into a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light in colour and fluffy in texture
3. In a jug, beat together your eggs, vanilla paste and milk then add to the butter and sugar along with the flour and baking powder
4. Mix together until well combined
5. Divide your cake batter between your three prepared tins, place in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes until cooked. To test if the cakes are cooked, insert a skewer into the centre of the cake and if it comes out clean then the cake is ready
6. Place the cooked cakes onto a cooling rack and cool in the tins for 15 minutes then remove from the tins to cool fully
7. Once the cakes are cool, take your first layer and place on a cake board or plate. Using 400g of the buttercream, take a little and spread onto the first layer of the cake, then add the second, spreading a thin layer of the butter cream then finish with your top layer. Crumb coat the cake with the rest of the buttercream by spreading the buttercream first over the top of the cake and then down the sides giving the cake a thin coating of the buttercream and smooth with a pallet knife
8. Take the remaining 400g of the butter cream, reserving 100g in a piping bag. Put your 300g of buttercream in a bowl and stir in 2/3 of the jar of unicorn confetti sprinkles to create the funfetti buttercream. Cover the cake with the funfetti buttercream smoothing the sides and top with a palette knife
9. To make the marshmallow fluff drip, put your marshmallows, butter and golden syrup in a heatproof bowl and place over a pan of barely simmering water to melt
10. Stir the marshmallow mix until it all the ingredients have melted and combined to form a smooth paste. Add a couple of drops of the pink food colour gel and stir in to create a bright pink colour
11. Place the marshmallow fluff into a piping bag and snip off the end to create a hole about 0.5cm wide to pipe through. Allow to cool slightly for about 5 minutes until it is still warm to the touch
12. Pipe the marshmallow fluff around the edge of the top of the cake in 1cm blobs which should then slowly drip down the sides of the cake. Once there are drips all around the sides of the cake, fill in the rest of the top of the cake with the remaining marshmallow fluff
13. Take your reserved buttercream in the piping bag and snip off the end to create a hole about 2cm wide to pipe through
14. Pipe buttercream kisses around the edge of the top of the cake – holding the piping bag upright and squeezing to create a round shape about 3cm wide, then pull away the piping bag to create a nice peak
15. To finish the cake, sprinkle the top with the remaining unicorn confetti

Wicked Chocolate Fudge Birthday Cake

• 40 minutes
• Makes: 10-12 servings

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

• 175g (6oz) self-raising flour
• 2 tbsp (30g) cocoa powder
• 1 sachet (1 tsp) bicarbonate of soda
• 150g (5oz) caster sugar
• 2 tbsp (50g) golden syrup
• 2 medium size eggs – beaten
• 150 ml (¼ pt) sunflower oil
• 150 ml (¼ pt) milk

For the icing:

• 1 tub (400g) rich chocolate buttercream style Icing

OR to make your own:

• 75g (3oz) unsalted butter
• 175g (6oz) icing sugar
• 3 tbsp (45g) cocoa powder
• Milk or warm water

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas Mark 4. Grease and line two 18cm (7 inch) sandwich tins
2. Sieve the flour, cocoa powder and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl
3. Add the sugar and mix well. Make a well in the centre and add the syrup, eggs, oil and milk. Beat well until smooth
4. Spoon the mixture into the two tins and bake for 25 – 30 minutes until risen and firm to the touch. Remove from oven, leave to cool before turning out onto a cooling rack
5. Sandwich the two cakes together with rich chocolate buttercream style icing
6. Cover the sides and the top of the cake with more buttercream icing and use a palette knife to create swirls on top of the cake to decorate
7. To make your own icing, place the butter in a bowl and beat until soft
8. Gradually sift and beat in the icing sugar and then add enough milk/water to make the icing fluffy and spreadable. Sift and beat the cocoa powder in to the icing

Rainbow Birthday Cake

• Time to complete recipe: Preparation time: 55 minutes plus cooling
• Cooking time: 30 minutes
• Fondant decorations need to set overnight.
• Makes: 14-18 portions

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

• 225g white vegetable fat such as Trex, softened
• 225g caster sugar
• 4 large Eggs, beaten
• 5g (1/2 tsp) salt
• 300g (10oz) plain flour
• 4tsp (20g) baking powder
• 90ml (6tbsp) whole milk
• Gel food colours: red, violet, blue, green, yellow, orange

To Decorate:

• 3 tubs (1200g) vanilla buttercream style icing
• 1 jar bright and bold sprinkles
• 454g pack ready to roll soft white fondant icing

To make your own buttercream:

• 300g softened unsalted butter
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 100ml double cream
• 800g icing sugar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C Fan, Gas Mark 4). Grease and line 3 x 18cm (7inch) round tins. In a mixing bowl, beat half of the white vegetable fat with half of the sugar until creamy in texture
2. Gradually whisk in 2 eggs and ¼ tsp salt. Sift half the flour and 2 tsp baking powder on top. Using a large metal spoon, fold in the dry ingredients. Stir in half the milk to soften the mixture to make a soft dropping consistency
3. Divide the mixture equally between 3 bowls. Choose 3 different gel food colours and mix in sufficient drops of one colour into each bowl of mixture to form a vibrant shade (approx. 8g of each colour)
4. Spoon the mixture into the cake tins, smooth the tops and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes until lightly golden and just firm to the touch. Leave to cool for 5 minutes then turn on to wire racks to cool
5. Using the remaining ingredients and repeat steps 1 and 4 with the remaining 3 colours
6. Using a palette knife spread the vanilla buttercream style icing lightly over 5 of the cake layers. On a serving plate, stack the layers on top of each other
7. To cover the cake start by adding a crumb coat to your cake. Add a thin layer of buttercream using a pallet knife, starting from the top and working your way down the sides of the cake. Scrape any excess buttercream off using your pallet knife so you have a smooth thin layer covering your cake. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Once chilled add the remaining buttercream again working from the top and working your way down the sides of your cake. Use your pallet knife to gently scrape any excess buttercream to give you a smooth finish
8. Store your cake in an airtight container or a tall cake box until you are ready to decorate your cake

To make the rainbow topper:

1. Divide the block of fondant into 6. Take one piece of fondant, knead to soften and then add a few drops of red colour gel. Knead the food colour gel into the fondant with your hands and using a bit of icing sugar if it gets too sticky. Repeat adding a few more drops of red colour gel until you have a bright vibrant colour
2. Repeat step 1, adding a different colour gel until you have 6 different coloured balls of fondant
3. Then divide each coloured ball of fondant into two, wrapping one half in cling film to stop it drying out and putting to one side
4. Smear some trex onto a clean work surface to stop the fondant sticking then take each unwrapped ball and roll it into a sausage about 1/2cm thick and 20cm long
5. Take a small bottle or pot such as a bottle of vanilla extract to use as a guide, and place on a tray lined with non- stick baking paper
6. Curve each coloured sausage over the bottle in the shape of a rainbow starting with purple, then on top of that blue, then green, then yellow, then orange, then finally red. Once you have your rainbow shape take a knife and cut off the ends of the bottom edge of the rainbow in a straight line so the rainbow measures about 10cm high
7. Take a little pot of clear alcohol such as vodka, or alternatively use cold water, and with a little brush glue each strand of the rainbow together by brushing the alcohol in between each colour, you only need a very  small amount otherwise the fondant will become sticky
8. Take two cocktail sticks and insert into the bottom of the yellow strand at both sides of the rainbow, this will help the rainbow stand on top of the cake
9. Leave the rainbow uncovered to air dry and harden overnight
10. To make the fondant balls, take your reserved coloured balls of fondant and unwrap your first colour. Roll this out into a long sausage about 1cm thick. Cut the sausage up into 1cm wide pieces and roll each piece between your palms to make a ball. Place the balls on a tray lined with non- stick paper
11. Repeat with each colour until you have balls in all your rainbow colours. Leave to air dry overnight to harden
12. Once set carefully stick your rainbow into the centre of the top of the cake
13. Add the fondant balls in alternate colours to the base of the cake by lightly pressing into the buttercream
14. Finish by piping some vanilla buttercream into clouds at the base of each end of the rainbow. To pipe cut the end of the piping bag in a straight line to create a hole 1cm wide. If the icing peaks when piped, dip finger in a little cold water to dab down the peak to create a more rounded shape. Then decorate with bright and bold sprinkles

Hint: To make your own buttercream mix 300g softened unsalted butter with 2 tsp vanilla extract, 100ml double cream and 800g icing sugar. Blend well together with an electric mixer until the mixture is light in colour and fluffy in texture.

Dinosaur Chocolate Cake

• 2.5 hours
• Makes: 10-12 portions

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

• 200g unsalted butter – melted
• 100ml vegetable oil
• 300ml water
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tbsp/ 15ml Madagascan vanilla extract
• 150ml soured cream
• 400g plain flour
• 100g caster sugar
• 250g light brown sugar
• 70g fine dark cocoa powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2tsp baking powder

To Decorate:

• 1 tub (400g) of rich chocolate buttercream style icing
• 100g chocolate chip cookies
• 1 pack wafer Dinos
• 150g 74% extra dark chocolate

Method:

1. Preheat your oven 180?C/160?C fan oven/gas mark 4. Grease and line 2x 8 inch cake tins
2. In a large bowl whisk together the melted butter and oil until blended. Add the water then whisk again until well blended
3. In a jug beat together the eggs, Vanilla Extract and soured cream. Add to the butter mix and whisk again
4. In a separate bowl mix together the remaining sponge ingredients add the wet ingredients, whisking until well combined
5. Divide the cake batter between the two cake tins and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes until cooked. To test if the cake is cooked insert a skewer and if it comes out clean then the cakes are ready
6. Take the cakes out of the oven and cool in their tins for 30 minutes then remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack
7. Meanwhile, separate 3 tablespoons of chocolate buttercream place in a bowl and save for later
8. Once the sponges are completely cooled place one layer of the cake onto a cake board or plate. Spread a third of the chocolate buttercream style icing over the top then sandwich together with the second layer. Take the remaining chocolate buttercream style icing and cover the cake starting at the top and working your way down the sides
9. To make the chocolate mud slide drip – break up the dark chocolate into a heat proof bowl and place in the microwave and heat in 30 second bursts, stirring between bursts until it is all melted. Be careful not to overheat the dark chocolate as it will split and become grainy
10. Let the dark chocolate cool a little then spread over the top of the cake using a spoon – allowing the melted chocolate to drip over the sides of the cake
11. Take your chocolate chip cookies and crush them, not too finely, keeping a few larger chunks
12. Take your reserved chocolate buttercream style icing and spoon three mounds onto the top of the cake
13. Sprinkle the crushed cookies on the top of the cake and around the base
14. Then take your wafer dinos and place each one on top of a chocolate buttercream mound to finish your cake

White Iced Birthday Cake

• 3.5 hours
• Makes: 14-18 portions

Ingredients:

For Vanilla Madeira Sponge:

• 525g unsalted butter – softened
• 525g golden caster sugar
• 2 tbsp (30ml) Madagascan vanilla extract
• 9x large eggs
• 150ml whole milk
• 600g self raising flour
• 150g ground almonds
• 200g strawberry jam
• 600g vanilla buttercream style icing

To Decorate:

• 1.4kg soft fondant ready to roll white Icing
• Food colour gel –blue, green, yellow, orange, pink
• Satin ribbon in coral 3cm wide 40cm long

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180?C/160?C fan oven/gas mark 4. Grease and line 4x 7inch baking tins
2. Put your softened butter and sugar into a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until pale in colour and fluffy in texture
3. In a jug, beat together your eggs, vanilla extract and milk. Add to your creamed butter and sugar along with the flour and ground almonds
4. Mix until well combined
5. Divide your cake batter equally between the 4 tins and bake in your preheated oven for 35-40 minutes. To test if the cake is ready insert a skewer into the cake and if it comes out clean then it is ready
6. Cool the cakes in the tins on a wire rack for 15 minutes then turn out and cool completely
7. When the cakes are cooled place one cake layer on a 10 inch cake board or cake plate securing it with a little bit of buttercream to stop the cake sliding around. Pipe or spoon a 1cm thick ring of vanilla buttercream around the outside edge of the cake then within the ring of buttercream, spread a thin layer of jam
8. Place the second cake layer on top and repeat the buttercream ring and jam layer. Then repeat with the third cake layer
9. Add your fourth layer of cake and then crumb coat the whole cake with the buttercream by spreading buttercream first on the top of the cake and then work your way down the sides until the whole cake is covered in a thin layer of buttercream
10. Put in the fridge to chill and set for 1 hour
11. Whilst the cake is chilling make your coloured fondant polka dots
12. Take 400g of the white fondant and divide into 4 balls
13. Colour one ball of fondant with a couple of drops of the yellow food colour gel to create a pale yellow colour, kneading the fondant until the colour is evenly distributed. Wrap the yellow ball in clingfilm and put to one side until ready to use
14. Colour the second ball of the fondant with a couple of drops of the blue food colour gel to create a pale blue colour, kneading the fondant until the colour is evenly distributed. Wrap the blue ball in clingfilm and put to one side until ready to use
15. Colour the third ball of the fondant with a couple of drops of the green food colour gel to create a pale green colour, kneading the fondant until the colour is evenly distributed. Wrap the green ball in clingfilm and put to one side until ready to use
16. Colour the final ball of the fondant with a couple of drops of the pink and orange food colour gels to create a pale coral colour, kneading the fondant until the colour is evenly distributed. Wrap the yellow ball in clingfilm and put to one side until ready to use
17. Once your cake has chilled remove from the fridge and prepare your white fondant for covering
18. Take 1kg of the white fondant. Lightly dust your surface with icing sugar. Knead and roll out the fondant icing in a circle about 0.5cm thick and 21-24 inches wide so that it is wide enough to cover the cake
19. Lift the icing using your rolling pin and drape over the cake. Smooth the top and the sides of the cake with the palms of your hands – smoothing the sides in an upwards motion to prevent the fondant from tearing. Trim away the excess at the bottom of the cake with a sharp knife
20. To make your fondant polka dots, take your coloured fondant balls and roll out on a surface dusted with icing sugar to about 0.25cm thick. To cut out your dots you can use the wide end of a piping nozzle or use a small bottle cap. Dust your cutter in a little icing sugar and stamp out your dots – you will need about 10-15 of each colour
21. To decorate the cake – first wrap the base of the cake with your ribbon, securing the ends either with a pin or a little bit of double sided tape.
22. Glue your polka dots in a random pattern to the cake using a little bit of water on the back of each dot as glue
23. Once the sides of the cake are covered with polka dots it is ready to serve

Triple Chocolate Tray Bake

• Preparation time: 20 minutes
• Cooking time: 35-40 minutes
• Makes: 12-15 portions

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

• 250g unsalted butter, softened
• 250g light brown sugar
• 250g plain flour
• 2 tsp (10g) baking powder
• 85g fine dark cocoa powder
• 4 large eggs, beaten
• 150ml whole milk
• 1tbsp (15ml) Madagascan vanilla extract
• 50g milk jumbo choc chips
• 50g dark jumbo choc chips
• 50g white chocolate chunks

To Decorate:

• 1 tub (400g) rich chocolate buttercream style icing
• 1 jar Bright and bold sprinkles
• 1 pack letters & numbers

Method:

1. Preheat an oven to 180 degrees/170 degrees fan/gas mark 4
2. Grease and line a baking tin or roasting tin approx. 30cm x 20cm
3. Cream together the softened butter and sugar with an electric whisk or mixer until light and fluffy
4. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, milk and vanilla extract and add to the butter and sugar
5. Add the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder to the mixture and mix with an electric whisk or mixer until smooth
6. Mix the jumbo chips and white chocolate chunks in a little flour to coat them then fold through the cake mixture. Coating the chocolate chunks/chips in flour prevents them from sinking to the bottom enabling the chocolate to be dispersed evenly through the batter
7. Pour the mixture into your prepared tin and spread evenly
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 mins until a skewer inserted comes out clean
9. Cool in the tin for 15 minutes and then remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack
10. Once cooled, spread the top of the tray bake with the chocolate buttercream style icing using a palette knife
11. Use sprinkles to decorate your tray bake, and letters and numbers to personalise your bake

Vegan Chocolate Gluten Free Cake

• Preparation time: 20 minutes plus cooling and 24 hours storing
• Cooking time: 50 minutes
• Makes: 10-12 portions

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

• 2 sachets (50g) fine dark cocoa powder
• 250g (9 oz) gluten free flour
• 200g (7 oz) ground almonds
• 2 sachet (2 tbsp) ground arrowroot
• 4 sachets (4tsp) baking powder (gluten free)
• 350g (12oz) dark brown sugar, free of lumps
• 1 tsp (5g) salt
• 350g (12oz) tofu, drained
• 400ml sunflower oil
• 4 tsp (20ml) natural vanilla extract

To Decorate:

• 1 tub (400g) rich chocolate buttercream style icing
• 75g fresh raspberries
• 75g blackberries
• 75g cherries
• 1 Bar (150g) extra dark chocolate

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan oven, 350°F, gas mark 4). Grease and line two 4cm (1 ½ inch) deep, 18cm (7 inch) loose bottomed cake tins
2. Reserving (1 tsp) cocoa powder, mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre
3. Put the tofu in a blender or food processor and add the oil and vanilla. Blend for a few seconds to make a smooth, creamy paste
4. Scrape out the tofu paste into the centre of the dry ingredients and carefully mix together until well combined
5. Pile half of the mixture into each of the prepared tins, smooth the top and stand the tins on a baking tray. Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes until firm and a light crust forms on top – a skewer inserted into the centre will come out clean when the cake is cooked through. Cool for 15 minutes in the tin, then turn on to a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap and store for 24 hours to allow the texture and flavour to develop
6. To decorate trim the top of each cake to allow for removing any domed tops. Place the first layer on to a cake board or serving dish and carefully spread the chocolate buttercream style icing on top, spreading to the sides. Place the second cake directly on top and finish with more buttercream style icing
7. Finally decorate using fresh berries and chocolate shavings. To make the chocolate shavings take a full block of chocolate and place it so that the smooth side is facing upwards. Using a knife carefully scrape it horizontally down the chocolate to create shavings

Narwhal Cake

• Time to complete recipe: 4 hours including decoration plus overnight drying time for horn and flippers
• Makes: 16-18 portions

Ingredients:

For the Vanilla Madeira Sponge:

• 525g unsalted butter – softened
• 525g golden caster sugar
• 6 tsp (30ml) Madagascan vanilla extract
• 9 large eggs
• 150ml whole milk
• 600g self raising flour
• 150g ground almonds
• 200g strawberry jam
• 1x 400g tub of classic vanilla buttercream style icing

For the decoration:

• 1.45kg white soft fondant icing – Ready to Roll
• Extra strong blue food colouring gel
• Extra strong pink food colouring gel
• Extra strong black food colouring gel
• 2 cocktail sticks
• 1 wooden / bamboo skewer
• Icing sugar for dusting
• Water for gluing

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180?C/160?C fan oven/gas mark 4. Grease and line 3 x 8 inch baking tins
2. Put your softened butter and sugar into a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until pale in colour and fluffy in texture
3. In a jug, beat together your eggs, vanilla extract and milk. Add to your creamed butter and sugar along with the flour and ground almonds.
4. Mix until well combined
5. Divide your cake batter equally between the 3 tins and bake in your preheated oven for 35-40 minutes. To test if the cake is ready insert a skewer into the cake and if it comes out clean then it is ready
6. Cool the cakes in the tins on a wire rack for 15 minutes then turn out and cool completely
7. When the cakes are cooled place one on a 10 inch cake board or cake plate securing it with a little bit of buttercream to stop the cake sliding around. Pipe or spoon a 1cm thick ring of vanilla buttercream style icing around the outside edge of the cake. Then within the ring of buttercream spread a thin layer of jam
8. Place the second cake on top and repeat the vanilla buttercream ring and jam layer
9. Add your third layer of cake and then crumb coat the whole cake with the remaining buttercream. Start by spreading buttercream first on the top of the cake and then work your way down the sides until the whole cake is covered in a thin layer of buttercream
10. Put in the fridge to chill and set for 1 hour
11. Whilst your cake is chilling make your horn and flippers
12. For the horn take a wooden or bamboo skewer and shorten it to about 17cm
13. Take 200g of the white fondant. Dust your work surface with a little icing sugar. Lightly knead the fondant until it becomes pliable. Then roll into a thick sausage that is about 30cm long and gradually gets thinner at one end. The thick end should be about 2cm wide and the thin end about 0.5cm wide
14. Coat the top 10-12cm of your skewer with water to help glue the fondant to the stick. Start rolling the thin end of the fondant sausage around the skewer, gently squeezing the layers together as you go. As you roll the fondant around the skewer it should be tapered at the top and get wider as you get to the bottom. Leave about 5cm of skewer uncovered so you can attach the horn to the cake. Once you reach the end of the fondant, cut the base of the fondant horn in a straight line so that it has a flat bottom, then take a thin paintbrush and paint a little water between the rings of the horn to glue them together
15. Place the horn on a piece of non-stick greaseproof paper and allow to air dry uncovered overnight to harden
16. To make your flippers, first make a template using a bit of card and draw and cut out a leaf shape so that one end is tapered and the other end flat so it is about 5cm wide at the flat end and about 7cm in length. Take about 100g of your white fondant icing and colour it with a few drops of the extra strong blue colour gel to get a nice bright blue colour. Knead the fondant to mix in the colour evenly
17. Dust your surface with a little icing sugar and divide the blue fondant into two. Using a rolling pin, roll out one piece of the blue fondant so that it is about 1cm thick. Take your flipper template, place on top of the fondant and cut around it to make the flipper. Repeat with the other piece of the fondant, but make sure you flip over your template so that you have a right hand side flipper and a left flipper. Take a cocktail stick, dip it in a little water and gently insert it halfway into a flipper. Repeat with the other flipper. Lay the flippers onto a flat surface lined with non-stick greaseproof paper. Leave to air dry uncovered overnight.
18. Now prepare the fondant to cover your cake. Take 1kg of white fondant icing, knead lightly then add about 2 drops of extra strong blue food colour gel to get a pale blue colour. Dust your surface with icing sugar then knead the Fondant icing to mix in the colour until it is evenly distributed. Be careful not to over work your fondant icing otherwise it will get too soft. Roll the fondant into a ball and flatten into a circle
19. Roll out the blue fondant icing into an even circle about 0.5cm thick and about 20-21 inches in diameter so that it is wide enough to cover the cake.
20. Lift the fondant icing using your rolling pin and drape over the top of the cake. Quickly smooth the top and sides of the cake using the palms of your hands, smoothing the sides in a upwards motion to prevent tearing. Trim the excess fondant icing around the base of the cake with a sharp knife.
21. Now make the belly and face. Take the remaining white fondant (about 100g) and divide into two
22. Lightly dust your surface with icing sugar, take one piece of fondant and roll out to about 0.5cm thick. Cut a thin rectangle about 15cm long and 5cm wide to make the Narwhal’s belly. With a sharp knife create curved ends so that the top of the belly is about 2cm shorter on each end than the bottom. Glue the belly to your cake with a little water ensuring the belly is central
23. To make the cheeks, take your remaining white fondant and cut in half. Put half to one side then with the other half colour with about 1 drop of extra strong pink food colouring gel and knead into the fondant to make a pale pink colour. Once the colour is evenly distributed, roll out the pink fondant to about 0.5cm thick. Cut two circles about 2cm in diameter. I used the wide end of a piping nozzle to cut out the circles or you could use a small bottle lid. Glue the cheeks to your cake placing them just above the top corners of the belly
24. Take the remaining white fondant and colour with a couple of drops of the extra strong black food colour gel to get a dark black colour. Knead until evenly distributed then roll into a thin sausage about 0.5cm thick. Cut off two small pieces to make the eyes. Roll each eye into a ball then flatten gently with your finger tip. Glue each eye to the cake with a little water and place just above the inner side of each cheek
25. To make the mouth – take another small piece of the black fondant and roll into a thin sausage about 3cm long. Using a paintbrush, paint a little water onto your cake where you want to place the mouth in the centre of the cake above the belly. Gently glue the mouth to the cake in an upward curve so that it looks like a smile
26. To finish the cake, take your dried out flippers and insert into each side of the cake at the same height. Then take your horn and insert in the centre of the top of the cake

Victoria Sandwich Cake

• Preparation time: 30 minutes plus cooling
• Cooking time: 30 minutes
• Makes: 8 portions

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

• 175 g (6oz) baking margarine
• 175 g (6oz) caster sugar
• 3 medium eggs
• 5 ml (1 tsp) Madagascan vanilla extract
• 175 g (6 oz) plain flour
• 1.5tsp / 8g baking powder

To Decorate:

• 200g  (7 oz) small strawberries, washed and hulled
• 1tbsp/ 8g icing sugar
• 1 tsp / 5ml Madagascan vanilla extract
• 200 ml (7 fl.oz) double cream
• 60 ml (4 tbsp) soft set strawberry jam or strawberry conserve
• 1tsp / 5g icing sugar, to dust

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180?C (160?C fan assisted oven, 350?F, gas mark 4). Grease and line 2 x 18cm (7inch) sandwich tins. Put the margarine in a mixing bowl with the caster sugar. Whisk together until light in colour and creamy in colour
2. Gradually beat in the eggs and vanilla extract until well blended. Sift the flour and baking powder on top and using a large metal spoon, carefully fold the flour into the whisked ingredients
3. Divide the mixture equally between the prepared tins and using a spoon smooth over the tops. Bake for 25-30 minutes until risen, golden brown and just firm to the touch. Cool for 10 minutes then turn onto wire racks to cool completely
4. For the filling add the vanilla extract and icing sugar to the cream and whip until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed. Then spread over one of the cake halves. Carefully top the cream with the strawberry conserve
5. Sandwich the cakes together and press down gently. Dust the top lightly with icing sugar. Halve the strawberries and place on top of the cake in a half moon shape. Your cake is now ready to serve and enjoy!

TIP

Because of the fresh cream filling and fresh fruit, this cake is best enjoyed on the day it is filled and assembled, but the sponge can be made a couple of days in advance and stored in an airtight container. Alternatively, wrap and freeze the sponges for up to 3 days before filling and assembling.

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