Party Cakes Archives - The Love of Cake

July 28, 2016 by Lauren

Sailboat Birthday Cake

I love making themed cakes for children’s birthday parties, especially for family and friends, as you get to see the child’s excitement when they first see the cake (not to mention eating it!). My nephew loves boats. For his 2nd birthday he had a nautical themed party and asked for a sailboat birthday cake. I did a lot of research into different types of sailboat cakes and many of them seemed really complicated. I’ve tried to make this cake as easy as possible.

The first step is to find a large rectangular baking pan.

When making themed birthday cakes I don’t want to spend all my time baking and mixing the cake so I always use my fool proof trick ‘how to make a packet cake taste like homemade’ which you can find here. For this cake I used two packet cake mixes.

So, this is how you make a sailboat birthday cake!

Once baked and cake has completely cooled cut like so.

I recommend making the cake the day prior to decorating as you can store it in the fridge overnight, making the cake easy to cut and alleviating any worry about it breaking into pieces, especially if it is a very moist cake like this one.

Now position how you would like the sailboat cake to be placed and check the cut is correct. As you can see it looks pretty rough but icing will cover any lumps and bumps. The good part is if you wanted to make the sailboat smaller you could trim the cake now to change the size or correct any errors in cutting.

It’s time to frost the cake! I started with the white frosting for the sails. You can find my frosting recipe here. Add a few drops of Wilton White White Icing Color to get that crisp colour.

Frosting Tip #1

The best way to frost when you have exposed cake crumbs from cutting into a shape is to do a rough icing layer collecting cake crumbs and all. Once frosted then refrigerate for 15 mins. This will allow the icing to set and then when you do the final layer the cake crumbs will be set and won’t run into the top layer of icing.

Here is the top layer. As you can see, it’s smooth with not a cake crumb in site.

Frosting Tip #2

To make the top layer of frosting super smooth use a metal spatula and before smoothing dip the spatula into a cup of boiling water, quickly wiping off excess water and then slowly running the spatula across the frosting.

Before the frosting set, I decorated the sails, opting for a simple pattern made with smarties.

Now for the base of the sailboat cake. I used my favourite chocolate frosting recipe. It always works and tastes delicious. Click here…. My Favourite Chocolate Buttercream!

Frosting Tip #3

I always use an offset icing metal spatula, see example offset icing metal spatula. This type of spatula helped to create the indents in the frosting of the boat section of the cake.

It’s time to add the top sail and place onto your cake board. For the top sail I just cut a small flag out of blue wrapping paper and doubled it over securing around a toothpick.

Happy 2nd Birthday James!

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January 22, 2016 by Lauren

Australia Day Cake

And now, something especially for my Australian readers…

26 January is Australia Day, which commemorates the arrival of English settlers to the Australian continent. For a change of taste this Australia Day, look no further than this delicious Tim Tam Cake. I’m doing my bit to make this cake an Australia Day classic.

Last year I had family visiting from The Netherlands and I was trying to think of an Australian dessert to serve them that was a bit different. With Pavlova still contested as a uniquely Australian dish, I wanted to create something distinctly Aussie. My solution – why not add Tim Tam’s to my rich chocolate mud cake?

Here is how it’s done…

Sift and mix all dry ingredients together whilst trying not to eat all the Tim Tams!

Look at that! Crushed Tim Tam… delicious. Chop finely two packets of Tim Tams and set aside.

Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy then add vanilla and mix. Then add eggs one at a time and mix on low until combined.

Gradually mix in dry ingredients (excluding Tim Tams) to the butter and sugar mix, adding buttermilk with each addition. Cake batter should look like this once combined.

Now it’s time to add those yummy Tim Tams. Use a spatula or spoon to fold in as you don’t want to crush them any further.

Cake batter will look like this once Tim Tams have been added.

Bake on 160 degrees Celsius (320 Fahrenheit) for 45-55 minutes or until skewer comes out clean.

Allow cake to cool for at least two hours otherwise the filling will be a gooey mess. Once cooled, cut cake evenly in half and begin making the creamy filling.

The creamy filling is simply whipped cream, a tea spoon of sugar and yet another packet of Tim Tam’s finely chopped.

For the cake icing I used a simple chocolate icing which you can find within the recipe link at the end of this post.

Before adding cocoa and chocolate to the icing, set aside approximately four tablespoons of white icing. I would suggest placing the white icing in a piping bag. In my case I have had this Tupperware Squeeze for years which is easy to use, but is always difficult to clean as the icing gets stuck when washing up!

Layer on the icing thick!

Then smooth with a cake palette knife. If you don’t have one of these any knife or spatula with a smooth edge will do the trick.

It’s time to decorate!

Using two piping bags, one with white icing and another with chocolate, pipe a small amount of icing using any icing tip you like. I used the star tip.

Chop Tim Tams in half and add to each icing swirl.

All done! Looks so good.

The perfect Australia Day cake with a crunchy but moist texture.

Happy Baking and Happy Australia Day!

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Australia Day Cake

Author: Lauren

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 55 mins

Total time: 1 hour 25 mins

Ingredients

Cake

1⅓ cups plain flour
2 tablespoons cocoa
400 grams or two packets of finely crushed Tim Tams
225 grams ( 8 ounces) unsalted butter
½ cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
1¼ cups buttermilk
½ teaspoon bicarb
1 teaspoon baking powder

Icing

250 grams (9 ounces) butter
600 grams (21 ounces) or 4 cups pure icing sugar
60ml or ¼ cup full cream milk
2 tablespoons cocoa
300 grams ( 10.5 ounces) dark chocolate
200 grams or 1 packet of Tim Tams

Cake Filling

300ml thickened whipping cream
200 grams or 1 packet of Tim Tams
1 teaspoon sugar

Decoration

200 grams or 1 packet of Tim Tams

Instructions

Cake

Grease 24cm (10 inch) round baking tin
Heat oven to 160 degrees Celsius (320 Fahrenheit)
Sift all dry ingredients and set aside
Finely chop Tim Tams
In a separate bowl beat butter and sugar until fluffy
Add vanilla to butter mixture
Add eggs on at a time to butter mixture
Add all dry ingredients to butter mixture in two batches plus half the buttermilk with each addition
Fold in chopped Tim Tams
Place in tin
Bake for 45-55 minutes or until skewer comes out clean

Icing

At least one hour prior to making icing remove butter from fridge. This will ensure butter is at room temperature and easy to work with
Melt chocolate and set aside to cool
Cube butter and place in bowl. Beat on high until light and fluffy
Add sifted icing sugar one cup at a time along with a third of the milk and beat on high until well combined
Remove approximately four tablespoons of white icing
Add sifted cocoa powder and mix until well combined
Mix in melted chocolate on a low speed

Cake Filling

Chop Tim Tams and set aside
Add thickened cream to mixing bowl along with sugar and beat on high until cream is a whipped consistency
Fold in Tim Tams

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September 15, 2015 by Lauren

The Simplest Vanilla Butter Cake

Ever looking for that super simple vanilla butter cake? One that you can easily use for making the base of any decorated cake? A recipe that will work every time and is guaranteed to be delicious? Well, here is my favourite and it is always a winner…

Unfortunately I didn’t take step by step pictures for this one as I got carried away. That said, it is so simple you really don’t need them! Just follow the steps in the recipe below.

Mix all your wet ingredients and put aside. Then mix all your dry ingredients separately. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients. Here is what the cake mixture should look like once you have combined it all together.

This cake mix is great if you want to make different types of cakes especially for kids’ decorative birthday cakes.

On this particular day, I was making my son’s first birthday cake and made 2 x 18 cm (7 inch) round tins. This mix can also work for 18 large cupcakes, 2 x 20 cm x 30 cm ( 8 inch x 12 inch) rectangle/slab tins. Sometimes I just make the mix as is and then use what I need in whatever shaped tin I like. As the cake mixture is large I just discard what I don’t use or make a few mini cupcakes with the left over mix.

Can’t go past a chocolate cream filling… yum!

Here was the end result! Topped with delicious butter cream icing/frosting. Click on this link if you want to learn how to make The Very Hungry Caterpillar Cake Topper.

Happy Baking!

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The Simplest Vanilla Butter Cake

Author: The Love of Cake Blog

Recipe type: Cake

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 25 mins

Total time: 45 mins

Ingredients

3 cups of plain flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1½ cups of caster sugar
300 grams (10.5 ounces) unsalted butter
1½ cups of buttermilk
4 large eggs
3 teaspoons of vanilla extract

Instructions

Grease your chosen cake tins and preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius (340 Fahrenheit)
Beat softened butter and sugar together
Add vanilla to butter mixture and combine well
Add each egg to mixture one at a time until well combined
Combine baking powder and flour together in seperate bowl, then add gradually along with buttermilk into butter and sugar mixture
Once well combined pour evenly into cake tins
Cook time will vary depending on cake tin size start with checking at 25 mins but don't remove cake until the skewer comes out clean
Allow cake to cool in tin for 10 minutes before removing.

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August 31, 2015 by Lauren

How to make Pink Rainbow Cupcakes

With one son and another on the way, my house is dominated by trucks, cars and blocks. When the opportunity arose to celebrate my friend’s little girl’s first birthday over morning tea, making something pink was a must!

This is pinkalicous! Such cute pink rainbow layers.

Whilst these pink rainbow cupcakes look like a lot of work, they are actually really easy. When creating cakes with a detailed decoration I like to use my tried and trusted method of using a packet cake whilst making some adjustments to make it taste home made. Learn how to by clicking here … How to Make A Packet Cake Taste Homemade

To make approximately 16 pink rainbow cupcakes you will need one Vanilla packet cake mix. You can choose any brand you like; this time I used White Wings.

Make up the cake mix and then divide evenly into four separate bowls. I used a 1/2 cup to measure out the mix by adding 1/2 cup to each bowl until the mix was divided.

To colour you can use liquid food colouring however gel or pastes will give you more vivid and defined colours. For the pink rainbow cupcakes I used Wilton Gel Icing Colours in Rose Pink for the hot pink layer and for the remaining layers used smaller amounts in each in Pink.

Add your chosen colour to each bowl separately and keep adding until you are happy with the colour.

Grease a 20 x 20 cm (8 x 8 inch) square cake tin. The cake mix is small so you will need to spread evenly across the tin. Bake each layer individually for 12 minutes on 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit).

Allow ten minutes to cool in the cake tin as each layer is fragile and will easily crack if removed too soon.

Once cooled I stacked up the layers to get a sense of how the colours would look once put together. It doesn’t look that pretty yet, but it will!

Time to make the frosting filling!

To make the centre filling of the pink rainbow cupcakes I made my favourite vanilla butter cream and added 1/2 cup of white chocolate plus White Icing Colour to make the white layers stand out.

It’s all about lots of icing in between the layers. So make it thick in between each level of the cake so you will be able to easily see the definition between each layer.

See that thick layer of icing oozing out… it makes you just want to lick it! Once layered set in the fridge for at least two hours, although overnight is better if you have the time.

It is time to cut the cake into the cupcake size. To get the best definition between the layers when cutting, set the cake out of the fridge for at least one hour prior to cutting. Then cut evenly into square/rectangle shapes. Look at those pretty pink layers! It is pinkalicous!

Time to decorate!

Start by making another batch of vanilla buttercream icing. Then spread a thin amount on top of each pink rainbow mini cake – this will help to cover any gaps when you pipe the icing.

As usual I was indecisive and couldn’t decide which decoration I liked better. So I piped the icing in two different styles using a star tip and topped with pink and white pearl beads and pink pearl sugar. I found this cute pink sprinkles pack at my local supermarket from The Creative Kitchen which included the beads and sugars so didn’t have to buy multiple packs for the decoration.

So many different ways to serve to show of the pretty pink layers!

Happy Pink Baking!

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Vanilla Buttercream Frosting/Icing

Author: The Love of Cake

Recipe type: Cake Icing/Frosting

Ingredients

250 grams (9 ounces) Butter
450 grams (3 cups) pure icing sugar
60 ml (1/4 cup) milk
½ cup white chocolate buttons
10 drops of Wilton White Icing colour (optional)
Remember when making these cupcakes you will need to double the quantities of the above ingredients as will be making two separate batches of icing. One for the layers and one for the decoration topping.

Instructions

Butter needs to be at room temperature so remove from fridge at least one hour prior to use
Cut butter into small cubes and place into mixing bowl
Use electric beater on high and beat butter for 3 minutes or until fluffy
Gradually add icing sugar a cup at a time with a small amount of the milk until all combined
If icing is fairly thick add small amounts of milk until happy with consistency
Add cooled melted chocolate and mix until well combined
Add white colouring if desired and mix until well combined

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July 27, 2015 by Lauren

Lego Cake and Lego Cupcakes Tutorial

This is a super simple Lego cake. You really can’t go wrong.

Here is how it’s done…

Start by making the fondant toppers first as these will need time to dry.

Loving the primary colours of these cute Lego cupcake toppers. Whilst these look fiddly they took around 20 minutes for each colour and that’s for a fondant novice like myself. I made these three days before adding to the cupcakes but I did use tylose powder to help dry the fondant quicker… so if you didn’t plan to use tylose powder allow a few weeks for drying. Here is how you make the Lego fondant cupcake toppers in 8 easy steps.

Step 1 – Cover chopping board or bench in baking paper so fondant is easily removed

Step 2 – Knead fondant icing until pliable

Step 3 – Add a light sprinkle of tylose powder and knead again until well combined. Tylose powder as you might know helps to harden fondant so you don’t require weeks to dry

Step 4 – This part of the fondant is going to make the circles for the top of the Lego. Using a rolling pin gently roll fondant flat to desired thickness. The thickness you choose will be dependent on the size of the Lego block you are making. My thickness is based on making them as close to real Lego as possible

Step 5 – Now, some of you might have fancy cutters to create with fondant. As for me, I didn’t want to spend too much to cut the little Lego circles so I hunted around the kitchen for something to improvise with. I found that a straw works really well. I cut the straw down to a small piece so I could easily push fondant pieces out with a blunt toothpick if they got stuck

Step 6 – Cut lots of fondant circles with straw then allow them to dry for about 1 hour before applying

Step 7 – To make the Lego bricks, start by making one as a sample and then use that to measure up all the others. Make sure a sharp knife is used to cut the fondant so that the edge is smooth

Step 8 – Time to add the circles to your Lego bricks. Cover each brick piece in sugar glue, position each circle one at a time then press very lightly to attach

And you are done! If you have used tylose powder allow a couple of days before applying to cake. If you haven’t used tylose powder allow at least two weeks to dry otherwise you risk the colour running or fondant breaking down.

It’s time to bake!

When creating cakes with serious decoration time I like to use my tried and trusted method of using a packet cake whilst making some adjustments to make it taste home made. Learn how to by clicking here … How to Make A Packet Cake Taste Homemade

To make the cakes you will need to use the following packet cake mixes: 1 x Vanilla Cupcake Mix and 1 x Vanilla Cake Mix. My favourite brand to use is White Wings as they always turn out so moist and delicious, especially when I add the extra ingredients.

For the cupcake mix it will make 12 cupcakes and the cake mix will make a loaf cake in a 24 x 12 cm loaf tin (10 x 4 inch). The loaf tin will form the large Lego brick feature.

Time to shape and decorate!

Shaping the Lego cake was fairly simple. Begin by using a cake leveler to even out the top of the cake as this will form the base of your Lego brick cake. Cake levelers are fairly inexpensive. I picked mine up from Big W (a large discount chain store) for under $10. I picked the Wiltshire brand but any type will do. Discard the thin layer of cake or if you are like me you might like to keep a piece for taste testing!

To make the circles for the top of the Lego cake I used a scone cutter to create circles out of the edges of the cake. That way the shape was made into a square Lego brick. Once the circles have been cut use the cake leveler to cut down to size.

I actually think my circles are a tad tall, so if I did make the cake again I would make the circles even thinner.

If you prefer a rectangular shaped brick you could make the circle portion of the brick out of round cookies or large marshmallows cut down to size.

To ice the Lego cake I made my favourite vanilla butter cream and coloured it yellow! For a really rich colour I prefer to use food colour gels rather than the liquid forms. The recipe for this amazing icing can be found at the end of this post.

This stage of cake decorating was a bit of mess… but it doesn’t matter as you will be transferring to another plate or cake stand any way. A few tips to make icing easy:

#1 – As so much of the inner part of the cake is exposed this makes for lots of crumbs so do two layers of icing. Complete one layer then place in the fridge for 30 minutes to set then do the remaining layer. This makes for no crumbs in your top layer of icing and is much faster.

#2 – Don’t forget to secure the Lego circles with tooth picks otherwise when icing they move around too much.

#3 – To smooth the final icing layer my tip is to dip a metal spatula or knife into a cup of boiling water, quickly wipe and then smooth around the cake.

The icing for the cupcakes was yet again my favourite vanilla butter cream icing with the addition of Wilton White Icing Colour to make it extra white so the Lego bricks will stand out.

I was in a bit of a rush to do the icing for the cupcakes and wasn’t in the mood for cleaning piping bags, so I purchased Multix Piping Bags and used the nozzle that was closest to a star tip. As the Lego bricks are the main feature you can really ice these any way you like. A few tips for icing the cupcakes:

#1 – When filling your icing bag roll it over a tall glass to make filling easy and less messy

#2 – Cover the base of your cupcake with a light covering of white icing – this will help cover any small gaps in piped icing if they occur

Top with Lego fondant bricks and you are done!

To display the Lego cakes I raided my son’s Duplo box… no Lego in this house yet as he would probably eat them! I can’t say I’m amazing with building blocks but making this little cake stand was not as hard as it looks and I think the larger sized Duplo blocks made building easier.

If you aren’t much for building you could use a Duplo mat as the base like this.

Happy Lego Making and Baking!

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Vanilla Buttercream Icing/Frosting

Author: Lauren

Recipe type: Cake Icing

Prep time: 10 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Ingredients

Vanilla Buttercream Icing/Frosting

250 grams (9 ounces) butter
600 grams (4 cups) pure icing sugar sifted
60ml ( ¼ cup) milk
Wilton White Icing Colouring (optional)

Instructions

Butter needs to be at room temperature so remove from fridge at least one hour prior to use
Cut butter into small cubes and place into mixing bowl
Use electric beater on high and beat butter for 3 minutes or until fluffy
Gradually add icing sugar a cup at a time with a small amount of the milk until all combined
If icing is fairly thick add small amounts of milk until happy with consistency
Add chosen icing colour and mix until well combined
This recipe will make enough icing for one cake or 12-18 cupcakes depending on the icing technique used

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July 2, 2015 by Lauren

Triple Layer Mud Cake with Chocolate Buttercream & Ganache

I can’t lie. This cake was hard work. Once you have the first bite you will see it’s well worth it though!

Look at those layers…. starting from the top; marble mud cake, dark chocolate mud cake and finally white chocolate mud cake.

Each layer is made in its own individual cake tin; however it’s only mixing up two cake recipes. For speed I did both mixtures at the same time, that way all three cakes could bake at once.

The cake mix can be split into three easy steps.

Step #1 – Mix up chocolate mud cake as per recipe. Take approximately two thirds of the mixture and pour into a cake tin. Set aside the remaining one third of the mixture.

Step #2 – Mix up white chocolate mud cake as per recipe. Take approximately two thirds of the mixture and pour into a cake tin. Set aside the remaining one third of the mixture.

Step #3 – This is the fun part. Making the marble cake. With your third tin add spoonfuls of the dark and white chocolate mix, then swirl. Yum… it kind of looks like scoops of ice cream.

Bake for 35-40 minutes in a moderate oven at 160 degrees Celsius (320 Fahrenheit).

Once baked, allow your cakes to cool for atleast two hours before layering with buttercream filling.

This buttercream filling is amazing! I made mine extra white with Wilton White Icing Colour so it stands out when you cut the cake layers and loses that yellowy look.

Time to layer it up! To separate the white chocolate and marble cake layers I felt the best way to layer the cake would be with white chocolate mud cake on the bottom, followed by dark chocolate mud cake and topped with marble mud cake.

For the buttercream filling you want it to be thick so when the cake is cut you can distinctly see the separation between the layers. Go ahead and layer it on thick! Once layered, go around the edge of the cake to remove any excess buttercream as you don’t want the white colour to ooze through chocolate topping.

Tips for buttercream filling

#1 – Layer cake with the buttercream filling one day prior to icing as this will allow it to set well and make icing the cake easier. This will also prevent the white buttercream from mixing with the chocolate topping.

#2 – Try to keep buttercream layers even

#3 – Make it thick so the layers will stand out

#4 – As the cake is heavy, layer it on the plate or cake board that it will be served on as it will be very difficult to move once decorated

One of my favourite ways to decorate a cake is with rich dark chocolate buttercream… for the triple layer cake I couldn’t decide between dark chocolate butter cream icing or chocolate ganache… so I thought, why not do both?

Layer the dark chocolate butter cream on thick, start at the top of the cake and work your way down the sides of the cake.

This amazing chocolate buttercream icing is filled with dark chocolate so by the time it comes to smooth the icing you will notice it has begun to set which makes smoothing difficult.

My tip is to dip the metal spatula or knife into a cup of boiling water, quickly wipe and then smooth around the cake. The heated spatula will make a smooth finish like this… remember it doesn’t need to be perfect as we are about to drizzle chocolate ganache all over it.

Can chocolate and cream look any better than this? Start drizzling from the centre of the cake and just let the ganache dribble down the sides of the cake.

I dribbled the entire quantity of the ganache all over the cake as I wanted good coverage. If you would like your cake to have more of the buttercream icing showing through, just add less ganache as you are pouring. The cake does look a bit of a mess so before the ganache sets move any excess from the base with a spatula and then clean the plate.

I was thinking of making chocolate curls, but was running out of time. To make the white chocolate decoration it is really simple. Melt white chocolate, spread a thin layer on a tray with baking paper, place in the freezer until it sets, then just crack into large pieces and push into the top of the cake in any pattern you like.

And you are done! Now for a slice of cake and coffee… that will make for a lovely afternoon.

Happy baking!

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Triple Layer Mud Cake with Chocolate Buttercream and Ganache

Author: Lauren

Recipe type: Baking

Prep time: 3 hours

Cook time: 35 mins

Total time: 3 hours 35 mins

Ingredients

Chocolate Mud Cake

160 grams (5.5 oz) unsalted butter
200 grams (7 oz) dark chocolate
1⅓ cup caster sugar
1 cup plain flour
½ cup self raising flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup buttermilk

White Mud Cake

160 grams (5.5 oz) unsalted butter)
250 grams (9 oz) white chocolate
1 cup sugar
⅔ cup of buttermilk
1⅓ cup plain flour
½ cup self raising flour
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon baking powder

Marble Mud Cake

Once dark and white chocolate mixes have been made ⅓ of each mix is set aside to create marble mud cake

Vanilla Buttercream

250 grams ( 9 ounces) butter
600 grams ( 4 cups) pure icing sugar sifted
60ml (1/4 cup) full cream milk
Wilton White Icing colour (optional)

Chocolate Buttercream

250 grams (9 ounces) butter
600 grams (4 cups) pure icing sugar sifted
2 tablespoons cocoa
250 grams (9 ounces) dark chocolate melted
60ml (1/4) cup of full cream milk (optional)

Chocolate Ganache

¾ cup thickened cream
200 grams ( 7 ounces) dark chocolate
25 grams ( 1 ounce) unsalted butter

Instructions

Dark Chocolate Mud Cake

Grease 18 cm (8 inch) round tin
Sift flour, cocoa and baking powder. Set aside.
In a separate bowl melt dark chocolate and then set aside to cool
In a separate bowl beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy then add vanilla
Add eggs one at a time to butter mixture, mix well after each addition
Stir in melted chocolate and mix until well combined
Add in a third of the sifted ingredients and a third of buttermilk, repeat until all combined
Pour two thirds of mixture into greased pan. The remaining one third of the mixture should be set aside for marble cake
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until skewer comes out clean in 160 degrees Celsius (320 Fahrenheit) oven
Cool for ten minutes in the pan before placing on a wire rack to cool

White Chocolate Mud Cake

Grease 18 cm (8 inch) round tin
Sift flour and baking powder. Set aside
In a separate bowl melt white chocolate and then set aside to cool
In a separate bowl beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy then add vanilla
Add eggs one at a time to butter mixture, mix well after each addition
Stir in melted chocolate and mix until well combined
Add in a third of the sifted ingredients and a third of buttermilk, repeat until all combined
Pour two thirds of mixture into greased pan. The remaining one third of the mixture should be set aside for marble cake
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until skewer comes out clean in 160 degrees Celsius (320 Fahrenheit) oven
Cool for ten minutes in the pan before placing on a wire rack to cool

Marble Mud Cake

Grease 18 cm (8 inch) round cake tin
Drop alternative spoonfuls of dark and white cake mixes into tin
Once full swirl a spatula or thin knife back and forth through the mix
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until skewer comes out clean in 160 degrees Celsius (320 Fahrenheit) oven
Cool for ten minutes in the pan before placing on a wire rack to cool

Vanilla Buttercream

Butter needs to be at room temperature so remove from fridge at least one hour prior to use
Cut butter into small cubes and place into mixing bowl
Use electric beater on high and beat butter for 3 minutes or until fluffy
Gradually add icing sugar a cup at a time with a small amount of the milk until all combined
If icing is fairly thick add small amounts of milk until happy with consistency
Add chosen icing colour and mix until well combined
This recipe will make enough icing for one cake or 12-18 cupcakes depending on the icing technique used

Chocolate Buttercream

Melt dark chocolate and allow to cool slightly
Butter needs to be at room temperature so remove from fridge at least one hour prior to use
Cut butter into small cubes and place into mixing bowl
Use electric beater on high and beat butter for 3 minutes or until fluffy
Mix in sifted cocoa powder
Gradually add icing sugar a cup at a time. If icing sugar is not dissolving well add small amount of the milk but only if required
Mix in melted dark chocolate until well combined

Chocolate Ganache

Melt chocolate and butter together in saucepan over low heat stirring regularly
Add cream and allow to simmer for 5 minutes
Set aside to cool 5- 10 minutes then apply to cake

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April 10, 2015 by Lauren

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Cake Topper Tutorial

My one year old son Thomas is super addicted to the Very Hungry Caterpillar book. Every time we read it to him he jumps excitedly with a huge smile. When it came to his first birthday the decision about which cake to make him was an easy one.

Most of you might look at the Very Hungry Caterpillar cake topper and assume that it would take you hours to prepare. I’m here to tell you it’s actually a whole lot simpler than you would think.

Here’s is how it’s done….

Start off small as this will be the tail end of your caterpillar. Roll a small piece of dark green fondant and a small piece of lime green fondant. The dark green is the tail end so make it slightly smaller than the lime green.

Now give each rolled piece a little squeeze just like this.

Edible sugar glue is essential to make sure your caterpillar doesn’t fall apart. I purchased mine from a local cake supplies store for around $4, check it out here. You can make your own by adding a small pea sized ball of white fondant to 1/8 cup of warm water and dissolve. Using a small brush place a small amount of sugar glue onto each piece on one side only.

We have the beginnings of the Very Hungry Caterpillar! Squeeze the two glued sides together. Then repeat all the steps again and keep building your caterpillar.

A few tips….

#1 Use baking paper as the base for your caterpillar so that it doesn’t stick.

#2 Slowly increase the size of each fondant piece as the Very Hungry Caterpillar grows

#3 Once you have several pieces together press down gently on each piece to even out the difference in size

Now to make the caterpillar’s head. I tried several different ways to join the head but cutting was the simplest. Roll the fondant into a ball, flatten out by pressing the palm of your hand onto it slightly, then cut

Don’t forget to add the edible sugar glue to each side before connecting the head. When joining the head to the body, gently squeeze the sides to mould the caterpillar’s head so it matches the rest of the body.

Now for that cute little caterpillar face! Roll two very small pieces of yellow fondant into balls, flatten and brush edible sugar glue to the back and add to the face. Then roll three even smaller pieces of green fondant. Flatten two of these prices slightly as these will be the eyes. The third and rounder piece will be for the nose. Brush edible sugar glue to all pieces and add to the caterpillar’s face. Don’t forget to make two small holes for the antenna I suggest using tooth picks. I recommend making the antenna with the rest of the caterpillar but don’t add these to the head until just before you place the caterpillar on the cake.

For really fine pieces of fondant I always make a few backups. Here are my two sets of antenna for‘just in case’. Before placing your caterpillar on top of the cake add the antenna with edible sugar glue, place a little in each hole made with the tooth picks.

If you would like to sit the caterpillar on top of your cake as I have insert four tooth picks as above before drying. If you make your caterpillar larger you will need more tooth picks to anchor it into the cake well.

Our finished Very Hungry Caterpillar!

A few things to remember!

#1 Allow at least 2 weeks for fondant to dry. If the fondant does not dry the caterpillar will bend when placing on cake. In hot or humid weather I would recommend allowing 3-4 weeks to be 100% safe

#2 Store the caterpillar on baking paper in either a container or simply air dry on baking paper

#3 Be gentle with your caterpillar… he is very fragile

#4 Place your caterpillar on top of cake immediately prior to birthday party as this will limit the likelihood of breakage

The cake pictured is a very simple vanilla butter cake with chocolate cream centre – yum! The recipe and decoration instructions are coming soon.

Happy caterpillar making!

EasyRecipe

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March 24, 2015 by Lauren

Chocolate Easter Cake with Easter Egg Surprise Pinata

Such a simple Easter cake that looks and tastes amazing!

When chocolate cake and Easter eggs meet it is true love. What better way to celebrate Easter with family and friends than to make an Easter egg surprise piñata cake. Rich with chocolaty goodness.

Here’s how it’s done….

Start by sifting and combine all the dry ingredients.

Time to melt the chocolate….it’s hard not to lick the spoon! I used dark chocolate to make the cake rich but if you want extra sweetness use dairy milk.

While you are waiting for the chocolate to cool, it’s time to mix all the remaining ingredients. Butter and sugar first until light and fluffy or say around two minutes of beating on high, making sure butter is softened first.

Add eggs one at a time, making sure to mix well after each one. Then add vanilla. Here is my favourite part – chocolate in all its richness is added and then mixing half dry ingredients and milk, repeat again until all are mixed together.

Preheat your oven to 160 degrees Celsius (320 Fahrenheit). To get the look of the deep piñata I have used a 15 x10cm (6 x 4 inch) round tin so the cake is tall and deep. This allows for more Easter eggs to be squeezed inside.

Bake for 55 minutes or until skewer comes out clean. I like to remove the cake whilst it’s slightly gooey in the centre so that it stays moist.

Let the cake cool for around 1 hour and then begin cutting a round hole to create the piñata. I used a small scone cutter however a small glass could be used to create the circle. Once the circle has been removed dig out the centre of the cake, leaving a little layer at the bottom of the cake. I may have taste tested a scoop or two.

Here comes the fun part… Easter eggs and lots of them. Really pack them in.

It’s time to make the icing. This is my never fail dark chocolate icing that is so thick and sweet that once you try it you will never want to make another icing again. See recipe link for full details.

I made this icing extra thick so it covers the eggs nest. Add an extra cup of icing sugar if you think it needs it. Using a small spatula apply a big dollop of icing in the centre to cover the eggs nest and then smooth over entire cake.

Now for the finishing touch! To create the eggs nest I used five medium size chocolate eggs keeping them close together and then filled with m&m’s speckled crispy eggs to match the centre of the cake. Add a cute Easter character on top and you are finished.

To get the best effect when cutting the cake cut a big slice so the eggs nest easily falls out.

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Easter Chocolate Cake with Egg Surprise Pinata

Author: Lauren

Recipe type: Dessert

Prep time: 25 mins

Cook time: 55 mins

Total time: 1 hour 20 mins

The perfect Easter Cake. Easter Egg surprise pinata cake.Rich moist dark chocolate cake with a surprise in the centre.

Ingredients

Cake

11/3 cups plain flour
3 tablespoons Cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon bicarb soda
250 grams (9 ounces) dark chocolate
225 grams (8 ounces) unsalted butter
1 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
½ cup buttermilk

Icing

250 grams (9 ounces) butter
4 cups pure icing sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa
½ cup of milk
250 grams dark chocolate

Instructions

Cake

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius (320 Fahrenheit)
Grease 15 x 10 cm (6 x 4 inch) baking tin
Break chocolate into small pieces and melt in microwave for approx 60 seconds on low heat
Sift together all dry ingredients
In a separate dish beat room temperature butter and sugar together until fluffy then add vanilla
Add eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition on medium speed, once eggs have been combined add cooled chocolate and mix on medium speed until combined
Add half the sifted ingredients to the butter chocolate mix and half butter milk, repeat again until all dry ingredients have been added
Texture of the mix is almost mousse like so add to greased cake pan
Bake for 45-55 minutes or until skewer comes out clean
Cool in pan for 15 minutes before removing to wire baking rack to cool
Allow cake to cool for 1 full hour on the backing rack before cutting
Use a small scone cutter or glass to cut small round hole
Spoon out cake with a small teaspoon for best results, leaving a small amount at bottom of cake
Fill centre with Easter eggs then make icing

Icing

Break chocolate into small pieces and melt in microwave for approx 60 seconds on low heat or until melted
Place cubed softened butter in large bowl
Beat for three minutes on high or until fluffy
Add sifted icing sugar gradually mixing well after each
Sift in cocoa and mixed until combined
Add in milk gradually and mix
This icing recipe is extra thick so the centre eggs are easily covered, so if you have a thin consistency after milk is combined add extra an cup of icing sugar
Mix in melted dark chocolate until combined
Now for the fun part. Begin icing your cake, suggest covering eggs in the centre first so using a small flexible spatula place a big dollop of icing to cover and then cover the rest of the cake and smooth out.

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