Island birthday cake

Serves:

Ingredients

Cake

• 2 eggs
• 125 g butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 cups self raising flour
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Icing

• Meadow Lea or 125 g butter, softened
• 2 cups icing mixture, sifted
• 1 tblsp milk
• 2 drops yellow food colouring
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Decoration equipment

• 1 empty toilet roll
• brown crayon
• 1 sheet blue wrapping paper or cellophane
• B5 size green cardboard or foam
• clear packaging tape
• 4 green bendy straws
• 2 tblsp green sanding sugar or sprinkles
• Plastic dinosaur

Method

Preheat oven to 170C.

Grease an ovenproof bowl well with butter or canola spray.

Place all cake ingredients in a mixer or mixing bowl, mix on medium speed for 4 minutes until light and fluffy. Pour into the ovenproof bowl.

Bake in oven for 1 hour 15 minutes or until cooked through. Poke through centre of cake with a skewer – if it comes out moist, put it back in the oven until and recheck after 15 minutes. If the skewer comes out dry, the cake is ready.

Allow to cool in bowl for 10 minutes. Loosen the edges of the cake with a blunt knife and then invert to release. Allow to cool completely.

Cover a cake board (or chopping board or even piece of styrofoam) with paper like a present, with joins on the bottom of the board. Use packing tape to secure together, as this will adhere to most surfaces.

Even up the top of the cake (i.e. the larger end) by cutting with a bread knife, so you can invert and it will sit flat on the cake board. Place on the board.

Make the icing by combining all ingredients in a mixing bowl and whip for 5 minutes until light and fluffy.

Spread across the top of cake to begin with. Apply icing in bulk with spatula, and smooth over with a butter knife, covering entire surface of the cake.

Don’t be concerned about making it too neat at the bottom, a little messiness gives the authenticity of sand on the water! Wipe up excess with a damp cloth from the cake board.

Make the palm trees by cutting the toilet roll in halves or thirds. Colour the roll and then wrap around a pen or pencil into a cylinder and then tape together with packing tape. Poke into the top of the cake at angles to each other.

Cut cardboard or foam into long triangles, then attached with packing tape, to the bendy end of the straw. Place another triangle on top (i.e. the other side of the straw from first triangle) by using doubled over tape or double-sided tape if you have some.

Snip off the ends of straws so they are shorter than your palm tree trunks. Poke the straws down inside the tree trunks on the cake. Place two completed straws in each trunk.

[Optional] Sprinkle sanding sugar or sprinkles at the base of the tree trunks to simulate grass and place your dinosaur where you like!

Notes

• You can purchase plastic palm trees if you don’t wish to make them, from toy or clearance stores.
• If you prefer, use a toy skeleton or pirate to change the theme of your island cake.
• If making ahead, freeze un-iced cake for up to one month and defrost before icing.
• If transporting, prepare the trunks, palm leaves and decorate on arrival.
• This recipe was created by Melissa Klemke for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.

Serving Suggestions

Note