How to make Birthday (and other celebration) Cakes!

greenbee

Some instructions here.

You'll need to use wide hollow plastic dowels for sponge cakes. Cut the first one level with the top of the cake, and then make all the others the same height. That way if the cake is slightly wonky, the next layer will be sitting straight, so you won't get a leaning tower of pisa effect!

The middle layer will probably need a 12mm deep drum, but the top layer should be OK with a thin board. Remember to ice all the way down to the bottom of the board so that it looks like part of the cake!

BorassicLint

Great, thanks for your help. I am however wondering what I have let myself in for!!:rolleyes:

greenbee

BorassicLint wrote: »

Great, thanks for your help. I am however wondering what I have let myself in for!!:rolleyes:

Hard work... for a start, nearly everyone i know loathes making 14" cakes! They're just too big to be manageable. In fact, a little hint on this one... make the cake up in your largest tin (whether round or square) then cut out a 14" circle (I'm assuming you're making a round cake) by cutting round a board. Then slice it into layers (invest in a cake leveller, they're cheap and will mean you can cut the layers straight!), then cut all but the bottom layer in half. Stick the bottom layer onto the board (17"), and then fill/layer/crumb it on the board, putting the layers on in halves. Don't put the joins above each other, and I promise you they'll disappear.

Sponge is best used when it's a day old. You can always make the cakes up one at a time and freeze them till you need them. Once the fondant is on, they should last a week, so don't feel you have to do everything on the same day. Oh... and make all the cakes up at least 1" too big, so that you can cut a perfect cake out of them (slice any burnt bits off and level the top) by cutting round the boards you're going to use to stack them.

Have fun!

BorassicLint

Thanks Greenbee, your tips will be invaluable. The party is only 2 weeks away:eek: so you're right I have got my work cut out. So it's off to the cake shop tomorrow to get everything I need.

The worse thing is, my oven broke a couple of days ago so I have to go to my daughters' to use her oven!! Can it get any worse? I hope not:rotfl:

zippychick

I don't envy you! She hasn't asked for much has she? :eek:

Penelope_Penguin

Good luck with the cake :j As this has fallen from the front page of OS, I'll add it to the Celebration Cake thread so that others can find it in the future

Penny. x

mrs_baggins

i very recklessly said I would make a childs birthday cake. I have a simple design so thats no problem its the actual cake I have a problem with. It has to be a sponge type cake-square for ease of decorating.

I made a gingerbread cake for bonfire night and the recipie was really easy. It was one of those melt syrup/butter, beat in flour egg and milk. It was so easy and it fitted perfectly in the one and only tin i have and was looking for a similar recipie but more sponge like?

also how long will it stay fresh. The party is next sunday so really have to have it all decorated by saturday night.

Alcmene

Hi

I would go for a basic sponge as it is for kids. You can then fill with jam and buttercream.

Delia's basic sponge recipe is ideal.

Bunny200

Delia has a childrens cake recipe which is ace, used it for DD2 birthday yesterday! Really easy to make, melt & mix, and cooks well, keeps well and robust enough to decorate and dead yummy.
What I tend to do is make is before hand then freeze. This means that if it all goes horribly wrong you can make another one and freezing makes it a bit more stable and easier to handle/ice. wrap it in greaseproof paper before freezing.

hth!

shiningdove

You could just make a basic sponge recepie?
or Victoria Sandwich recepie...?