Cake ideas for 2yr old .. butterfly cake?

[GoldenSunset]

The only cake I have ever made was my dd's first birthday cake, which surprisling turned out ok. It was just a victoria sponge with buttercream and decorated with sparkly balls and a number ONE candle.

For her 2nd birthday, I want to try something different. I've done a bit searching in the archieves and found an idea which I think I could pull off, a sponge cake cut in half and turned around to form wings. Then out something in the middle (like chocolate logs) to form the body with candles or something for the antennee. Decorate the body with sweets.

What do you think? I thought dd could help me and it seemed straightforward.

How would I ice it? I've only ever used buttercream before (see above!) so what is easy that would cover the cake?

[MrsWuh]

Water icing is probably the easiest thing to do. Just add water, colouring and flavouring as required to icing sugar until you get a reasonable consistency and slap it on the cake. Then you can have lots of fun chucking on hundreds and thousands or sugar flowers or silver balls or whatever else you like!

You can also get ready-to-roll-out, coloured icing, but I'm not sure it would work all that well on a butterfly cake. It's easy to use though - maybe you could try it next year!

Good luck!

[princessmel]

We usually just cover our cakes with butter icing.

If you wet a spoon in a cup of hot water you can spread it really smoothly.

Pics of cakes on profile...near bottom I think. A spiderman, Peppa, Dora and a castle. Maybe a pirate too.

[GoldenSunset]

Love your cakes princessmel - they look great. Spiderman one looks like it was tricky to do!

Is butter icing like water icing but with butter?

[princessmel]

Thanks

Nope it's just butter cream. Not sure why I called it butter icing!

Spiderman was fab I just cut a round cake into the spiderman face shape. Dh covered it with red icing and I did all the web and eyes with icing pens.

[TitsalinaBumsquash]

Wow princessmel, great pictures all round, what a lovely bump you have/had?!

I am attempting my DS1's 5th Birthday cake this weekend, he is having a round one with chocolate fingers all round the outside to make a 'fence' and then im going to make little tigers out of icing to sit on some ready rolled green icing or 'grass' with a 'pool' or coloured buttercream icing.... im dreading it!

[GoldenSunset]

Are the icing pens hard to use?

[princessmel]

Thanks again Titsalina. Bump ongoing. Am 34 weeks.
For grass , coconut dyed green looks quite good.

You could cheat with the tigers and use Jungle in My Pocket toys! Try with the icing first...

GoldenSunset they were not too bad. Get a flow going with a good squeeze and just go for it. Sometimes the line goes a bit wiggly but it's a childrens cake! Everyone will be impressed regardless

[KembleTwins]

I've got the Australian Woman's Weekly book of children's cakes. It't amazing. Got it in Waterstone's a couple of years ago, and my sister and I swap it between us. It has "patterns" in the back which you can trace onto greaseproof paper and use to cut around for more complex cakes, and also gives step-by-step instructions for making loads of different, and more simple, cakes. I did a snake for my DT's first birthday, a butterfly for their second, and a fairy toadstool house for their third. I would heartily recommend it!

[TitsalinaBumsquash]

I have that book! I got it from Tesco a few weeks ago, im a bt hooked on Cake making, i used to do it loads but i got reallt bad Carpal tunnel so had to give up but im all fixed now so im getting back into it!

[Slubberdegullion]

I've done the Women's Weekly Butterfly cake. I'm trying to put a picture of it on my profile.

[Slubberdegullion]

ahh there it is

[KembleTwins]

Ooo, that's very good. Mine was much more amateur.

[GoldenSunset]

I love that butterfly cake slubber. How did you make the middle? What did you use to ice it? Any tips or advice?

[Slubberdegullion]

umm, how did I make the middle...I made it a few years back now...



I think that the cake is one giant tray bake, or maybe two side by side, that you just put the template of the butterfly over and prick through the greaseproof paper with a coctail stick to make the outline, and then you just hack away (carefully) at it.

Icing it was a complete and utter SWINE, I remember that very clearly. One giant vat of butter cream and then you divide it 6 or seven times and colour each portion individually, staying in the dotted (coctail stick dot) lines, and there are fucking crumbs all over the shop getting mixed up in the icing. I practically had a stroke icing that sodding cake....and then all the darling children want to eat is the shitehouse smarties.

Anyway, it's all worth it in the end when you put a photo of it up on your profile and people admire it

[GoldenSunset]

Wow, a real acheivment with the icing, it looks does look really good Slubber. I won't be able to that. Think I'd better stick to one colour! Or maybe I could do one colour at the top and one colour at the bottom.

I will definatly give the icing pens a go as well - a few swirls. If dd helps me it will end up looking a bit of a mess but I think that add a bit of charm. Or do you think I should do it myself to try and make it look the best possible?

Do you think I should do a practice one first? But I can't eat it as I'm on a diet, So will have to give it away!

Really want that book, checked the local libary but they don't hold a copy, so will have to wait till payday!

[Slubberdegullion]

Oh hell no, don't do a practice one, and let dd help too, but let her in a control freakery way so she is only allowed to place one smartie on at a time, all the while being firmly guided by your hand

Push the boat out and do two colours too, gwan.

[GoldenSunset]

@ control freakery

Will try two colours >

[KembleTwins]

Go for it! I've now put a picture of my effort on my profile. I am, at best, clumsy, at worst, a disaster, and mine is perfectly passable.

[Slubberdegullion]

awww Kemble, aren't your twins gorgeous.

Nice looking cake too

[biscuitsmustbedunkedintea]

My DD has just demanded a butterfly cake for her birthday soon. Cake shops nearby don't have any butterfly tins for hire, so I resorted to the internet. Found out I could cheat! But having seen some of these lovely cakes it's given my confidence I could do it. Thanks ladies!