Cake Advice...

[CakeyBakeyFlakey]

It's a milestone birthday for DH very soon.

I normally bake him a cake from scratch, nothing fancy, but I make a bit more effort than I would for just "everyday" baking IYSWIM. As it's a big birthday I was planning to do him a properly decorated cake, with a theme (as I usually do for the DCs birthdays 😂).

Anyway, I've been unwell, and so have DC, I and time has gotten away from me so I now don't feel I have it in me to do a big decorated cake (time-wise or wellness-wise).

I'm now planning to cheat and buy a plain white iced cake and jazz it up somehow.

I'd quite like to involve the children too... I've got an idea in mind involving cutting DHs age out of card, laying this on top of the cake and then letting the children drip/splatter thin coloured icing over the cake, so when the card numbers are removed the number shows in relief (is that the right term?).

However I've never done anything like this before - and wondering if it will work? And if using a "thin icing" is the best way to do it (so icing sugar, bit of water and gel food colouring) or is there another better way?

Any tips from proper bakers (I'm a reasonable armature at best!).

Thank you!

Well, it's the opposite of relief really.
It sounds like a great idea in theory, that may be more difficult in practice. I imagine there's a fine line between icing that is runny enough to drip like that, but not so runny it won't seep under the card numbers. If you do more that one number, I'd do it in stages, and let each colour dry, so you don't end up with a sludge coloured cake.

Hmmm, yes, that's what I was worried about.

I've now worked out an obvious solution. Let them splatter the cake and then get some extra white icing and cut out the number, stick it on top of the cake. Hey presto!

Wish I'd thought about this before I posted! Slow brain day.

On reading that back "splatter the cake" doesn't sound very appetising really does it?