making a cake for ds for first time...can you pleeease help me with an icing conundrum???

[Heathcliffscathy]

ds is 2 tomorrow. we are having a party. that is another thread in itself (why do we do this to ourselves??) but i'm making him a cake. i love cooking but have never really done the baking thing so am a cake virgin really.

i found a nice sounding chocolate party cake recipe (jamie oliver). trouble is, his icing topping thing is drizzled over the cake and what i'm after is a smooth chocolate flavour icing (glace?) that i can then pipe ds's name and happy birthday onto in white. anyone help. jamie's topping is:

100g butter
100g best cooking choc
100g icing sugar
3 tablespoons milk

heat all above over hot water allow to cool then drizzle on top of cake. i'm not sure it will be firm enough to ice onto. any thoughts???

tia

I would go by the method on the back of the icing sugar pack. That should be the right consistency especially if you add cocoa powder.

if you want to do a glace icing then all you need is icing sugar, cocoa powder and water... but be sure to make it nice and thick so it doesn't all run off.

i think Jamie's would probably be fine although you may have to alter amounts... to make it thick enough to spread rather than drizzle iyswim?

OR, you could do a chocolate buttercream... butter, icing sugar and cocoa powder (possibly a little water if it's too stiff)... you can spread that on quite smoothly and it will be thicker and chocolatier than a glace icing

Ooh yeah, buttercream would be good too.

yeah that's what cd said (she be baking queen). but i want to use the 80% chocolate i bought

I am the cake lady!!!! Seriously,i always make the childrens birthday cakes-then you know what is in them.Sorry i do not bother with icing white with their name or any words!!!!!!
I put chocolate buttons on icing.arranging them as a number or name if short.

am v relieved as sponges are out of the oven now and look like cake and are not burnt and smell good....phew

well in that case do jamies recipe but maybe lower the choc and butter and use more icing sugar to make it thicker and spreadable rather than drizzly...

in fact i would be tempted to cream the butter and sugar and then add the melted choc... i would do maybe 50g butter and 100g sugar and then add the chocolate and see how it goes

if it's too runny just add more sugar

yes, ds is dairy intolerant so this is made with goat's butter and cream (as there is so much sugar won't taste of it at all...goat's butter doesn't actually taste goaty

ooo starlover....thanks....that is just the kind of advice was looking for....

in terms of creaming butter and sugar...what is the best implement to use...when i was doing it for the cake mix, electric whisk thing but sugar all over the (newly cleaned for party tomorrow) kitchen...maybe butter was too cold?

i usually just use a fork... but a mixer should be fine
it is easier if the butter has been left out to soften but i saw ainsley harriet grating it the other day to make it easier to mix so maybe try that!

Use smarties to spell his name or his age - whatever most excites him!

nooo pipe it, it'll look nicer!

a tip... use a cocktail stick to mark out what you are going to write and then you can ice over it without fear of going wonky

But the coating goes a funny colour on Smarties

hmnmmmm. don't have a piping bag....can i use greaseproof paper or a plastic sandwith bag with small hole cut into it?

yeah greaseproof is hard to get into a small enough hole and keep tight i find.. unless you've had a lot of practice!

a food bag would be fine but you have to make sure you only cut a tiny hole (can make it bigger if necessary) and that it is straight otherwise you get funny shaped writing! lol

don't suppose you have time to go and buy some writing icing from a supermarket?

and fridge? (not much room tbh)

nah never bother with fridge!