birthday cake help please

[smallpotato]

ok, I posted something similar in recipes last night but I need some more help please and it seems to have gone quiet over there...

DD2's birthday tomorrow. I want to make a victoria sponge with whipped cream and strawberry filling. I figured this would be simple to make and suitable for 1yos to eat.

Questions:

-what icing should I use? I want to decorate it with her name (got some special writing icing) and some edible flower and butterfly decorations. I was thinking buttercream, but would that go ok with the cream as well? Or should I just make some normal icing? Or get ready rolled? (last time I tried making normal icing for fairy cakes it was either too watery or too lumpy)

-can I make the cake now or should I wait til this evening/tomorrow morning? Now would be the best time as DD1 is in preschool and DD2 is napping but I don't want it to go dry/soggy by tomorrow.

• when it's made should I keep it in the fridge?

Sorry for these really really dumb questions, can you tell it's the first time I have made a birthday cake and the first time we've had a party!

I'm not a cake expert - but I'd think you could make the cake now but leave it unfilled if you're going to use fruit and cream filling until a few hours before the party. I guess you could decorate the top of one of the cakes so that you don't have that to do tomorrow and then just assemble it all tomorrow.

I wouldn't put too much buttercream or icing on top of a cream cake - probably just dust with icing sugar (make use templates of butterflies or stars or something?) - if you wanted to use your decor you bought, I'd make up a little buttercream and use a blob of it as 'glue' and then do the name in icing on top (little bit would be alright). But then that's just my tastes I guess (tastes as in what I;d want to eat...not 'taste' as in style!)

If it were me though, I'd probably go for a thin filling of jam and buttercream. You'd be able to make it all now and the buttercream and cream wouldn't clash. And then just smear buttercream on the top and splodge over your decor and name.

Then, yup, cake in cake tin or tupperware (ideally - or foil - but might wreck icing a little - but 1yo's don't notice so much!) and pop in fridge.

if you were going with the cream...I'd be tempted to make the vic sponge on the day as I think they are slightly nicer very fresh for cream filling.

thanks for the reply! I was planning on usung cream as I prefer the taste, and I figure it is (slightly) healthier! I'm not a big fan of buttercream but I want some kind of icing on the top and it seems easier to make!

I think maybe I'll make the cake this evening and then ice it in the morning before the party. Shouldn't take too long I guess, it's just I've got all the other party food to make too. No idea why I decided to have a party for a 1yo, this is too stressful!

I agree. Don't use cream and buttercream use one or other. If u want to coat cake then maybe just jam in middle and icing all over? Ok to make cakes tonight but wrap thoroughly un cling film or make and ice tonight. Good luck.

Btw.... This is first of many many you'll have to make! Wait till they're asking for monkey/ spiderman etc!

I have done this for the past 3 years for ds as none of us like buttercream.

As mentioned, make the cake but don't put the fresh whipped cream in until an hour or so before you want to serve otherwise it will go soggy, and yellow.

First cake I did, got ready to roll icing, made a circle the same size as the cake (in green as it was meant to be grass) the stuck the figures on using warmed jam.

This year I just put figures and name directly onto the cake.

If you hang on 5 mins I'll upload pics to profile to explain.

pics on profile.

was just reading other posts. i wld like to attempt to make a waybuloo birthday cake for my lil one, has anyone got any ideas pls!?!?

Well I made the cake last night (had to cut the burnt edges off!) and put it in an airtight cake tin. This morning I filled it with lots of whipped cream, strawberries and raspberries, then put a thin layer of vanilla buttercream on top and stuck the decorations on, used more buttercream to stick strawberries around the edges as it looked a bit messy. It was a resounding success if I do say so myself, kids and adults loved it and not too sickly.

Geordieminx, thanks for the pics your cake looks awesome!

I can safely say that any requests for spiderman etc shaped cakes will be sent to the professionals, a round sponge cake is definitely the limit of my abilities!

Scarlett, I would start a new thread, there is lots of good advice on here so someone is bound to know.