Help me! Birthday cake that won't go stale

[Kiwiinkits]

It's my daughter's first birthday on Sunday, but for various reasons, including travel, I will need to bake her cake on Friday night. I am looking for a great cake recipe that:

• Won't go stale between Friday night and Sunday afternoon
• Suits young children (ie, not too rich)
• Easy to decorate (we are doing a pig cake)
• and suits a very amateur baker (me)

Can you help me!!! Getting stressed!

Are you going to ice it with fondant icing? If so, an ordinary sponge will keep perfectly fine until Sunday.

What Maureen said .

6oz sr flour
6oz caster sugar
6oz butter/Stork
3 eggs
splash vanilla essence

Beat vanilla, butter and sugar together for 5 mins until pale, light and fluffy.

Add 1 egg at a time along with a tbsp of flour.

Once all eggs are combined stir rest of flour in and mix well.

Split between 2 8" round sandwich tins (or 1 deep 8" tin) and bake at 180 degrees for 35 mins or until risen and golden (longer for 1 deep cake).

Leave to cool in tin for 5 mins then tip out onto wire rack.

Once cool, fill with jam and buttercream.

If you're using buttercream to cover then keep it in an airtight box. If you're using fondant/ ready to roll icing then you can just put it in a card box or chuck a tea towel over it.

I used that recipe for all the birthday cakes I do and it keeps for almost a week uncut.

OR Chuck all the ingredients in a bowl and mix for 5 mins! Been doing it that way for a million years and I have made many, many cakes. Never had a problem!

Rule of thumb: However many eggs you use, double the oz of the other ingredients. I.E. 3 eggs, 6oz of everything else; 4 eggs, 8oz of everything else; etc.

wow thank you guys. Is fondant icing the stuff you buy at the supermarket and roll out? or can you make it?

You can make it but Asda's own or the Dr Oetker stuff in the supermarket are both very easy to use.

Fondant is ready to roll icing and is also known as sugarpaste.

Maureen, do you really get the same results from bunging it all in a bowl together? Do you promise? And do you add extra baking powder? I can not get Delia's all-in-one recipe to work despite the fact it's supposed to be idiot proof so I do the long way. I'd like to cut down on the time it takes me to bake though.

I promise, promise, promise! And no, I don't add extra baking powder. It could be my oven that helps it along, but tbh, I haven't always had this particular oven. I may be just lucky. I have been known to make a cake or two though. There's some on my profile I think...

I am making 70 cupcakes tomorrow, I will hold you to that promise, Maureen . Do you use a Kitchen Aid/Kenwood type mixer and just let it whizz for a few minutes then?

Fab cakes - I did the pony stable many moons ago, it's so effective but so simple, isn't it? Some of my recentish creations are on my profile, I think.

Kiwiinkits, what sort of pig cake are you planning on doing? Can we give you some handy hints on covering and or decorating?

I am doing a cake kind of like this: <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.nz/imgres?q=pig+cake&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1280&bih=652&tbm=isch&tbnid=hD6siXaj7pexgM:&imgrefurl=micelwhoami.blogspot.com/2010/04/maybe-he-will-make-this-kind-of.html&docid=mBdc2YPdcfo36M&w=640&h=480&ei=jlp5TtPpCenPmAWXm-TCAQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=510&vpy=174&dur=3629&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=177&ty=98&page=1&tbnh=111&tbnw=148&start=0&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.google.co.nz/imgres?q=pig+cake&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1280&bih=652&tbm=isch&tbnid=hD6siXaj7pexgM:&imgrefurl=micelwhoami.blogspot.com/2010/04/maybe-he-will-make-this-kind-of.html&docid=mBdc2YPdcfo36M&w=640&h=480&ei=jlp5TtPpCenPmAWXm-TCAQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=510&vpy=174&dur=3629&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=177&ty=98&page=1&tbnh=111&tbnw=148&start=0&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0
The one that is least possible to stuff up!

Give me tips on how to use fondant icing and I'll love you all forever!
How to colour it pink
How to roll it
How to stick it to the cake

That link doesn't work, try again!

However, you can buy pink icing, roll it using corn flour to stop it sticking to the work top or rolling pin and use either butter icing or jam to stick it to the cake.

I can't see what cake you're making yet, so I'm being a bit vague!