Cake people this way please!

[BupcakesandCunting]

I am attempting to make my first "proper" birthday cake for DS's 5th party this weekend. I usually just do a Victoria sponge and chuck frosting and Smarties at it but I am doing a proper iced jobby this time.

I have questions:

1. Can I just do a normal Victoria sponge and ice it with ready to roll Regalice stuff? Will the sponge be OK iced or do I need to make something more sturdy?

1. I'll be cutting shapes out of coloured icing and sticking them to the cake. What's the best 'glue' to use? I was thinking icing sugar/water?

1. How do you avoid getting fingerprints all over the icing?!

I probably have more questions...

Ooh Ann, you must be an earth mum, my freezer is full of fish fingers and oven chips. No room for cake.

You can freeze sponge?! I have a lot to learn!

Cafpow, it will (hopefully) be a bit like this. If it turns out OK I will put a picture on my profile!

Ahh now I've got measuring spoon things that are 'cups' - you could try to get some of those, otherwise as long as you still follow the ratios then I'd say teacups.

Cake is very moist and very tasty - It has become a firm favourite and is very easy to make. Also takes food colouring well if you wanted to make it blue or something!

Use this recipe and I promise you it will last at least a week with no need to freeze

Its as simple as a viccy sponge but has a bit more egg

for an 8" round cake, you need 400g of SR flour, sugar and butter, and 8 eggs. Mix as you would a normal viccy sponge, and bake for 50 mins at 160 (140 fan)

Ready to roll icing is fine, but for a smooth finish do a then lay the icing over the top. As other have said, use the flat of your hand, not your fingertips. Once smooth, leave it to air dry for a couple of hours, then smooth with your palm again to double check

Would love to see pics when its finished!

Ooo wow! yes pictures needed please.

YY to freezing cake - when I try to make more intricate ones, ones that need shaping it's a lot easier if they are frozen first.

I can't see your pic unfortunately Bupcakes (cant access flikr from this PC) but if it involves any 'building' then I'd freeze the cake too.

(I've got a Mk 2 Ford Escort and a VW Beetle to make in the next 2 weeks - My friends think I'm better than I am - I'm having palpiations already!)

Also, do you think if I cut out some of the icing shapes today, they'd keep in an airtight box until saturday?

Ooo marking place as a complete novice about to embark on a completely over ambitious 1st birthday cake including tiers and clowns (a bit OTT? ah fuck it, it's for my amusement not dd's!)

Right, am definitely going to freeze the cake! Do I need to fully defrost it before icing?

Eve, basically it's a round cake decorated with things from Super Mario i.e toadstools/stars/coins. I've cheated and bought some plastic figures from eBay to stand on the top!

No, just get it out of the freezer about 30 mins before you start. It will slowly defrost as you are icing it - It also makes the buttercream layer/crumbcoat a lot easier to smooth down.

Thank you so much! I am furiously writing all of this down in my cookery notebook!

Thats a great idea Bupcakes, it will look professional without being too hard to do. Sure DS will love it.

Best of luck!

When putting regal icing on, I warm up some apricot jam and use that on the cake to stick the icing on. I use it for cut out shapes too

You can make the icing hapes in advance, but don't keep them in an airtight box, they'll go soggy. Layer them between kitchen roll in a cardboard box, with a lid or a sheet of kitchen roll over the top to stop them getting dusty

Thank you SlimJim! I was just ready to dig the tupperware out as well

MakeMineACafPow I've had comments about how moist my cakes are - I use the delia all in one sponge recipe and scale up for bigger tins.

Am thinking about my DDs cake which is coming up soon...she wants a butterfly this year. A blue one. Should be ok I think. And lots of cup cakes

I will try it Ann when it gets to DS's birthday. He did want a Garfield cake because I convinced him as I could make it but he has seen the Mario one so I guess I might be now doing that! So Bupcakes better report back with how it goes and tips on construction!

I did ds a Mario one bupcakes, there is a piccy on my profile. Sadly Mario is slightly on the obese side, apparently I should have added something to the fondant to make it set.

That's a really good cake, Pantaloons! I'll be well chuffed if mine turns out as good as yours.

Another question: what do I freeze the sponge in?

Victoria sponge works fine.
Very thin smear of butter cream or seedless jam to stick on regal ice.

GIN to glue on shapes, don't worry about DCs it evaporates away and doesn't taste.
Because it evaporates it's much easier not to get things too wet and make the colours run.

You can also mix food colouring with it to paint details.

However, unsupervised 10yos who know better, have been known to drink it

"but Mummy I got red food colouring in it and I didn't want pink polar bears??!!"

Ha ha gin is the one thing I have got!

Just wrap it in tin foil and bung it in the freezer bupcakes, or put it into a box if you are worried about it getting squashed

I always use Nigella's birthday cake with buttermilk as you can do anything with it for icing etc

What is buttermilk? Can you buy it or do you make it?