Need foolproof birthday cake recipe & icing tips please!

[TheMoistWorldOfSeptimusQuench]

Nothing fancy - just a nice round cake that isn't going to tax me too much

Will be covering it with the sort of icing that you roll out (sorry don't know what the technical term is). I imagine you need to roll out a disc for the top, & then wrap a band of icing around the edge of the cake, but how does one ensure there are now 'seams' or messy overlaps?

All advice very gratefully received

when you do roll-out icing you actually make a big circle and drape it over the whole cake - no need to join round the side

much easier to do glace or butter icing IMO

But don't you then get folds down the side of the cake?

Using the roll out stuff because I thought it would be easier. How can I do glace or butter icing please?

.

I've just made dds birthday cake. She was SO pleased with it! Search threads for 'A really easy chocolate cake recipe' Can't do links...Includes recipe for choc buttercream icing. So easy. HTH

Oh good lord NO...that roll out icing does not taste good. Butter icing is just butter add icing sugar and blend...no set amounts just keep adding the icing until you like the taste. Add a bit of food colouring if you like then ice the cake. If you are doing a normal sponge I would freeze it first, get it out the night before you need it, put the jam or whatever in, then ice it, saves trickiness when icing round the edge.

Thanks all

Would you put a layer of the buttercream in the middle of the cake too (with jam, presumably?)

Does the butter icing set hard, or remain soft? Is it easy to get a smooth finish (with palette knife perhaps)? I need something that I can then put other decorations onto.

Sorry to be such a donut. Not a bad cook usually, but hardly ever make cakes! And I know there are some genius bakers on MN.

I'd definitely have a layer of buttercream! You can do jam, lemon curd etc too but its not vital!

Oh, and the icing will stay soft if you don't put it in the fridge.But the decorations sometimes can slide around a bit, so I tend to decorate, then pop in the fridge.

Sorry to sound flippant but.......... Marks and Spencer

Chocolate butter icing. Make wiggly/swirly patterns with a fork (takes pressure off it being smooth) then decorate with maltersers in a circle or white chocolate buttons in shape of the age (if for a child)

Thanks for all your tips. Really want a completely smooth finish due to the decorations that we have. Buttercream in the middle sounds good too.

Can anyone tell me how to do the roll out icing without getting folds around the side of the cake?

it stretches over the edge so you don't end up with folds, promise, but it is a bit of a knack - am just hutning out a step-by-step guide for you but the two below are much easier:

If it needs to be white make glace icing - 100g sieved icing sugar, add 1 tablespoon hot water a little at a time till you have a smooth paste. Pour over cake to give this kind of effect.

If not, make chocolate ganache (heat 100ml double cream and pour over 100g chocolate broken into bits, stir till smooth, thick and glossy, cool a bit, pour over cake)

Both will taste nicer than ready-to-roll

here you go

Thanks Mrs. Badger

DD's birthday cakes have been consistently rubbish. Would like to break the mould this year.

If the sides don't go as smooth as you hoped, maybe cut a piece of thin card to fit around cake and ask your dd to decorate it, pens, glitter etc?

I often have ambitious cake plans which of course never look as good as I imagined them. However the children always love them, so be proud!

or, better, get a bit of ribbon as wide as the height of the cake and wrap round.

nooo don't use ready roll icing - it tastes horrible.

Also I would put jam in the middle as butter icing in the middle and on top can be very sickly.

You're dead right about it tasting horrible. Have just tried some. Bleaurgh....

Why don't you just "dust" with icing sugar?

DD has asked for a fairy birthday cake, & is having a pink party.

I have a little figurine of a fairy (not quite as naff as it sounds), and some edible shiney lilac and pink stars.

I thought they would look best on a plain white icing, but no idea really so really grateful for all the suggestions

put a doily on the top and sift icing sugar through it to make pretty white patterend cake

You can get your kids to eat buttercream?
I have to make my DDs cake as the bought ones nearly always have the foul stuff.

My method is - start a week before with choc cake recipe gleaned from internet. make cakes until 2 come out of tin whole and not squishy in the middle. Freeze the rejects for later (choc cake tastes good whatever it looks like). Freeze the good ones till the day before too.

then defrost and sandwich with a bit of cherry jam.

smother with chocolate fudge icing made by melting in microwave 6oz plain choc and stirring in 1 tbsp cream. Then repeat as thats never enough to go down the sides. Icing is thick enough to hide defects.
(I've never tried white choc, it might work but probably a bit sickly)

Get DD to decorate with smarties or sugar flowers.

I always make birthday cakes from 2 x packet cake mix

can't go wrong and it's alwyas even

don't give yourself a hernia doing rolled out icing, do buttercream liek whta they say and give ourself more time to enjoy the party.

pmsl at "until two come out of tin whole".

emsmum

I cheated last night - needed both a birthday cake for DH and a big cake for sharing at work (last day before mat leave hurrah hurrah) so made 4 eggs' worth of chocolate muffin mixture and split it between 2 x sandwich tins and one big deep tin.

Big deep tin on gets drizzled with melted chocolate for work, sandwich ones get stuck together with buttercream for DH.

Cake? Done
[in a Gordon Ramsey style]