Cake people - can I have some help please?!?

[dizzydixies]

I've been asked to do the birthday cake for my aunt's surprise 60th birthday party (approx 60 people)

now, I can bake a cake, make a cheesecake and turn out some reasonable stuff but my skill (ok patience) doesn't extend to cake decorating and I'm not sure I can pull this off

I have just under 2 weeks (its needed on 29th)and have a bit of time to practice but I don't know what to make

can I have your tried and tested cake recipes/ideas please?!

I don't mind trying one big cake or two (one for presentation and one for precutting to pass out) or a couple of different types of cakes to cater for people's tastes (do you think the hotel might allow this or is only one cake allowed)

AARRGGHHHHHHHHHH why did I say yes [meep]

Well for decorating you really need ComeOVeneer, or StealthSquiggle, or Greeny.

re cakes well you could just do 1 big fruit cake (like a wedding cake) I'm sure a 30x30 would do 60, but again COV will know that sort of thing. Or you could do a couple of VSC's and a couple of chocolate cakes (I have made 3 of Nigella's chocolate and sour cream cakes this week with a chocolate ganache, all have been very well recieved.

or do I just do a big pile of cupcakes in foil cases? I did this for DD2s christening and it looked really nice?

thanks Slubber - have just found this on GoodFood this? what do you think? I wouldn't do it up like a wedding cake, maybe just put some nice ribbons round it with sparklers or something?

says it serves 104 (which is fine for our greedy lot) and more importantly says EASY!!!

You could do that too. Like in a giant spectacular pile, or on a fancy stand?

I've got some lovely cake stands that we just piled up last time for the cup cakes

gosh, that is very pretty, but I bet all the different cakes will take a fair old time to make. I'm doing a cake decotrating course at the moment (am on week 7 I think now) and have only really just mastered covering cakes with sugarpaste (like in your picture) to a good standard.

A chocolate ganache icing looks great but is a whole lot less fiddly.

yes, I think I was getting a bit ahead of myself there!!

what about a red velvet cake with white chocolate icing? too tooth rotting?

Well if you have the cake stands, I might be tempted to do cup cakes.

I haven't tried these yet, but lapin did these mojito cupcakes a while back...hmm or maybe she was thiking about doing them...anyway I digress, maybe for a 60th you could push the boat out and do fancy cupcakes rather than just the usual vanilla sponge?

white chocolate makes my toes do a strange splaying motion, and my teeth move around a bit. I'm not a huge fan, but hey this cake isn't for me

ws going to do a mix of chocolate, lemon & red velvet cup cakes but those sound FAB!!! would have to make the top stand adult only boozy cupcakes

I know she's a fan of white chocolate as my white chocolate cheesecake is her favourite but you can't really stick candles in a cheesecake and expect it to look ok

Wow that sounds fab, I like the idea of a 'top shelf' of norty adult only cupcakes.

what am I doing wrong? have made it visible to all mners

am dribbling

Chippy - done.

dizzy the cupcakes sound awesome. I'd do them.

what are red velvet cupcakes? I am intrigued.

misshardbroom I'll dig out the recipe for you they're yum

have you ever had a red velvet cake? its basically that but in cupcakes

RED VELVET CUPCAKES
Makes 12

5oz/140g self-raising flour
2 tbsp cocoa
Half tsp bicarbonate of soda
4floz/110ml buttermilk
1 tsp vinegar
Half tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp red food colouring
2oz/60g butter at room temperature
6oz/170g caster sugar
1 large egg
To decorate:

Cream-cheese frosting and fresh cherries (optional)

Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/gas mark 3. Line a 12-hole cup cake tin with cases.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, bicarb and a pinch of salt. In a mug, mix the buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla and red food colouring.

Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg a little at a time. Mix in a third of the flour mixture, followed by half the buttermilk mixture, then another third of the flour, the rest of the buttermilk and finally the last of the flour mixture.

Divide the mixture between the paper cases. Bake for 20 minutes, until risen and springy - don't overcook them.

Cool on a rack.

To decorate, pipe on the frosting and top with a cherry.

enjoy

bump for more cakey people!

I was in a rush to do a cake for a friend last week, so I made a lot of cupcakes in silver cases, iced them with white butter cream,put a pink sugar rose on each one then covered the lot with silver cake glitter. Arranged on a cake stand they looked wonderful (says she modestly). Looked as if it had taken MUCH more than half and hour to do!

The glitter is VERY important!

yum-arama. Thanks for the cupcake recipe, my boys would love red cake!

That cake you found may look easy but it would be very unforgiving - as Slubber says, getting a perfect finish like that with no decoration to hide behind is hard.

Cupcakes sounds like the way to go - you can bake them in advance and freeze them, and you can also make the tops (separately) in advance by cutting and decorating disks of white icing - then assemble them at the last minute with royal icing (see my profile shortly for an example)

ah no stealth I missed them - great pumpkin though

have so far made a custard/butter cake today which sank in the middle

red velvet cupcakes which exploded and sank

vanilla cupcakes which weren't the best either

now I can normally bake some LOVELY things so I'm wondering if its because

a. my oven is acting up? its a fan oven and not great at even heat?
b. am over beating because am starting to use the Kenwood my husband bought me for my birthday in May

AARRGGHHHHHHHH