Where are our Birthday Cake experts? Help needed.

[MmeLindt]

DD wants an octopus birthday cake, will try and find a photo.

First question: What cake? Normal sponge? Victoria sponge? Filling? What is best for a cake that will be iced?

And then: What kind of icing? Has to be something that I cam make myself as I am not in UK and have no idea where to get ready made icing.

Photo here

That looks like chocolate sponge with sprinkles on? No icing at all, but maybe a buttercream filling?

No, it is definitely iced. The book says buttercream. The top bit has coloured dessicated coconut on it.

Just not sure whether royal icing would look better.

And DD wants different colours.

And marzipan fishies.

That's from the Australian Women's Weekly birthday cake book. I've got this book if you need any info from it.

Thanks, Zack. I have a recipe for sponge cake but my sponge cakes generally are not that great, hence me looking for advice here.

Really am starting to bake this cake now so if anyone can help with the kind of icing...

oh, am I better to wait until tomorrow to ice it?

I would bake today, ice tomorrow (or late tonight)

Royal icing would set too hard

Buttercream icing would be fab on this.

All in one sponge cake : 200g - SR Flour, butter, 250g sugar, 2tbl spoons milk, 4 eggs. Lob all in bowl, mix, cook for 20 mins.

Thank you, Pizzaeater

Got stuck on the Henry and the ring thread so not started yet.

Will go with butter icing.

notapizzaeater

Sorry. You can tell I wanted you to be a pizza eater.

I would also buttercream it.

Yes, I would do butter icing too. What colour do you want?

I'd just cook a large round cake and cut out the middle.

My all in 1 sponge would be 8oz each of SR flour, caster sugar and fat (I use olive spread), 1 teaspoon baking powder, 4 eggs. Bake at Gas 5 for 20-25 mins.

I have a cake tin with the middle cut out. No idea what that is called.

I am limited in colour choice. Could only get red/yellow/green

Orange for the top and red for the bottom?

Have red tentacles.

sounds fine to me.