Calling all expert Cake makers!!

[OhCobblers]

for the first time EVER i'm considering making a birthday cake! Not a problem you might think unless you were to see my recent fairy cake / muffin attempts.

However, i'd like to give it a go and it needs to be a character cake (but not shaped like the character just a normal round cake).

Firstly, is making a choc cake as easy as making a regular Victoria Sponge? Secondly, is it best to buy "character" decorations online (where from?) or would a cake topper be a better idea? i've seen some on ebay but wonder how difficult it is to put on the cake?

any advise/expertise you care to share or general suggestions would be MUCH appreciated . TIA

I'd go for an 'all in one' recipe (easier) and when you have measured the flour, just take out 50g or so and replace it with hot chocolate powder.

I was strongly advised this week to make a plain cake and put character figurines on top of it!

I'm no expert though - see my other thread in this topic... best of luck

thanks for your reply Makaitai - what choc filling would you use?

I was also doing a quick search of old threads and someone recommended buying an M&S Choc log / cake and putting decs on top - that might end up being plan B !!

Erm, ready to use chocolate icing in a tub

Alternatively, chocolate buttercream - i've googled a recipe but tbh I always end up using the recipe on the back of the icing sugar packet (likewise the cake recipe on the side of the Stork tub) -

250g unsalted butter (I guess you could use spreadable butter?)
200g icing sugar, sifted
50g cocoa powder

work butter til soft, if not spreadable - mix in half the dry ingredients and beat til smooth - mix in the rest.

I am planning to make a hello kitty cake for DD1's birthday in a few weeks time. Was going to do a round victoria sponge (2 layers with jam in the middle) and then have an extra cake and cut it into quarters for the ears (so 2 quarters for each ear and jam filling so double layered).

Then ice with ready to roll white icing from morrissons, use black liquirice allsorts for the eyes, black liquorice bootlaces for the whiskers, an orange sweet for the nose and then put an ornamental red ribbon on one ear....

you will probably now tell me you have a boy or something...

WNSA that sounds wonderful - she'll love it!!mine is for my DD but i'm not sure i'll get the hang of rolling out icing, etc.

sounds far too complicated for an amateur like me! good luck with it - hope all goes well.

Easiest choc cake filling is good old Nutella

I use my mum's sponge recipe. You weigh the eggs (in their shells - I use 3 for a 7" round cake). The amount they weigh (around 6oz usually) is the amount you use for everything else, so 6oz butter/6oz sugar/6oz flour. For a choc one I just bung in some cocoa powder/drinking chocolate in addition (couple of tablespoons prob), and sometimes some choc chips.

I've bought decorations/toppers off eBay before, or from our local cake shop (ebay cheaper!). They're easy to use, just plonk them on where you want them on wet icing.

Good luck!

For children I use the be-ro Milk Chocolate Cake, made with evaporated milk - recipe available online via Google - as it is utterly lush. I use Flora Buttery and it gives great results.

Personally I wouldn't use hot choc in the recipe, cocoa gives a more chocolatey taste. Similarly spreadable butter, it can give a slimy texture to your buttercream.

The best choc icing recipe I've found is the one Nigella uses on her ultimate chocolate cake - recipe is on her website.

Good luck! :)

whoneeds there is a pic of the Hello Kitty cake I made for DD1 6th birthday on my profile if you'd like to have a look.

oh Cobblers I have a never-fail chocolate cake recipe if you'd like it. Makes quite a dense and moist cake which doesn't crumble and is therefore easy to cut into a shape should you need to do this.

A great tip I was given is to make the cake in advance and freeze it, then ice the cake frozen either the night before or the morning of the party. Frozen cakes are much easier to ice as they don't shed their crumbs into the icing.

You can buy some great customised cake toppers on ebay where they take a photo and add text, characters and text and print onto edible icing.

Fanjolina - what a great ring but no kitty cake :)

Cobblers - what characters? I have bought some little plastic Peppa Pig characters and will just make a scene out of them on top of the cake