How to make a car cake!! Well my way :)

I am not a baker or trained cake decorater. I am a mum. Each year for each birthday I get excited at the prospect of a new cake challenge!! Now I haven't always been this way. I used to buy the cake as I was too scared to give it a go myself. And they were beautiful. But there is something very special and satisfying about making your own cake. And it is great hearing your own kids comments about how wonderful it is. And they think mum is quite clever! lol. It doesn't matter if it is not as a perfect as the shop bought kind, you're not a cake decorator, you are a mum (or maybe some of you are trained! :) ). So this is what I did:

First I made a victorian chocolate sponge, a double batch, as I wanted depth. Following is the recipe that my aunty gave me last year (please note this is before I doubled it!):

Chocolate Victoria Sponge

Cake:
2 tbsp cocoa
3 tbsp boiling water
225g butter, softened
225g caster sugar
4 eggs
225g self-raising flour
2 tsp baking powder

Filling (optional - I didn't add as I ran out of butter)

50g softened butter or margarine
8 oz icing sugar
good tbsp milk

1) Blend cocoa and boiling water in a bowl, mix. Cool slightly.
2) Put the rest of the cake ingredients into a bowl and mix thoroughly for at least 2 minutes.
3) Divide into two tins or pour into one tin (I used one large rectangular tin). Bake 180C for 30 mins (2 smaller ) or longer for one large. Check with a kebab stick, to make sure cooked. Leave to cool.

Now on with car making procedure:


I drew a picture of a car on paper before I carved the cake. The simpler picture the better. Then I gently imprinted the shape onto the cake with a knife. Gently now as if you are not happy, you can start gain. You only need a faint line.

Once I was happy with the shape I carved lightly the windows and tops of the tyres.

Next step cut out the shape of the car. You do not need to cut deeply into the window and tyres, they are only lines to guide you later when icing. Remove the excess cake. You should be left with a car shaped cake.

Now it is time to make the icing. I chose a buttercream, the recipe follows:

175g butter, softened
350g icing sugar
few drops vanilla essence
add drops of colour if desired

1) First whisk the butter until creamy and pale.
2) Next add the icing sugar and vanilla essence.
3) Continue to whisk until creamy and well mixed.
4) Next add colouring. I chose red, black and blue, so i separated the amounts I needed into 3 bowls and added the colouring. Mix icing with colouring until mixed well.
NOTE: I saved a small amount of uncoloured icing for the headlights.
5) Now you are ready to ice the car.

First step:
1) Ice the windows. I suggest getting a hot cup of water and a knife or spatula. Dip your knife into water, then in icing, next spread into carved window area.

2) Ice the tyres. Dip your knife into water, then into black icing, spread onto tyres and down the edges. Keep that knife moist.

3) Ice the car and the edges. Dip your knife in water, then in red icing, then spread over cake and sides. If it gets crumbly check water is still hot and knife is moist, get more icing and go over same spot.

Second step:
1) Place smarties in the centre of the tyres.

Third step:
1) Use a black icing pen (can get in supermarket) and outline tyres, headlights and windows.
2) Next write on your message or a number for your racing car. As Josef turned 2, that was our number.

Fourth step:
1) Ice your headlights with a small amount of uncoloured icing. Sprinkle with small amount of hundreds and thousands.

Now you have a car cake! Enjoy!

For the party we also made Honey crackles (sorry damon made them!). I have shared the recipe below:

90g butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp honey (or golden syrup)
4 cups cornflakes

Melt butter, sugar and honey until frothy. Mix. take off the ehat. Add the flakes. Mix well.

Spoon into patty cases and bake for 10 mins at 150C.

Happy cooking x