The Birthday CakeThe birthday cake becomes the focal point of a party with everyone gathered around to sing Happy Birthday to the birthday girl or boy. Here are a few ideas for different cakes that you can make. Butter Cake Recipe This butter cake recipe is very versatile and can be used to make any number of combinations for a party. Ingredients: These quantities make one standard cake. - 125grams of softened butter
- 2/3 cup of caster sugar
- 2 eggs (lightly beaten)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
- 2 cups SR Flour
- 2/3 cup milk
Method: - Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy
- Add eggs and Vanilla Essence (Beat until well mixed)
- Add small amounts of flour and milk until well mixed in together.
- Place into a lined and greased tin and cook for 45mins in an oven pre-heated to 180C.
- Test with a skewer to ensure that it is cooked.
Variations: - Chocolate cake
To turn this recipe into a chocolate cake add 2tbs of cocoa and 2tbs of milk to the mixture and beat through. - Marble Cake
Separate mixture into 3 equal parts in different bowls.
Add a couple of drops of pink food colouring to one part.
Add 1tbs of cocoa and 1tbs of milk to one part.
Now spoon the different mixtures into the tin, one spoonful at a time, so that the colours alternate. To finish off the effect use a knife or skewer and swirl the colours together. - Patty Cakes
Fill patty cases to about ¾ full
Place onto an oven tray and cook for about 12-15 mins or until golden on top. - Butterfly Cakes
Make the patty cakes and wait for them to cool.
Carefully scoop out the top of the cake and cut in half.
Add some whipped cream to the top of the cake and reattach the “wings” so that they stand up. You can always decorate these with a dash of coloured sprinkles. Icing Let’s face it, the kids will be much more interested in the icing than they are in the cake itself. Make more than you think, you’ll need it and it never seems to get wasted. - Butter Icing
75g softened butter
½ cup of sifted icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
Beat these ingredients until they are light and fluffy.
You can add a few drops of your favourite food colouring (less than you think).
Modify the mounts to make as much as you need.
Use a knife to spread over the cake. - Glace Icing
1 cup sifted icing sugar
1 tbs softened butter
1tbs boiling water
½ tsp vanilla essence
Use a small heat proof bowl and mix the ingredients over simmering water until they form a smooth glossy paste.
Add food colouring to make your required colour.
Spread over cake using a warm knife. Number Shape Cakes These cakes just take a little common sense to make. Think of the shape of the number and cut the cake to fit. You don’t need to be too precise with the cake, that’s what the icing is for, to fill in the gaps. - 1st Birthday (1)
You’ll need at least one long thin loaf tin or two smaller loaf tins. You can make this as a straight “l” or as a “1”. Decorate to your taste. - 2nd Birthday (2)
You’ll need a loaf tin and a circular tin for this cake. Ice and decorate to your liking. - 3rd Birthday (3)
You’ll need two circular tins to make this shape (or of course you can cook your cakes separately). You will probably have an extra pair of hands wanting to help you decorate this birthday. - 4th Birthday (4)
A large slab tin is probably best for this cake and cut the sections to their desired size. Your 4 year old will probably have some definite ideas about how they would like their cake to look. Ice Cream Cakes These are popular and easy (but can be very messy). You can buy these ready made or make yourself. - Line a spring form cake tin with grease proof paper.
- Melt a block of chocolate over a low heat and pour this over the base- place in fridge and allow to set.
- Scoop in softened icecream until your desired height. You can mix small pieces of fruit, chocolate drops, crushed or chopped chocolate bars etc through this mix to add something special.
- Place back into the freezer and allow to set, and decorate.
- Remove just before you’re ready to serve.
A few tips from other mums - “Buy a slab of cake from your local bakery and cut it into any shape that you like.”
- “Icing is always the favourite part of a cake at a party so don’t skimp and don’t stress too much about the cake underneath.”
- “Take a photo (or two) of the cake before their little hands dip into the icing.”
- “You can buy a themed icing centerpiece to put onto the middle of the cake. We recently had a “Thunderbirds” centerpiece and then I stood a few of the rockets around the edge it was a huge hit.”
- Don't forget to check out the discussion on the Huggies Forum for some more great tips.
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