I know it has been over a month since it was Dylan’s birthday, 8 weeks to be exact but I have been meaning to write up the recipe to the cake that I made him. The little bugger kept changing his mind about what type of cake he wanted. One day it was a Paw Patrol cake, then it was a Lego Batman cake, then a Troll cake, then back to Paw Patrol and then we went to this best mate Blake’s party and he wanted a football cake, then Troll, then Paw Patrol, etc, etc. He finally settled on a Paw Patrol cake and I got to planning.
As Dylan was having a birthday party on his birthday I wanted his cake to look striking but be quite easy so that is why I went with my foolproof chocolate cake as the base for the cake. I then planned to decorate the cake with chocolate and toys. Simples!
This cake recipe is the one that I use for most of my chocolate cakes. I have tweaked it and changed it and this is the result. It makes a really moist bad word cake that you can make the day before you need it and as long as you over it well and then it is perfect for a few days after. When it starts to get a little bit stale just whack it in the microwave for a about 30 seconds to a minute and serve with ice cream, custard or cream (or all 3).
This recipe makes a cake big enough to serve about 24
Dylan’s Birthday Cake
120g cocoa powder
180ml Boiling water
100g Fruit syrup or golden syrup
400g salted butter
400g soft brown sugar
8 eggs
360g self raising flour
200g chocolate chips
For the frosting…
300g Icing Sugar
200g Butter, softened
100g Cocoa Powder
For the decorations (for a cake like Dylan’s)…
34 fingers of kitkat or cadbury’s fingers
4 Hobnobs, smashed into dust
2x 120g bags of M&Ms, whichever ones you prefer
1x 120g bag of McVities Nibbles, any type
Construction vehicles, Paw Patrol or other
- Preheat your oven to 180°C and grease and line 3x 8″ cake tins. In a bowl, mix cocoa powder, boiling water and fruit syrup.
- In a large mixing bowl, or in an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until “light and fluffy”. Then slowly add in the eggs. If the mix starts to curdle then add in a few tablespoons of flour as you mix.
- Next add in the rest of the flour and choc chips and finally the cocoa powder mix and mix until the batter is smooth.
- Divide the mixture between the 3 tins. Pop into the oven and bake in 3 tins for 20 – 30mins until sponge bounces back when pressed or a cake tester comes out clean.
- Once baked, turn out the cakes onto a cooling rack and allow to completely cool.
- With a hand mixer or a mixer whisk the butter for the frosting on high for about a minute until it pales a little bit. Add in half the icing sugar and then mix on a low speed until fully mixed. Then add in the rest of the icing sugar and the cocoa powder and mix again on low speed. The frosting needs to be of a spreadable consistency. If it is too thick then add in a few drops of milk until it becomes spreadable. If it is too sloppy then add in some more icing sugar.
- Spread the frosting on the cake board and then pop the bottom layer of cake on top. Spread frosting on top of that layer and add the next and repeat. Next spread the frosting on the top and around the side using a palatte knife and a cake smoother.
- Next is the fun bit! Stick the kitkats around the sides of the cake leaving a gap about 4 fingers wide. Pipe some of the frosting in the gap to create a bit of a slope for you M&Ms to “fall” down.
- Decorate the top of the cake with hobnob “sand” and McVities Nibbles “boulders and then cascade the M&Ms around the top and down the frosting slope. Position the Construction vehicles on the top and you are all done!
- Eat the cake! (Sharing optional but advised!)
Thanks for reading
x
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