Children's Farm Cake and Cupcakes
(0 votes)
(0 votes)
Difficulty:
advanced
Difficulty
Preparation:
5 h. 25 min.
Preparation
Ingredients
for
1
- For the base cakes
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup superfine caster sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 ½ cups self-rising flour (sifted)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- For the chocolate loaf cake
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup plain Dark chocolate (65% cocoa solids, chopped)
- ½ cup superfine caster sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (heaped)
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp Baking powder
- ½ cup Sour cream
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup Almond flour
- For the chocolate Swiss roll
- ½ cup superfine caster sugar (plus extra for sprinkling)
- 4 eggs
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 1 Tbsp hot water
- ¾ cup Strawberry Jam (or jelly)
- For the green buttercream
- 1 ⅛ cups unsalted butter
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsps vanilla extract
- green Food coloring
- For the white chocolate buttercream
- 2 cups white chocolate (chopped)
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup milk
- red Food coloring (or powder)
- To decorate
- mini shredded wheat cereal
- Pretzel
- 6 Marshmallow
- Chocolate bean (buttons)
- ¼ cup pink Sugar paste
- powdered sugar
- 6 small orange Sweets
- 2 Tbsps Shredded coconut
- 12 small red Sweets
- melted Chocolate
- For the blue icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- water blue Food coloring
- For the cupcakes
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup superfine caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ cup milk
- 1 ¼ cups Chocolate chip
- For the buttercream
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- yellow Food coloring
- pink Food coloring
Preparation steps
1.
For the base cakes: heat the oven to 190°C (170° fan) 375°F gas 5. Grease 2 x 20cm|8" deep loose-based cake tins and line the bases with non-stick baking paper.
2.
Beat the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy.
3.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well to combine. Add the flour and vanilla and mix well.
4.
Divide evenly between the tins and bake for 40-50 minutes until golden and springy to the touch. Cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then place on a wire rack to cool completely.
5.
For the chocolate loaf cake: Heat the oven to 160°C (140° fan) 325°F gas 3. Grease and flour a 21cm x 11cm|8" x 5" loaf tin.
6.
Melt the butter and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering (not boiling) water. Remove from the heat and stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Add the sugar and mix well.
7.
Sift in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder and stir until blended. Stir in the soured cream.
8.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Gently fold in the ground hazelnuts.
9.
Spoon into the tin and smooth the top. Bake for 40-50 minutes until cooked though. A skewer inserted into the cake should come out clean. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then place on a wire rack to cool completely.
10.
For the chocolate Swiss roll: heat the oven to 220°C (200° fan) 425°F gas 7. Grease a 22.5cm x 32.5cm|9" x 13" Swiss roll tin and line with non-stick baking paper.
11.
Place the sugar and eggs in a mixing bowl and whisk until very pale and light, using an electric whisk, until the beaters leave a trail on the surface.
12.
Sift in the flour and cocoa powder and gently fold into the egg mixture using a metal spoon. Lightly stir in the hot water until blended.
13.
Pour into the prepared tin, tilting it so that it covers the whole surface. Bake for 7-9 minutes until firm and springy to the touch.
14.
Sprinkle a sheet of non-stick baking paper (a little larger than the tin) with 2 teaspoons caster sugar.
15.
Turn out the cake on to the sugared paper. Peel away the lining paper and trim the edges. Roll up the cake loosely lengthways, with the paper inside and leave to cool completely.
16.
Unroll the sponge and spread with the jam and roll up again.
17.
For the green buttercream: beat the butter in a bowl until soft. Sift in the icing sugar and beat well. Beat in the vanilla and a few drops of green food colouring until smooth.
18.
For the white chocolate buttercream: melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering (not boiling) water. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
19.
Beat the butter and icing sugar until fluffy and pale, then beat in the milk and melted chocolate until smooth. Put a small amount of the buttercream into a separate bowl for the' windows'. Stir a little red food colouring into the remaining buttercream.
20.
To assemble the cake: put the round cakes side by side on a cake board and spread the green buttercream over the tops and sides of the cakes.
21.
Cut 2 triangular wedges from each side of the top of the loaf cake, to form a sloping roof shape. Stand the cake upright in the green buttercream as in the photo.
22.
Stand the Swiss roll upright in the green buttercream, next to the loaf cake, as in the photo.
23.
Spread both cakes with the red buttercream to completely cover and mark them with the tines of a fork to create lines.
24.
Put the reserved white chocolate buttercream into a small piping bag with a plain nozzle and pipe windows on to the houses as in the photo. Decorate with pretzels.
25.
Arrange the mini shredded wheat on top of the cakes to form the roof thatch.
26.
Stand pretzels at the side of the house to form a fence, attaching them with a dab of white chocolate buttercream.
27.
For the blue icing: sift the icing sugar into a bowl and beat in just enough water to make a smooth thick icing. Beat in a few drops of blue food colouring.
28.
Spoon the blue icing onto the base cake to form a 'pond'.
29.
For the cupcakes: heat the oven to 190°C (170° fan) 375°F gas 5. Place paper cases in a 12 hole bun tin.
30.
Beat the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy.
31.
Gradually beat in the eggs, beating until fully incorporated into the mixture.
32.
Sift in the dry ingredients and gently stir into the mixture. Stir in the milk and chocolate chips.
33.
Spoon the mixture into the paper cases. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then place on a wire rack to cool completely.
34.
Carefully cut round the tops of some of the cakes with a cutter or sharp knife and remove the top of each cake. Slice the tops in half to form 2 ‘wings’.
35.
For the buttercream: beat the butter until soft. Sift in the icing sugar and beat well until smooth and creamy. Beat in the vanilla.
36.
Divide the mixture into 3 bowls. Colour 1 bowl yellow, another pink and leave the other bowl white.
37.
Spread the buttercreams over the cupcakes - some yellow, some pink and some white.
38.
Attach a marshmallow to the centre of the pink and white cupcakes for the pig 'snout' and attach chocolate buttons for the 'eyes'. Add red sweets or chocolate buttons for the snout markings, attaching with a dab of buttercream.
39.
Roll out the pink sugarpaste on a surface dusted with icing sugar and cut out small triangles for the pig cupcakes. Attach to the top of the cakes.
40.
Drizzle with a little melted chocolate at the sides of the cakes if liked.
41.
For the chicks: spread the cut off 'wings' with yellow buttercream and attach to the yellow cupcakes. Sprinkle with coconut and attach chocolate buttons for the 'eyes' and orange sweets for the 'beaks'.
42.
Arrange the cupcakes on the cake board.
