Thursday, February 15, 2007

My Princess Birthday

My daughter turned 4 last month & wanted a Princess Birthday party & a Castle cake for her birthday. This made me go through all the websites & details of making cake… as I have never baked a cake in my life other than once or twice… I had to start from basics. So wanted to share some ideas with you & this blog is all about it.

Hey did i mention that this cake was sucessful only because of my nephew Neil & best friend Priya. They did the most of the part. Thanks to them. I submit this recipe to Trupti's "Spring Fling 2007-with Family and Friends in the Kitchen Event"


As you see the picture, it’s a very big cake serves 50 people, so I divided the cake in two layers. One layer for adults & the other layer for kids…
Kids’ cake was made of strawberry based cake mix & lots of Tutti-frutti (Yummmy). The kids loved it; actually even many parents loved it… very sugary.
For Adults the cake base was of Chocolate mix with a filling of Strawberry preserve & fresh strawberries.
I will make this story very simple. The emphasis is going to be more on the cake decorations.

Ingredients for cake:
Cake board
2 packs of Chocolate cake Mix
1 pack of strawberry cake Mix

Bake a rectangular chocolate cake (big one for base) and a smaller square strawberry cake as per the instructions on the cake mix- both about 1.5 inch height.
Do this a day ahead & keep them out to cool on cooling rack.
Cut both the chocolate & strawberry cakes in the middle horizontally to make two big rectangular & 2 small square cakes.
Otherwise you can bake two rectangular cakes of same height (.75 inch) ---- with 2 packs of cake mix & same with square shape cake ----with 1 pack.

Ingredients for decorations:
6 ice-cream cones (actually 5 but in case of accident)
6 cup cakes
Sugar for sugar syrup
Chocolate syrup (optional)
Strawberry Preserve
Fresh Strawberries
5 cans of frosting (your choice of flavor- I like vanilla)
Food colors: red, green
Icing bags & nosals
Skewers
Wafer biscuits
1 pack Gum drops or marshmallows
Grated dry coconut for the grass

Place the base cake (chocolate cake) on the middle of the cake board.
Pour & spread some chocolate syrup (syrup diluted with milk) on the cake, this will make the cake more soft & spongy. Wait for 10 minutes.
Make some thick sugar syrup & spread it on the cake with the help of brush or Kitchen towel (Tip: will keep the crumbs stick to the cake). Wait for 10 minutes.
Now spread the strawberry preserve.
Tips: Pipe a frosting on the edge of the cake as border, will keep the preserve from spreading outside.
Chop the strawberries vertically & immerse them in the hot sugar syrup left from applying to the cake. This will make the strawberry little sweet. And arrange them on the cake top of strawberry preserve layer.
Place the other layer of cake (chocolate) on top.
Spread the frosting on top of the second cake (Tip: To increase the quantity of the frosting beat the frosting with egg beater it becomes real light).
Now place the strawberry cake on the top exactly in the middle, spread some frosting or preserve of your choice & add another layer of cake.
Now use that Skewer to keep the layers attached to each other, cut them according to the cakes height & pin 4 skewers at 4 corners & 1 in the middle.
Spread the icing all over the cake. You will see the crumbs coming in the icing.
Tip: Apply a thin layer of frosting (frosting with little milk) on the cake & let it dry for a short time & then apply the beaten frosting.
Now place the cup cakes on the top of the base cakes corner, attach them to the cake with little frosting & a skewers & one cupcake at center.
Decorate the ice-cream cone with white base frosting & your own designs, here I applied the white frosting & few pink (White frosting + red color) Star flowers & green climbers & leaves.
If you are not sure how comfortable you are with the icing nosals & making flowers, just apply pink base frosting & make lines of contrast color.
Place the ice-cream cones upside down on the cupcakes attach them with little frosting.
Place the gum drops on the border.
Spread some thinned frosting on the cake board as a glue to attach the colored coconut flakes as grass.
Do the finishing border around the cake.
Make door out of wafer biscuit & square windows. Decorate around them with flowers & leaves.
Add few decorative like flowers & bushes around the cake.
That’s all ........ Your castle is ready. Where’s the Princess….!!!!!!

6 comments:

TNL said...

What a wonderful entry...thanks!

The cake is a delight to look at....thanks again & good luck.
See you at the roundup!

Trupti

Swapna said...

That's a very beautiful cake:)
Swaps

Foodlovers said...

Thank you Trupti..
Thanks a lot Swapna..

Poonam Thawani said...

The cake was very very Yummy - I still get the taste of it when I think about it ;))

I am waiting for next birthday and cake;))

Great recepie!!!Keep it up!!

Happy Cooking!!!

Cheers,
Poonam

sunita said...

Hi,the cake looks great...I made a castle cake last year for my princess on her 5th b'day...

Shubha Ravikoti said...

lovely cake... u inspire me sooooo much :) lovely