Whilst I like a Victoria Sponge as much as the next person, (or more so infact) I can't deny itching to get my hands on the simple and basic exterior to create something more colourful and decadent - so when my mum asked me to help her decorate my sister's 27th birthday cake, I was there faster than you can say "buttercream icing".
So I may do a separate blog later on as to how we made the base and the frosting (it's a family secret don't cha know), but this post is going to purely decoration based. So grab your pallet knife and all the sugary treats in your pantry, because honey - we gonna ice a cake!
What you'll need:
*2 vanilla sponge cake bases (without these, the task seems somewhat pointless)
*Vanilla frosting - either homemade or if you want to keep it quick Betty Crocker do a mean pre-made one; we made ours from scratch the day before
*Jam
*Peanut Butter m&m's (aka snack food of the gods)
*White chocolate fingers
*Any other decorative elements you'd like to add - we chose edible flowers!
*Pallet knife
Method:
Okay so the first thing you're going to decide is which base is going to be the top or the bottom - it doesn't really matter which one you choose - but once you've chosen your bottom we're going to start spreading a thin layer of jam on the base of it using a knife - this is going to add a nice tangy comic relief to all the chocolate we'll be adding shortly!
Next, on top of that jam layer we're going to go ahead and put a thick layer of frosting on top of it using the same knife, be generous but remember to save enough to cover the rest of the cake.
Put the bottom layer onto a plate and place the top layer on (you guessed it) the top! Now we're going to ice the rest of the cake. Grab your pallet knife and starting on the sides, apply large dollops of icing to the sponge, use quick motions to smooth down the frosting to ensure it doesn't fall onto the plate - you want it to defy gravity and really stick to the sides! Imagine you're layering cement (because we all do that on a daily basis) - and that's the exact same motions as you're going to use with the icing.
Once you're done with the sides move on to the top of the cake and really layer it on, give it as much of a thick layer as possible and be sure to use up all the icing!
Okay, you can put the pallet knife down now you animal, your cake should be looking like this right now.
So this is the fun bit, get your chocolate decorations and open then up, starting with the chocolate fingers. Try and resist popping every other one in your mouth like I did, you may need them towards the end. Lay them horizontally round the base of the cake, don't worry if they don't sit perfectly on it, this is to balance the ones you'll be putting just above.
Once you've done the bottom layer, take the fingers now vertically and begin placing them around the cake right next to each other so it looks like this.
And voila! They should have stuck to the cake by themselves and you can move onto the next step.
Taking your peanut butter m&ms (drool) and begin positioning them around the edge of the top base of the cake like so;
Do this until you begin to run out of m&ms (or you've eaten the rest) and fill in the remainder of the cake with your chosen cake decorations, and would you believe it? You're done!
A really simple method with a big pay off I think you'll agree. The cake tasted outstandingly and the added chocolate flavours and textures made it something really special, I think this cake works for all occasions, from Birthdays to Easter to a Wednesday night!
I must take my hat off for my very talented mummy for making the sponge and icing, without which this cake would not have been possible! Everything I've learnt about baking I've learnt from my talented mum who still to this day supervises my baking sessions and is always there to lend a helping hand when I suffer a Great-British-Bake-Off-style meltdown.
I really hope this post inspires you to decorate an otherwise plain cake, please share your ideas and good luck!
x
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