Razzle Dazzle Birthday Cake : Egg free, dairy free and nut free

Posted by Vicky on | April 26, 2011 | No Comments

Boo has just turned four. Birthdays are a big deal at that age, especially if you are Boo! She has been planning her cake since last November. The description became more and more flamboyant, as Boo added a seemingly endless list of details to create her perfect cake! In Boo’s own words, “I would like my birthday cake to be a star shape, flower meadow field… with Strawberry Shortcake”! The Strawberry Shortcake character, thank goodness, not a whole new cake on top!

Luckily I had my fail-safe chocolate zucchini cake recipe. I’ve made this cake so many times I think I could make it in my sleep, it is the cake that Boo always asks for…phew!!

I baked two cakes, one large round cake, and the other a medium sized square cake. They baked in the oven for just over 50 minutes. I made the cakes the day before, and left them in the fridge over night, as when it comes to icing I find it helps to have a cold cake! It is easier to cut as it is a bit firmer from its time in the fridge, and there is no chance of the icing melting.

For the icing I used 1 cup of icing sugar and about a third of a tub of Nuttelex, but the key thing here is to keep mixing until you get the right consistency. I also added in a generous pouring of vanilla essence. Then I added a few drops of cherry red food colouring, to get the right colour pink for Strawberry Shortcake. Once my icing was ready, I cut the square cake in quarters, then each quarter I cut in half, so I had eight triangles. I then placed them around the round cake to form a star shape (I used six of the eight). Then I spread on a generous layer of icing, making sure that it was an even covering to conceal any gaps, where the triangles met the circle!

Then came the fun (and somewhat fattening part… for me). While CJ was asleep (luckily his nap time co-insided with my cake decorating), I placed as many flower shaped marshmallows over the iced cake as possible. By the time the cake was finished, I was a little green around the gills. Purely in the name of quality control, you understand, I think I had sampled a few too many marshmallows.

I also lined the marshmallows around the base of cake, on the cake tray.

Boo’s face when CJ and I turned up at her school with the cake, is something I will never forget. Nor will I forget her whisper to me “Mummy, this is the best cake ever.”

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Please click on the above link for my chocolate zucchini recipe

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