Castle Birthday Cake

Method

1. For this cake it is recommended that you have the following tools; cake smoother, edible glue, 12" round cake drum, small blossom flower cutters, antique gold lustre, ribbon for the cake board (if desired)

2. To make the 6" Madeira cake: Pre-heat the oven to 160°C/140° fan /Gas Mark 3. Grease and line a 6” round cake tin with baking paper.

3. Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Sift the flours together in a separate bowl. Beat the eggs into the creamed mixture, one at a time, following each with a spoonful of flour, to prevent the mixture curdling. Add the vanilla bean paste.

4. Sift the remaining flour into the creamed mixture and fold in carefully with a large metal spoon. Transfer to the lined tin and bake for 1 hour 10 minutes. When ready the cake will be well risen, firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the center will come out clean. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

5. To make the buttercream combine the softened butter, icing sugar and vanilla bean paste, beating well and adding a little milk if required.

6. To make the top rice krispie cake: Prepare a  4” round cake tin by lining the base and sides with non-stick baking paper. Melt together the butter and marshmallows over a low heat stirring often. Add the Rice Krispies and pour into tin. Allow to cool a little before spreading and leveling with the back of a fork. Allow to cool and fully set before removing.

7. Cover the cake drum with the green sugar paste icing and smooth over. Level the Madeira cake, split into 3 and sandwich together with buttercream before putting a thin layer over the rest of the cake. Place the cake on the drum centrally but slightly towards the back.

8. Cover the cake with the pink sugar paste icing. Place the rice krispie cake on top securing with a little royal icing and cover with a layer of pink sugar paste icing. You may need to do a second layer to get a smooth finish on the top cake.

9. Knead together the flower paste icing and white sugar pasting icing, then colour approximately 200g of the icing, dark pink and use to roll and cut out the wall shape decoration around the top of both cakes, securing with a little cooled boiled water.

10. Cover the kitchen roll tubes with a thin layer of thin royal icing or edible glue and cover with the pink sugar paste icing, smoothing well. Secure in position next to the main round cake to form the turrets. Add the top wall decoration to the turrets in the same way as the cake. (You could fill the turrets with sweets as an extra treat.)

11. Use the remaining dark pink flower/sugar paste icing to add bricks to the base  and also in random places on the cake.

12. Use the flower/sugar paste icing mix to colour and add doors, windows and flowers to the cake as desired. Any remaining green sugar paste icing can be used to add vines around the windows. Make a path using hundreds and thousands sprinkled onto the cake in the desired shape, using royal icing or edible glue.

13. To make the cone shaped top of the turrets cover 3 ice cream cones with a thin layer of royal icing or edible glue and sprinkle well with hundreds and thousands. Leave these to dry before placing on top of the turrets. Add any extra decoration and spray with edible lustre for a final sheen if desired.