'Post a letter' Birthday Cake
From Sainsbury'sA clever novelty cake made with sponge and fondant icing.
Serves: 6
Preparation time: 50 Minutes
Cooking time: 35 Minutes
Ingredients
125g butter or margarine
125g caster sugar
2 medium size eggs
125g self raising flour
1 tablespoon hot water
3 tablespoons apricot jam
250g red moulding icing
1 large round biscuit
2-3 pieces of liquorice ribbon
25g black or brown glâcé icing
1 liquorice sweet
Icing sugar, sifted
1 robin, optional
Method
Preheat the oven to 160°C, fan 140°C, gas 3.
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a tablespoon of the flour with the second egg. Fold in the remaining flour with a metal spoon, then the hot water.
Cleanly remove one end from 2 empty 400g cans. Clean the cans thoroughly, then grease and flour them. Two third fill the cans with the cake mixture and bake in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes. Loosen the cakes round the edge with a long thin knife, then turn out and cool on a wire rack.
Cut the rounded tops off the cakes and discard. Cut a 2.5cm piece from one cake, shape into a dome and set aside. Sandwich the 2 cakes together with apricot glaze, then brush all over with jam.
Roll out three quarters of the moulding icing thinly on a surface sprinkled with cornflour, to an oblong measuring 25 x 15cm and trim the edges, reserve trimmings. Wrap icing round the cake and mould the join together with a palette knife.
Stick the shaped dome onto the biscuit with a little apricot jam and brush with glaze. Roll out remaining icing into a 13cm circle and use to cover the dome and biscuit. Place on top of the cake to form the post box top. Make ridges round the top, using the back of a knife.
Fix 2 pieces of liquorice ribbon around the base of the post box with glaze. Press a strip of liquorice ribbon in position near the top for the opening. Cut a lid for the opening and press into position. Fix a liquorice sweet below the opening to represent the 'collection times' label. Pipe on a door and writing, using glace icing.
Sprinkle with icing sugar to represent snow and position the robin on top, if using.
