How to make a number 5 cake with a pink and pretty finish

Here I will explain how I created this pretty pink number 5 cake. It is the first number cake I have ever made so I definitely learnt some lessons along the way. Most notably that the number 5 is hard to cover in fondant…. really hard!

I used double my standard deep 6 inch cake recipe for this number tin (that’s 8 eggs total). I prepared the silicon tin with cake release spray.

I cooked at 140°C for approx 1hr 20mins. I allowed the cake to cool in the tin before I trimmed off the excess cake.

I measured half the height of the cake and marked the sides. I then cut the cake in half in order to add the buttercream and jam filling.

I covered the cake in a layer buttercream and allowed to set.

Next I coloured and rolled out approx 1kg of sugarpaste and covered the cake. The challenge was to smooth the inside edges. I used flexible smoothers and the rolling pin vertically. I needed to add a small strip of sugarpaste where I struggled to get full cover. The flexible smoothers work well to blend any joins.

Next, whilst the fondant is still soft I pressed acrylic letters into the top of the cake. I also covered the board around the cake with white fondant.

I made the tiara by rolling thin sausages of fondant (with tylo) and laying them over a small mug on its side to give the curve of the tiara. I used edible glue to fix the parts together and allowed to dry overnight before painting edible gold.

I used daisy cutters for the white flowers and a mould for the butterflies. I dusted and painted colour on the butterflies. I used a heart cutter to create the small dark pink hearts.

The small roses are made by rolling a thin sausage of fondant and pressing flat one edge all the way along. Then roll together creating the rose shape.