I had a request for a lion cake, ordinarily I would be thinking of simba in my head or a great golden lion with a large mane. However, following the style of cakes that I love to make the most I also could picture a white lion with a mane of flowers.
The customer also liked the white lion idea so I was able to set about creating this adorable lion cake.
He was baked as a single deep 5 inch cake and layered with buttercream. I covered the cake with a thin layer of buttercream and then with fondant icing.
The legs and features are hand modelled from fondant icing and placed onto the cake before the buttercream flowers are piped. All except the ears that is, the ears are added last of all.
The colours of the buttercream were chosen to be colourful but also in keeping with a lion, so I started with the golden yellow and went from there.
Why a rat?! I made this cake for my husband and I’s wedding anniversary. 10 years before this cake was created we lived in a little rented house in Slough, our housemates were our pet rats and later our chinchillas.
On top of our wedding cake sat a pair of crystal rats and so for our anniversary I thought a rat cake would be a reminder of those times.
The piped flowers shapes and colours are based on the real flowers in my bouquet.
So there you have the thinking behind this little Ratty cake.
I hope this guide helps you to create your own cute rat cake for whatever special occasion he/she is need for!
You will need:
5 inch round cake
10 inch cake board
Buttercream (approx 250g butter and 500g icing sugar)
White fondant
Pink fondant
Black fondant or edible black balls for eyes
Florist wire or fine dry noodles for whiskers
Some basic sugarcraft tools including a small circle cutter, cutting tool or knife and smoother.
To decorate the cake board:
1. This is usually my first step, I cover the cake drum in a layer of white fondant.
2. I use Sweet Stamps to emboss a name or message.
3. I handpaint the imprint with edible paint.
To decorate the cake:
1. Cut the cake into 3 or 4 layers and fill with buttercream or filling of your choice.
2. Cover in a thin crumb coat of buttercream.
3. Roll out some white icing to approx 3mm thick and cut a tummy shape. Gently push this onto the front of the cake.
4. Cut 2 small circle ears from the pink fontant. Make 2 little sausages for the arms and thin it a little on the wrists. Make little finger marks with a cutting tool or knife.
5. To make the mouth take a grape shape with white fondant and push a dent across the middle. Pop a smaller ball of pink fondant onto this as a nose. Cute 6 equal ish lengths of florist wire and push 3 slightly into each side of the mouth (NB the nose will not be edible if using wire, noodles are a possible food safe alternative).
6. To make the arms and feet, roll your fondant into sausages first. Use the cake to judge the size you need. Use a knife to mark the fingers and toes.
7. For the tail roll pink fondant into a long thin sausage with one end thinning into a tip.
8. Use your black fondant to make two equal pea sized balls for eyes or use large black sprinkles.
9. Set aside all your fondant details to allow to hardern.
Time to use your buttercream!
1. Select the colours you’d like the flowers to be. Colour up the buttercream into seperate bowls.
2. Select the piping tips and fill your bags with buttercream.
3. Start piping the largest flower first. I used a closed star to create the ‘rose’ swirls.
4. Add the medium flowers next, I piped squiggles!
5. Fill the gaps with your smaller drop flowers making sure not to go right over the fondant tummy area.
6. Whilst the buttercream is still soft add the nose, eyes, arms, feet and tail. They should stick to the buttercream, you may need a bit of edible glue to attach the arms over the fondant tummy.
If you’d like to add a heart plaque I just used a small heart cutter and imbossed with a mini message embosser.
And there you have it! Possibly the most adorable rat cake ever (well at least I think so).
I hope this tutorial has been helpful for you. Don’t forget you can follow my latest creations over on my Facebook and Instagram pages.
Get to grips with your Russian piping tips and create beautiful cakes and cupcakes in no time at all.
Once I got the hang of using my Russian piping tips there was no going back. They allowed me to create some of my most famous cake designs back when I had only been making cakes for 6 months. However, my buttercream flowers are by no means perfect but I don’t think that really matters, after all real flowers aren’t all perfect but still look beautiful!
Here I share what I have learnt to be able to make the most of the tips.
1. Use strong piping bags
2. Use a buttercream that is 1:2 ratio of unsalted butter and icing sugar. I. E. 250g butter and 500g icing sugar
3. Have your butter at room temperature.
4. To pipe. Get your tip very close to the cake. It will be easiest to pipe onto freshly coated buttercream but not essential. Squeeze the flower out whilst slowing moving the tip away, then stop squeezing and pull away.
5. To give a two tone effect start by filling the inside sides of the piping bag with a thin layer of buttercream. Then spoon in a darker or lighter colour buttercream into the middle of the same piping bag.
7. Add simple small drop flower tip to fill in the gaps. My first choice in colour for these small flowers is usually white.
6. Add leaves. Choose a fine leaf tip for the most delicate flowers. These are perfect for filling those gaps between the flowers and add a realistic touch.
Troubleshooting
Too mushy flowers /undefined –
The buttercream is too warm. Put the bag in the fridge for 5 mins and try again. If your hands are warm you might have to repeat this often.
Too hard to pipe
Most likely the buttercream is too cold. In the winter I often end up adding a teaspoon or two of cooled boiled water. Alternatively 4 seconds in the microwave (in a suitable container!) and a good stir, may soften it enough.
Flowers won’t stick on the cake
Try a thin layer of buttercream on the cake just before you start piping to help the buttercream stick.
Piping bag leaked
Either the buttercream is too firm/cold or the piping bags just aren’t going to be strong enough. Try softening the buttercream or you may need to get some stronger bags.
Longdrooping petals
Try making the flowers shorter by releasing the pressure sooner.
I hope this guide helps you have fun creating beautiful cakes. Please see my other guides for cake decorating including the original Flower Hedgehog cake and cupcakes.
To decorate these gorgeous horse cupcakes you will need:
6 chocolate cupcakes Chocolate Buttercream Small amount of vanilla buttercream Sugarpaste Brown food colouring Tylose powder (to firm the sugarpaste – not essential) Two round cutters or rose cutters Edible glue Piping bags Star piping tip
1. Start by making the horses ears as the longer you let these dry the firmer they will be. If you can leave them overnight that would be ideal.
Using the larger cutter cut 12 dark brown circles. Use the smaller cutter to cut 12 light brown circles. Stick the smaller circle onto the larger and carefully fold length ways. Pinch the top slightly and squeeze together the base of the ear.
Here is a video of how I use 2 rose cutters to easily create the ears. For the horse ears I used brown and light brown sugarpaste with tylo to help firm them.
Learn how to bake your own cake pizza by following this easy guide. The flavour and decoration is up to you! Here I have decorated with a buttercream flowers including using nifty nozzles (russian piping tips). The cake pizza idea is by @cakes.n.sprinkles on Instagram.
Equipment:
10 hole silicon cake pizza mould 1 cupcake case Cake release spray (ideally) Piping tips and bags 11 inch or larger cake board
Buttercream: *you may need more depending on your design
250g unsalted butter 500g icing sugar 1 – 2 tsp of milk or cooled boiled water
(for chocolate buttercream add 20g cocoa powder)
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 140°C (fan oven). 2. Mix the butter and sugar. 3. Add eggs and vanilla. 4. Add flour and mix well. 5. Add the milk and mix until all combined and smooth.
6. Grease the cake mould, I use cake release spray but you could use butter to grease.
7. Fill a piping bag with the cake batter and cut the end off the bag. This will allow you to fill the sections of the mould much easier then with a spoon. Try to fill evenly.
8. Don’t forget to half fill the cupcake case.
9. Bake the cupcake for approx 30 minutes and the cake pizza slices for approx 50 – 60 minutes. All ovens vary so keep an eye on the cakes. You want them to bounce back when pressed on top and a skewer to come out clean when poked into the cake.
10. Allow the cakes to completely cool in the mould.
11. Using a knife carefully trim any excess from the tops of the cakes so that they are level with the cake mould.
12. Gently separate the cakes from the mould and push them out from the bottom.
13. Cut the individual cakes in half and pipe in the buttercream filling. Use a dab of buttercream to secure the cake to the board if needed. With the cupcake in the centre.
14. Add the buttercream or decorations as desired to the top of the cake. I used piped flowers and leaves.
This cake will be best eaten within 1-2 days of baking. Store at cool room temperature.
I hope you found this guide helpful. I will be making a chocolate overload version of the cake pizza soon. I’ll pop a pic on here once it’s finished.
How to make this cute sitting unicorn cake with a standard round cake tin and very little carving – if any!
This is a 4 layer 6 inch round cake. I cooked 2 6 inch cakes using a vanilla maderia sponge recipe. This cake was dairy free. You need a domed top but this could be a natural dome from the cake rising or you can trim a little off the top edges.
Equipment:
2 x 6 inch cakes
White fondant
Small amount of coloured fondants including pink and black
Rolling pin, cake smoothers, knife, ball tool
Cocktail sticks
Edible gold paint
Edible Pink dust
Edible glue
Piping tips (nifty nozzles for this design) and bags
Buttercream (250g butter, 500g icing sugar)
Method:
Fill the buttercream layers and coat the cake with a thin layer of buttercream. Then cover with white fondant.
The legs are fondant, roll 4 equal sausages of fondant and taper one end. Mark the hoof area’s with a modeling tool or knife. Attach with edible glue.
Make a thick circle for the muzzle and use a ball tool to intent the nostrils. Also mark on a smile and use the ball tool to mark where the eyes will go.
Roll 2 equal small black fondant balls for eyes. For eyelashes use a thin sausage of black fondant.
Use a petal cutter or freehand cut the ear shapes in white and then slightly smaller in pink, attach together. Pinch the bottom of the ear together slightly to give them shape.
The horn is two thin sausages of fondant twisted around a cocktail stick or wooden skewer. Paint the horn and hooves with edible gold.
Pipe the mane. For this unicorn cake I piped buttercream flowers using nifty nozzles but equally you could pipe swirls, drop flowers or stars, any combination. Using several different colours of buttercream together.
The tail is made from coloured fondant using an extruder. This could be achieved by hand rolling the fondant into long sections too.
Add a little pink colour dust to the nose and mouth.
And so there you have a cute sitting unicorn cake that does not require lots of carving or difficult piping but looks adorable.
This hamster cake possibly one of cutest cakes I’ve ever made!
The first week of January was time off from baking for me however I couldn’t keep myself completely away. So when my little boy suggested I made a hamster cake (including a wheel – no way I was attempting a hamster wheel!) I couldn’t say no.
I like to use both buttercream and fondant icing on my animal cakes so here’s how to make a cute Little Peach Cakery Hamster Cake.
You will need:
Sugarcraft tools – rolling pin, knife, cake smoother, small rose petal or circle cutters.
A 5 inch round cake, approx 5 inch tall and domed top.
10 inch cake board and ribbon
Piping tips – Wilton 6B, star and drop flower
Piping bags
Buttercream (250g butter and 500g icing sugar)
Sugarpaste – white, pink and black
Food colour – rose
Edible glaze (optional)
Method:
1. Bake your cake, let it cool. Cut into 3 or 4 even layers.
2. Fill layers with buttercream and cover cake in thin layer of buttercream.
3. Roll out enough fondant to cover the front of the cake.
4. For the cheeks, make a sausage long enough to reach horizontally across the front of the face area. Make a long dip across the middle of one side only.
5. Roll 2 little sausages of fondant, narrower at one end for the arms. Make 2 small pink balls for hands and mark lines on for fingers. Attach together with edible glue.
6. For the feet, use 2 equal sized balls of white fondant. Make 2 little pink feet and mark toes. Attach together with edible glue.
7. The nose is a small ball of pink fondant. Add a touch of edible glaze if desired.
8. Make the ears with small rose or circle cutters. Cut 2 white circles and 2 pink circles. Attach the pink ontop of the white to make 2 ears. Leave to hardern at room temp.
9. Make 2 equal pea sized balls from black fondant for eyes. Add edible glaze or a touch of white for a more realistic look. Do not attach to cake yet!
10. Colour the buttercream into 3 shades. Divide into 3 piping bags.
11. Start piping the largest tip first. Then go back and fill in the gaps with the smaller tips. Pip up to the cheeks on the face.
12. Add the ears into the buttercream.
13. Add the eyes onto the buttercream on the face.
14. I like to use Sweet Stamps letter’s to finish off the cake board. Painted with edible gold.
You’re finished, admire the cute little cake you have made!
Rice krispie treats for arms and legs (85g rice krispies, 110g melted marshmellow)
Sugarpaste
Method
Grease your mould or use cake release spray. Fill with cake batter and cook at 140C. It took 1hr 40 mins to cook in my oven.
Allow to cool then trim off excess. Turn out of mould.
Use buttercream to stick the halves together and crumb coat.
Make rice krispie treats and mould into arms and legs. Cover with buttercream.
Use a circle cutter to cut ears from 5mm thick rolled out sugarpaste. Cut in half moon shape. Stick a cocktail stick or dry spaghetti stick into ear so it can be fixed to cake. Allow some time to dry.
Colour your buttercream and put into bags. Start piping large tips first randomly but fairly evenly over cake. Then stset to fill areas with smaller buttercream flowers.
Add the ears and cover with buttercream.
Finally add the fondant nose and eyes.
I usually cover my cake boards in fondant and use sweet stamps acrylic letters to emboss and paint name.
Here I share tips to create a unique and impressive giant cupcake.
You’ll need a few things to follow this tutorial:
Silicon cupcake baking mould set
Selection of piping tips including size 1, drop flowers, 2D and leaf tip.
Piping bags
Buttercream
Cake batter (sponge cake approx 5 eggs worth)
Cake release spray
Spatula
Method:
Stage 1 make the chocolate case.
You’ll need approx 300g chocolate. I have found dark chocolate is the easiest to work with.
1. Melt the chocolate slowly.
2. Pour into the cupcake case and tilt the case to pour the chocolate on to the sides. Turn the case whilst tilted to cover all of the inside. You might need to gently shake it forward to reach the final areas.
3. Now put the case in the fridge for about 20mins.
4. To remove chocolate case, hold both sides of silicon mould firmly and pull directly down.
Stage 2 Mix the cake batter and bake.
1. Spray silicon tins with cake release.
2. Fill the cases to approx 3/4 with the cake batter. I bake at 140°C fan oven for about 1hr 30m.
3. Allow to cool completely.
Stage 3 cake into case
1. The sides of the cake will need a trim to allow it to fit into the chocolate case. I also cut the base cake into 2 layers and fill.
2. Cover the cake in buttercream.
3. Gently drop the cake into the chocolate case.
Stage 4 buttercream flowers
1. Using a petal tip pipe 4 or 5 petals onto a flower nail. Repeat 5 times and leave to set. Or refridgerate.
2. Fill a piping bag with blue and white buttercream and pipe drop flowers using 2D tip.
3. Use a rose colour buttercream and pipe swirls with 2D tip. Starting on the inside and swirl out. Maybe 3 or 4 of these around the cake.
4. Use smaller drop flowers to create bunches of flowers around the cake. Fill as much as possible.
5. Pipe leaves around the cake and flowers.
6. Add the first piped flowers that are now cool and set. Carefully stick them to the cake with buttercream. Using a 1 tip add stamen to the flowers.
Try different colour combinations to match your theme.
Little Peach Cakery 