Cute Hamster Cake Tutorial

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!

Advertisement

Cookies with chocolate chunks

These cookies are soft in the middle, just how cookies should be. They are one of my first baking successes and a recipe I have made time and again for the past 5 years.

Perfect if you have little time to prepare, for impromptu get togethers and baking with the kids. Or like I find, an ideal sweet treat when I have no desire to go to the shops!

You will need a bowl, spoon, scales and a tray or two lined with greaseproof paper.

Ingredients:

125g stork or butter

175g caster sugar

50g soft brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 egg

225g self raising flour

60 – 150g dark and white chocolate chunks (amount/type is your choice)

Method:

Set the oven to 180°C (fan)

1. Mix the stork/butter, caster sugar and brown sugar together.

2. Add the egg and vanilla and mix.

3. Add the flour and mix with a spoon until a dough has formed.

4. Stir in the chocolate chunks.

5. Make into 12 equal (ish) sized balls.

6. Cook for about 10mins. You’ll want the cookies to have a bit of a golden colour on the edges but still be soft in the middle. They get firmer as they cool.

Best eaten warm and delicious with ice cream. Will keep for a few days covered up.

Simple and delicious chocolate cookies recipe

This recipe creates the most delicious, soft in the middle chocolate cookies. I have tweaked the recipe over many years and it’s my ‘go to’ recipe for a satisfying treat.

Very quick to make and cook, these cookies can be ready to eat in 20 minutes. They are best eaten still warm (although they keep beautifully for a couple of days).

Here’s what you need to make 12 cookies.

Ingredients:

210g self raising flour

225g caster sugar

15g cocoa powder

125g stork or butter

1 egg

1/4tsp vanilla

60g -150g of chocolate chunks

Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan). Pop some greaseproof paper on 2 baking trays.

1. Mix the sugar and butter together with a spoon.

2. Stir in the egg and vanilla until completely combined.

3. Add the flour and cocoa powder and stir until a dough forms.

4. Add the chocolate chunks and stir again. (The amount is up to you! I use 60g as my family like less chunks. If you like lots of choc chunks add more like 150g.)

5. Make 12 equal(ish) sized balls and put onto the trays. Give them space as they will spread when cooking.

6. Cook for approx 10mins.

7. Take out the oven and allow to cool for a few mins and firm up a little. Best eaten warm! But delicious for a few days.

If you give the cookies a try please let me know what you think.

I have several variations on this recipe for different flavoured cookies which I will share soon.