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.
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!
Little Peach Cakery 