Sunday 25 May 2014

Tractor cake - Free Cakes for Kids Sheffield

It's my turn again to bake a cake for Free Cakes for Kids Sheffield. Well, we don't take it in turns, we volunteer for cakes we can do so volunteers don't have to volunteer for every cake. Unless they want to and can of course! More information about Free Cakes for Kids can be found in my xbox cake tutorial (http://mahhattersteaparty.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/xbox-themed-cake.html?m=1) and at www.freecakesforkidssheffield.com

I was asked to bake a chocolate cake for a little boy who's turning 2 who likes tractors and In The Night Garden. I plumped for tractors as I could then make a really chocolatey cake. 

Now I have to state here, that time was short and with my husband away this weekend I had my hands full with my two small children so I did cheat. Me, cheat? Oh my! Yes yes, I hate to admit it but Betty Crocker do an amazing fudge frosting so I plumped for that rather than making my own. Me bad! But it is lovely tasting. However, if I'd had more time I'd have used my devils cake topping.

I made a basic 8" chocolate sponge as follows (I always make my basic sponge in ounces):

8oz caster sugar
8oz margarine
6.5oz self raising flour
1.5oz cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
Splash of milk

Cream the butter and sugar together then add two eggs and half the dry ingredients and mix. Add the last two eggs and the rest of the dry ingredients with a splash of milk until you have a mixed batter. Spoon into 2 x 8" round cake tims and bake at 170 fan for 20 minutes. I cool mine in the tins 


Decoration:
I cut out the name and age in fondant and used the same colours to make a tractor. I didn't take any photos as I made it I'm afraid but I used a small rectangle of green fondant for a base then added a large block of fondant to make the body of the tractor and a smaller block to make the cab. Using small round cutters, I cut out 4 black tyres and 4 smaller circles for the wheels and using a rounding tool I attached them with water and made a small round inside each one. I used a small rectangle of grey fondant to make the grill and used an icing tool to make indents in the grill. 3 squares of white fondant made the windows. To make the funnel exhaust I used a small piece of spaghetti and stuck it into the tractor hood then moulded black fondant round it and used a balling tool to create and indent in the top.

Mine was rather rushed I'm afraid as it was tea time and both my children were simultaneously being fed, watching me and wanting to eat the fondant.


To assemble the cake:
One pot of Betty Crocker Fudge Frosting
(If you do want to make your own try this one http://mahhattersteaparty.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/hen-do-goodness.html?m=1)

Small quantity of green buttercream
19 double fingered kit kats

Place one cake on the cake board and fill with some of the fudge frosting. Place the second cake on top and cover the sides with more frosting. 


Cover half the top of the cake with more fudge frosting then cover the other half with green buttercream and drag a knife through it to make it look more "fieldy". 

Break the kit kat fingers in two and add round the outside of the cake. The frosting will keep them attached. 


Then add your name, age and tractor. 

You could always forget the green buttercream and make a digger cake in a muddy field instead. Or you could cover all the top in green buttercream.




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