Simple 21st Birthday Cake with Roses

Hey,

So, what made up the cake?

• Servings: around 18 but everyone is different!
• Flavour: Victoria Sponge (plain sponge filled with jam and buttercream)
• Size of cakes: top tier was 6 inches and bottom was 9 inches
• Layers per tier: Top tier was simple sandwich cake, bottom tier had 3 layers of cake
• Fondant: homemade marshmallow fondant - another blog post for that however!
• Details: Roses and "21" handmade out of sugarpaste and sugar pearl details

A while ago I realised it was two of my friend's birthdays within a few days of each other. Now anyone who knows me, knows I use any excuse to bake so what better one than this!

I wanted to do something different. Something challenging but also something that was simple and effective!

I searched for hours, getting inspirations, working out what I could make, and make well and after drawing out many ideas, I finally came up with mine!

A simple two tiered cake, 4 handmade, sugarpaste roses and a simple "21" on the top. Sweet and simple of course!

Instructions:

Sponges:

Using a basic plain sponge or Victoria sponge mix, make and bake the sponges.

I actually made these about 3 days earlier. Once they were cooled I wrapped them in three layers of cling film so they were covered tightly and put them in the freezer. Trust me. It may sound weird but it adds moisture into the sponge and they are so much nicer. Try it and see! They take around half an hour to defrost, depending on your room temperature. Simple and so effective!

Fondant:

I spent hours trawling trying to find what was best to cover the cake in. I myself, and my friends are not big fans of standard fondant so I searched for alternative. I then discovered marshmallow fondant. It is cheap, easy to make, so much better taste and the texture is nicer. 

 My only advice is to add in a small amount of glucose, lemon and salt as it balances out the sweetness of all the icing sugar you will need. 

Another blog post on this though will follow! 

I dyed the fondant with blue food gel right at the beginning and stored it in the fridge two days before using it.

Details:

I firstly made the rose flowers out of dyed sugarpaste that can be bought from any bake shop. 

The tip is to make a cone shape out of the paste and put a toothpick through the middle of it. Then gradually biuld and shape the roses around it until it's the desired shape and size. I made these the night before so they had time to firm up and dry out.

With the remainder I shaped a "21".

• On the day, the first thing I did was level of each cake top so they were completely flat. Then ensure the two layers of each tier are even.
• Starting with bottom tier, create a dam on the edge of the layer so as to stop the jam spilling out. Filled with jam and then top with buttercream. Ensure not jam can escape. Put the top layer on. 
• Then crumb coat the cake.
• Repeat this with the top tier but keep the tiers separate for now. 
• Leave the buttercream to firm up for about half an hour and add another layer of buttercream. Ensure this is as smooth as you can get it. Fondant will show up my bumps and lumps!
• Now, role out the fondant so it is a couple of mm thick. Place the cake on your serving board and add the fondant and smooth and cut off the edges.
• Insert straws (McDonalds ones are good!) into the cake, where you would like the top tier. Add around four or five. 
• Cover the top tier in fondant too and place it on top. I put mine to the side of the top tier for a different effect.
• Add the "21" on top as well as the small flower. I then used small edible pearl balls for detailing on the cake. 
• Finally, add ribbon or piped buttercream to the bottom of each tier to hide any slight nicks!

And there we have it. A very simple method that creates what I believe to be an effective cake. 

I will admit it took me a lot longer than I expected but it went down so well. All worth it!

I will explain different aspects of this, such as the fondant, crumb coating and rose making in future blogs so keep an eye out!

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