Baking

A superstar at five

Make your child's birthday special with this amazing butter cake covered in yellow buttercream and blue stars.
number cakes decorating ideas
18
45M

Ingredients

Method

1.Knead ready-made icing on a surface dusted with a little sifted icing sugar until icing loses its stickiness; divide icing in half. Tint one portion blue; tint the other portion a darker blue. Roll out each colour, one at a time, until 5mm (¼-inch) thick. Using a 3cm (1¼-inch) five-pointed star cutter and a 5cm (2-inch) six-pointed star cutter, cut out star shapes from both icings.
2.Using the picture as a guide; bend the florists’ wire. Wet one end of each length of wire; push the damp ends into some of the smaller stars. Place stars on a baking-paper-lined tray; stand overnight to dry.
3.Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Grease the number 5 cake pan; line base with baking paper.
4.Make cakes according to directions on packets; pour mixture into pan. Bake about 45 minutes. Stand cake in the pan for 5 minutes before turning, top-side up, onto a wire rack to cool.
5.Meanwhile, to make buttercream, beat butter in a small bowl with an electric mixer until as white as possible. Gradually beat in half the sifted icing sugar, milk then remaining icing sugar. Tint the buttercream yellow.
6.Using a serrated knife, level cake top; secure cake to cake board with a little buttercream. Spread buttercream all over cake.
7.Using the picture as a guide, position stars on cake.

Use gluten-free packet cake mix for this recipe, if you like. Just make sure the ingredients for the butter cream and the decorations are also gluten-free. Cake can be made and decorated a day ahead. Number 5 cake pans can be hired from cake decorating suppliers. You need eight 10cm (4-inch) lengths of florists’ wire, small and large star-shaped cutters, a 20cm x 34cm (8-inch x 13½-inch) number 5 cake pan and a 25cm x 40cm (10-inch x 16-inch) rectangular cake board. You need to make the decorations the day before.

Note

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