Ingredients
Butter cream
Decorations
Method
1.Preheat oven to 150°C/300°F. Grease and flour 26cm x 35cm (10½-inch x 14-inch) baking dish.
2.Make cake according to directions on packet. Spread mixture into dish; bake about 50 minutes. Stand cake in dish 10 minutes; turn, top-side up, onto wire rack to cool.
3.Level top of cake; turn cake cut-side down. Using picture as a guide, cut number six from cake. Cut through the number six, trim and shape the cake to make the snake’s head.
4.To make butter cream, beat butter until white as possible, gradually beat in half the sifted icing sugar then milk, then remaining icing sugar. Beat until smooth.
5.Position cake, cut-side down, on 30cm x 40cm (12-inch x 16-inch) rectangular prepared cake board; secure with a little butter cream.
6.Tint three-quarters of the butter cream purple; spread all over cake, leaving the snake’s head plain. Tint remaining butter cream dark purple; spread over snake’s head.
7.Knead icing on surface dusted with sifted icing sugar until icing loses its stickiness; tint yellow. Divide icing into five portions; roll each portion into a 5mm rope. Using picture as a guide, position ropes across snake’s body, trim ends.
8.Using picture as a guide, position marshmallows, cut-side up, for eyes; top each with a yellow Smartie. Position remaining Smarties across snake’s body to represent bands.
9.Cut a small triangle from one end of licorice, position for snake’s tongue.
White icing is also known as fondant (it’s the traditional icing used on wedding cakes). It is available in packets from the supermarket and cake decorating shops.
Note
