D is for DIY Birthday Cakes

I was inspired by Jean Van't Hul over at The Artful Parent blog for this cooking activity. Bear has been pestering me over the past few weeks to make a train cake.  I am not sure where she got the idea from but Bear has certainly been persistent in her requests.

Bear loved her finished train cake

With their birthdays coming up this month it was a great opportunity to not only make a train cake but also let Bear and Bee have total control over a cooking project.

This is what we did to make an easy train birthday cake.  But you could easily adapt this idea to lots of themes. How about a square sponge cake and some mini waffle ice cream cones to make a castle cake? Or blue jelly and crushed plain biscuits for a beach cake? We used store bought cakes and decorations because of limited time but you could easily make your own plain butter cake as the base.

Ingredients
1 plain butter cake
1 packet assorted rollettes
Icing mixture
Food colouring
Assorted sprinkles and lollies for decorating such as smarties, freckles and musk sticks

Directions

Bee mixing her icing

1. Make icing using icing mixture, a few drops of food colouring and a small amount of warm water. Or use your favourite recipe for icing.

2. Cut the cake into 2 different sized rectangles to create a train engine shape.

Bear icing the train engine

Bee adding decorations

3. Ice the engine and add the decorations.
4. Arrange the musk sticks (or you could use liquorice straps) onto a large flat plate to form train tracks.
5. Place the train engine on top of the musk sticks.

Bear decided her cake needed candles.

6. Add the rollettes as carriages and decorate them with lollies using leftover icing as 'glue'.

Bee loved her cake.

7. Enjoy.

I really would encourage you to let your children have a go at making their own birthday cakes.  Bear and Bee were absolutely thrilled with the results and there wasn't as much mess as I thought there would be!