Penguin Cake

My Step Dad loves Penguins!  He loves them so much, and has so many Penguins around the house, that my mum has banned any other Penguin from entering the house! This weekend, it was his 60th Birthday.  It therefore seemed only appropriate that he should get a Penguin Birthday Cake (thus breaking my mum’s ban……temporarily).

I thought I would share how I made it.

Penguin Chocolate Cake Instructions:

1.Cook 7 Chocolate Cakes, using the recipe here.  5 in 9″ tins, 1 in a 7″ tin, and 1 in a 8″ tin.  I used 3 times the recipe amounts.

2. Allow the cakes to cool completely.  Cut the tops off the cakes, to make the top even.  Layer the cakes, one on top of the other, with Butter Icing between the layers.  Start with the largest, and work your way to the smallest cake on top.

3. On the top of the cakes, use the cake tops that you have cut off, to mould a head shape.

4. Cover the whole cake with more Butter Icing, and leave to cool.  If you are lucky enough to have a fridge big enough to hold the cake, then I would suggest putting it into the fridge.  At this point, also put 4 cake dowels into the cake to support it.

5. Next roll out the black fondant icing (in total I used about 1.25Kg of bought Black Icing).  Roll the icing to about 4mm thick – you want it thin, but not too thin.  Cover the areaa where the black icing is to go, with warm water, and cover the back half of the cake with the rolled out black icing.  Cut out the shape of where you want the white icing to go. Then roll out the yellow icing, and create the feet. Using some of the butter icing, stick the feet to the cake board.

6. Create the beak, by first adding Tylo Powder to the yellow icing to make Moulding Icing (use 1tsp for every 250g of fondant icing).   Roll the yellow icing into a ball, and fold in half, scoop out the center, and mould it into a beak shape.  Stick some toothpicks into the beak, and leave to set.

7. Roll out white Fondant Icing. Brush some warm water around the edges of the black icing, where the white and the black icing will meet.  Cover the area with the white icing.

8. Create the wings, by rolling out the black fondant icing, and cutting out wing shapes.  Lightly score the underside of the wings with criss-crosses, and also do this where the wings are to go.  Brush the criss-crossed areas with warm water, and stick the wings to the body.

9. Create the eyes, by using a small circle template to cut out some black and white icing. Stick them on using the same method as the wings.

10. Leave the cake to dry.  Et Voila!  Mr Penguin!