How to Make Confetti Cake Recipe

Confetti Cake
SERVES 20
PREP 1 hour 45 minutes
COOK 2 hours + cooling
COST $1.80 a serve

Ingredients:

• 250g butter, at room temperature
• 3 cups icing sugar, sifted, plus extra, to dust
• 2 tablespoons milk, at room temperature
• 1 quantity (2 cakes) Basic Chocolate Cakes
• 1kg bought white fondant icing
• 190g packet 100’s & 1000’s
• 45g packet polka-dot sprinkles

Directions:

1. Using an electric mixer, beat butter in a bowl until as white as possible. Gradually add half the icing sugar. Gradually add milk, then remaining icing sugar, beating until the buttercream is smooth and spreadable.
2. Place the 20cm cake on a cake board or serving platter. Thinly spread top and sides with half the buttercream. Lightly dust a work surface with extra icing sugar. Roll out fondant onto prepared surface to about 3mm thick or large enough to cover the cake. Carefully lift fondant onto cake; rub top and side with hands to smooth and mould to cake (step A). Using a small, sharp knife, trim any excess icing at base of cake (step B). Spread the 15cm cake with remaining buttercream, then roll out remaining fondant and mould to cake. Place on top of the 20cm cake.
3. Decorate top of cake with a cocktail glass filled with 100’s & 1000’s and some sprinkles. Attach remaining sprinkles to one side of cake.

Triple Chocolate Curl Cake Recipe

Triple Chocolate Curl Cake
SERVES 20
PREP 1 hour 30 minutes + 30 minutes to chill
COOK 2 hours + cooling
COST $2.15 a serve
+ TOP TIP Use a vegetable peeler to shave chocolate into large pieces.

Ingredients:

• 100g butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup icing sugar, sifted, plus extra, to dust
• 1 tablespoon milk, at room temperature
• 1½ cups cream
• 600g dark eating chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 quantity (2 cakes) Basic Chocolate Cakes
• 180g white cooking chocolate
• 180g milk eating chocolate, shaved

Directions:

1. Using an electric mixer, beat butter in a medium bowl until as white as possible. Gradually beat in half the icing sugar. Gradually add milk, then remaining icing sugar, beating until buttercream is smooth and spreadable.
2. Bring cream to the boil in a saucepan over high heat; remove from heat. Add dark chocolate; stir until melted and smooth. Cool mixture to room temperature. Chill, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes or until thick.
3. Place 20cm cake on a cake board or serving platter. Spread top and sides with buttercream. Allow to set. Spread top and sides with two-thirds of the chocolate ganache. Place the 15cm cake on top; spread with remaining ganache to cover.
4. Place a large piece of baking paper on a flat work surface. Place the white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on High (100%) in 30-second bursts, stirring between bursts, until melted and smooth. Spread melted white chocolate over prepared paper. Allow to set. Using an ice-cream scoop, drag scoop over surface of chocolate to form curls (step A).
5. Decorate top of cake with white chocolate curls. Sprinkle shaved milk chocolate over bottom cake.

Pretty Parasol Cake Recipe

Pretty Parasol Cake
SERVES 20
PREP 1 hour 15 minutes
COOK 2 hours + cooling
+ FLOWERS Decorate with flowers that haven’t been sprayed with pesticide. It’s always best to buy them from a florist and tell the florist they’ll be used on a cake.

Ingredients:

• 500g butter, at room temperature
• 6 cups icing sugar, sifted
• ⅓ cup milk, at room temperature
• 1 quantity (2 cakes) Basic Chocolate Cakes
• Chrysanthemums, wired, to decorate
• Cocktail umbrellas, to decorate

Directions:

1. Using an electric mixer, beat butter in a large bowl until as white as possible. Gradually beat in half the icing sugar. Gradually add milk, then remaining sugar, beating until the buttercream is smooth and spreadable.
2. Place the 20cm cake on a cake board or serving platter; top with a quarter of the buttercream. Top with the 15cm cake. Spread with remaining buttercream, spreading it over top and sides of cake to cover (it will be thin and slightly transparent).
3. Decorate cake with flowers and umbrellas.

Basic Chocolate Cakes Recipe

Basic Chocolate Cakes
SERVES 20 (Makes 2)
PREP 1 hour
COOK 2 hours + cooling

Ingredients:

• 250g butter, at room temperature, plus 250g extra
• 1⅓ cups firmly packed brown sugar, plus 1⅓ cups extra
• 4 eggs, at room temperature, plus 4 extra
• 2½ cups self-raising flour, plus 2½ cups extra
• ⅓ cup almond meal (ground almonds), plus ⅓ cup extra
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted, plus 2 tablespoons extra
• 1 cup milk, plus 1 cup extra

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC/160ºC fan-forced. For each cake, grease and line base and sides of a 20cm (base measurement) deep square cake pan with baking paper. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one by one, beating lightly after each addition.
2. Stir in flour, almond meal, cocoa powder and milk until smooth. Spoon into prepared pan; level surface. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted at centre comes out clean. Cool cake in pan for 5 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
3. Repeat to make a second cake using the extra butter, extra sugar, extra eggs, extra flour, extra almond meal, extra cocoa powder and the extra milk.
4. Using a serrated knife, trim tops of cakes to sit level. Trim edges of one of the cakes to form a 15cm square.