How to make an easy Peppa Pig Birthday Cake

Yesterday we hosted an early birthday party for Sasha (post to follow!), as her actual birthday is on Saturday when we are abroad on holiday. When asked what she would like for her birthday, the only thing that she wanted was “A Peppa Pig Birthday Cake please, Mummy!”, and who were we to deny that one request (and fuel the Peppa addiction)?!

I had a scout on Ebay for Peppa Pig cake toppers, and found this lady HERE, who made them to order. I was super-impressed with her as she was organised, they came on time, and were packaged appropriately, i.e. no broken Daddy Pigs here. She also makes the names too which is a nice tough and really personalises the cake. Once you find some good toppers, the rest of the cake is a relative breeze and it ends up looking pretty impressive, although my ready roll icing is a little, er ‘wonky’ the say the least. I’ve used it several times before for other cakes, but it really wasn’t working for me on Saturday night- I was cursing the fact it was sticking to the kitchen worktop despite the use of icing sugar to make it ‘non-stick’, and after battling with it for a while finally managed to complete the bloody thing at 10.30pm.

I used an 8 inch square cake tin, so the cake recipe is for this particular size. You really, really can’t cock up this simple sponge cake recipe, it is so easy!

You will need:

For the sponge cake:

• 340g Self-raising flour
• 280g caster suger
• 280g softened, unsalted butter
• 5 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons milk
• Pink food colouring (optional)

For the buttercream filling:

• 140g softened, unsalted butter
• 280g icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 150 C / Gas 2. Grease and line a 20cm (8 in) square or round tin and set aside.
2. Sieve flour into large mixing bowl, add all other ingredients and mix with electric mixer on slow speed until all ingredients are blended, then increase to fast speed and mix for another 2 or so minutes, when you have a smooth batter (it will be quite thick/stiff).
3. Scoop into already prepared tin, place in centre of oven and cook for about 1 hour 15 mins to 1 hour 30 mins; test with skewer if it comes out clean the cake is done.
4. Turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool.
5. Once cooled, cut in half horizontally using a sharp knife, in preparation for the buttercream and jam filling.
6. Beat together butter and icing sugar and milk until you have buttercream.
7. Spread some strawberry jam on one half of your cake, then the buttercream on the other bit of cake, and then sandwich together.
8. Your cake is now ready to be decorated!

For the decoration/icing, you will need:

• 3 packs of pink ready-roll icing
• 1 pack of green ready-roll icing
• Edible glue and small brush
• Icing sugar (for dusting onto a clean surface and rolling your icing out)
• Rolling pin
• Strawberry Jam and pastry brush
• Your Peppa Pig cake toppers of course!

Instructions:

1. Dust your kitchen work surface and rolling pin with icing sugar.
2. Need your 3 packs of pink icing together until soft, and then place on the icing sugar and roll out into a large square, turning every other ‘roll’ so it doesn’t stick the the worktop.
3. Using a pastry brush, spread a thin coating of strawberry jam all over the top of your cake, so your ready-roll icing has something to stick to.
4. Carefully (and you may need someone’s help with this), lift your pink icing onto the cake.
5. Gently pat down over the top and the sides, and then smooth off and lumps and bumps, especially around the corners, and then trim off an excess at the bottom with a knife.
6. Then roll out your green icing the same way as the pink, except this time, using a knife, cut the green icing into an oval shape. this will become your ‘grass’.
7. Spread some edible glue onto the top of your cake where the ‘grass’ will go, and then stick the green icing on.
8. Next, carefully do a ‘test run’ as to where your Peppa family will sit, Once you’ve decided on this, brush a little edible glue onto the base of each character, and then firmly stick into place.
9. Et, Voila! You have a really easy Peppa Pig Birthday cake!