As fast as Lightning....

So what cake would a four year old boy want?

Lightning McQueen of course...

So its been a while since I last blogged, infact nearly a year but birthday cakes are a reason to blog...
I went with an old faithful recipe from Nigella Lawson, Buttermilk Birthday Cake.


This cake is ideal for any birthday cake you want to make in a special mould as it holds its shape brilliantly, or if you need a firm cake which will hold its shaped.
But you don't have to wait for someone's birthday - it's a great recipe to cook with the kids at any time …
Recipe

Serves 10
250g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt

200ml buttermilk (or 75g yogurt mixed with 125ml semi-skinned milk)

125g softened butter, plus extra for greasing
200g caster sugar
3 large free-range eggs
icing sugar and ready-to-roll icing to decorate

(I used double this quantity as I wanted to be sure there was plenty of cake.)
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4. Grease and lined roasting tin.
Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate and salt together. Mix the buttermilk (or yogurt mixture).
Cream the butter and sugar together. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a little of the flour with the last one. Gradually add the rest of the flour with the buttermilk, one after the other, until thoroughly mixed.

Pour into the tin and bake for about 30 minutes or until well risen and pale golden brown. Loosen the sides of the cake with a round-bladed knife and turn out onto a wire rack to cool.


When cooled you can carve and decorate with ready to roll icing.



I bought pre-coloured red icing as I have never had any luck trying to make red (it always turns out pink!)

For the cake base I decided to do a checkered flag made from black and white icing squares.
It was then just a case of assembling the pieces of cake and covering with butter icing and read to roll icing.

Just add one very excited soon to be four-year old..