Here is a step by step tutorial of how to make a Mini Cooper car cake! These basic principles are easily transferrable to any car cake.

1. Bake two 8 x 10 cakes and stack them straight on top of one another. I’ve used a chocolate madeira cake based on the recipe here.
2. Cut a length off the side to make a better car width.
3. Round off the corners.
4. Carve the back of the cake in a slope for the boot.
5. Carve into the front of the cake and slope down from the top to create the bonnet.
6. Carve two indents into the bonnet to create the shape of the headlights.
7. Split your cake into however many layers you would like.
8. Fill your layers with your desired filling. I’ve used chocolate buttercream (recipe here)
9. Stack your cakes back onto each other and leave to set. Then cover your cake in a thin layer of buttercream/ganache in a ‘crumb coat’.
10. Roll out your icing to 5mm thick.
11. Cover your cake with your rolled out icing smoothing it down with your hands as you go and lifting out any pleats and folds. Use smoothers to get a great finish.
12. Add on your details with a little edible glue.

Step back and admire your awesomeness!

Give it a go and as always let me know how you get on via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Happy baking (& decorating!)

Britt xo

If you want to turn your baking hobby into a career, check out my book Cakes, Bakes & Business for everything you need to know about running a successful baking business, including pricing, marketing, insurance and much more!

The post How To Make A Car Cake (Mini Cooper) appeared first on She Who Bakes.

White, black and orange modelling paste.

Edible glue and paintbrush.

Heart and small circle cutter.

1. For the body, roll a small ball of white modelling paste and shape into a sausage with flat ends. .
2. Roll out some black modelling paste and cut out a small heart shape. Cut this in half and also cut the pointed end off. Glue these on to the body to create wings.
3. Roll a small ball of black modelling paste for the head and fix onto the top of the body with edible glue.
4. Roll a small ball of orange modelling paste and shape into a cone for the beak. Use a scalpel to cut ¾ of the way into the cone to open up the beak. Fix on with edible glue. Roll out your orange modelling paste and cut out a small circle, cut the circle in half using your scalpel, these will be the feet. Mark out three lines on each for toes. Glue these to the bottom of your penguin.
5. For the eyes, roll out white modelling paste and cut out small circles, do the same with the black modelling paste but use smaller circles. Glue these on to the head of your penguin.

Give it a go and make sure to let me know on Facebook or Twitter how you get on!

Happy baking,

Britt xo

The post Penguin Tutorial appeared first on She Who Bakes.

1. You will need modelling paste, three dowels, a rolling pin and a cornflour dusted surface.
2. Roll out a strip of your modelling paste to the thickness of about 3mm.
3. Space your dowels evenly on your surface.
4. Lay your modelling paste over the top and gently press down onto the dowels, making sure you can clearly see them through the paste.
5. Pull your dowels out carefully.
6. Pinch together the modelling paste to create pleats. 
7. Cut off both ends and affix to your cake with edible glue.

Hope it helps and make sure to let me know on Facebook or Twitter how you get on!

Britt xo

The post How to make edible drapes appeared first on She Who Bakes.

Hello muffins!

Right, it’s been grey and drizzly outside today in Kent so I thought, what better way of brightening up the day than making a rainbow rose! And, because you lot always brighten my day, I thought I’d share the tutorial with you all.

1. You will need; a small and large rose petal cutter, ball tool, paintbrush, edible glue, foam pad, rolling pin, working board. (Or dusted surface)
2. You will also need flowerpaste. I’ve gone with the colours of the rainbow by Beau Products Ltd. (N.B The pink I’ve used it in the wrong pot, it’s clearly not poinsettia red. I was recycling!)
3. You first need your rose cone. Roll a small ball of whatever colour you will be using in the middle of your rose.
4. Shape this into a cone shape like so and leave to dry.
5. Cut out two small petals and transfer to your foam pad. Use your ball tool to frill the edges of your petal by pressing it down half on the petal, half on the pad and running it around the edge. This can take some practise, so don’t worry if you don’t get it on the first go.
6. Paint the back of the petal thinly with glue.
7. Wrap it around your ready made cone.
8. Repeat the frilling for the second petal and glue this slightly inside the wrap of the first petal.
9. Repeat with your next colour, so cut out and frill.
10. Glue these petals slightly inside the wrap of the previous petal.
11. Repeat for your third colour and when you get to the fourth colour, switch to the bigger petal cutter.
12. Keep going until you are happy with the size and shape of your rose.
13. Leave to dry then use as desired!

And there you have it, a rainbow rose! Perfect to brighten up any cake. Obviously, this tutorial works with single coloured roses too.

Give it a go and let me know how you get on as always either on Facebook or Twitter!

Happy baking (and decorating!)

Britt xo

The post Rainbow Rose Tutorial appeared first on She Who Bakes.

So, when the fabulous ones over at Cake Craft World told me about Sweet Lace Express, I was intrigued! We’ve all seen sugar lace now, it is well and truly a trend. And as it’s gained popularity, companies are trying to make it easier to use so you can have gorgeous effects. 

The way it’s described on their website is that ‘Sweet Lace Express is a brand new icing that allows you to make lace easily and quickly. It revolutionises the technique for making lace as the icing is a paste not a liquid that can be spread into the mould, released after 4 minutes and attached straight onto the cake. It also goes a very long way so the average cost of a piece of lace is under 15p.’

Of course, I HAD to try it!

Here I’ve got the Sweet Lace Express ‘Starter Kit’ and a pot of the Sweet Lace Express paste.

Inside the ‘Starter Kit’ you get;

Spatula – approx.25mm x 20mm
Lace mould pattern – approx.150mm x 36mm
Paste – 100g

According to the instructions, you have to knead the paste slightly before pressing it into the mould.

I did it on top of my non slip mat which really helped. The instructions said; ‘Using the spatula, spread the icing across the mould pressing the paste down firmly to fill every crevice. If all the crevices of the mould are not perfectly filled you can press the spatula over once again or carefully over one area of the mould. This technique takes a little practice and if you are not happy straight away with the result, simply take the icing out, re-kneed and try again.’

You need to leave the paste in the mould for about 4 minutes, after which time, you can bend it and use the spatula to release the paste from the mould. The paste will stay flexible and workable for about 10 minutes afterwards.

I must admit, I’m very impressed. Whenever I’ve seen sugar lace on cakes I’ve been in awe. What we have here is a cost effective, simple way to make impressive lace decorations. 

I cut the lace in half and used it to border the top and bottom of this sweet pink cake.

But borders like that are just the START of what you can do with this stuff! It’s fab. I highly recommend it. 

You can buy the starter kit, paste and other mould designs here.

Give it a go, and let me know how you get on either on Facebook or Twitter.

Happy decorating!

Britt xo

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