Bear Cake
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Ingredients:
- 225g butter
- 225g caster sugar
- 225g self raising flour
- 4 eggs
- 3 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 5 tbsp cocoa powder
- For the chocolate buttercream icing:
- 250g unsalted butter, at room temperature, chopped
- 3 cups sifted icing sugar
- 2-3 tbsp sifted cocoa powder
- 1-2 tbsp (or more) milk
- To decorate:
- 3 cups Coco Pops
- 2 Weetabix
- 3 M&M’s
- 2 white marshmallows
- few chocolate chips
Directions:
I made the chocolate sponge batter twice. First, a round cake for the face. Second, to make muffins for the ears and nose (makes 12 muffins – my kids happily ate the left overs).
For the bear’s face:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line a round 20cm/8inch tin.
2. Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer together till pale and creamy. Then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
3. Mix the flour, cocoa powder, milk and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth.
4. Spoon the cake mixture into the cake tin and muffin tin. Tap the bottom to remove any air bubbles. Bake the cake for 45-55 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave in the tin for 5 minutes and turn out on a wire rack to cool completely.
2. Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer together till pale and creamy. Then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
3. Mix the flour, cocoa powder, milk and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth.
4. Spoon the cake mixture into the cake tin and muffin tin. Tap the bottom to remove any air bubbles. Bake the cake for 45-55 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave in the tin for 5 minutes and turn out on a wire rack to cool completely.
For the ears and nose:
Grease a 12 hole muffin tin. Measure ingredients again and repeat the same process to make the cake batter as above. Spoon it in the muffin tin and bake for 20-25 minutes or until done. Place muffins on a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
For the buttercream:
Beat the butter in a large bowl until soft. Add half of the icing sugar and beat until smooth. Add the remaining icing sugar, cocoa powder and one tablespoon of the milk and beat until creamy. Add more milk if necessary to loosen the icing and make it spreadable.
Assemble:
1. Once the cake is cool, trim the top to make it flat. Spread the icing on top and sides.
2. Take two muffins. Cut them at an angle to make ears. Stick them on the head.
3. Place one muffin as nose. Spread icing on the top and side of ears and nose.
4. Gently press the coco pops on the iced cake. Leave the middle of the ears empty.
5. With a little icing, attach the marshmallows as eyes, M&M’s as eye balls and tongue, chocolate chips as the mouth and on the nose.
6. Crumble the Weetabix and spread on the serving board around the cake.
Recipe for the chocolate sponge adapted from: GoodFood 101 Cakes & Bakes.
Coco pops bear cake idea: taste.com.au