Name: Bat cave
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 165 min
Total time: 175 min
Ingredients: 5 x 340g packets chocolate cake mix; 1/4 cup (25g) cocoa powder; brown food colouring; 3 (quantities) buttercream; 30 centimetre x 40cm prepared board; 1 cup (160g) icing sugar; 1 tablespoon water; black food colouring; 2 tablespoon shredded coconut; green food colouring; 3 bamboo skewers; 2 toothpicks; fruit bat jellies; spearmint leaves; green jelly snakes; yellow jelly snake; red jelly snake; red and yellow boiled lollies; 50 gram toblerone chocolate bar; 80 gram milk chocolate sultanas

Ingredients

5 x 340g packets chocolate cake mix

1/4 cup (25g) cocoa powder

brown food colouring

3 (quantities) buttercream

30 centimetre x 40cm prepared board

1 cup (160g) icing sugar

1 tablespoon water

black food colouring

2 tablespoon shredded coconut

green food colouring

3 bamboo skewers

2 toothpicks

fruit bat jellies

spearmint leaves

green jelly snakes

yellow jelly snake

red jelly snake

red and yellow boiled lollies

50 gram toblerone chocolate bar

80 gram milk chocolate sultanas

Method

1.Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Grease and line deep 23cm-square cake pan and 20cm x 30cm lamington pan; grease 1.75-litre (7-cup) pudding steamer.

2.Make two of the packet cakes according to directions on packets; pour into square cake pan. Make remaining packet cakes; pour 4½ cups of mixture into pudding steamer, pour remaining mixture into lamington pan. Bake square cake about 1¼ hours; bake cake in steamer about 50 minutes and cake in lamington pan about 40 minutes. Stand cakes 10 minutes before turning onto wire racks to cool.

3.Using serrated knife, level tops of all cakes.

4.Using paper patterns provided, cut wall from square cake and cut base from rectangular cake. Carve out mouth of cave from pudding cake.

5.To make black glaze icing, sift icing sugar into small heatproof bowl; stir in the water and colouring. Stir over small saucepan of simmering water until icing is spreadable.

6.Cut away some of the front of the cake to form cave mouth; pour black glace icing inside to coat cave mouth. Turn cake to evenly coat inside of cave. Stand until set.

7.Beat sifted cocoa and brown colouring into buttercream. Place base, cut-side down, on prepared board; spread with buttercream. Spread buttercream all over wall cake; stand wall behind base so that the wall is positioned to one end of the base.

8.Slice back of pudding cake (cave) so it will fit flat against the wall. Spread buttercream all over outside of cave; position on top of base, against the wall. Smooth buttercream to cover any joins.

9.Combine coconut with green colouring in small plastic bag, rub together until coconut is coloured; sprinkle over cake where you are going to place the vines. Position green snakes and leaves to resemble vines.

10.Dab a drop of brown colouring onto absorbent paper, wipe along length of bamboo skewers and toothpicks to colour.

11.Push skewers and toothpicks into bat lollies. Using small paintbrush, paint front of bat lollies with black food colouring; position in and around cave to suggest flying bats.

12.Using picture as a guide, decorate cake with remaining lollies to complete bat cave.

The cave is made up of three cakes, so while it may look fiddly and complicated, it isn’t. The kids’ll think you used magic to make it. Cooked cakes can be frozen for up to one month. Thaw at room temperature for about six hours. Cake can be iced and decorated one day ahead (except for the bats); keep, covered, in refrigerator if the weather is hot. Position flying bats about three hours ahead.
Note

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