Pup cake

Hello Pups

It’s been one heck of a week. One of my many tasks was to create a Labrador cake for a friend’s 8^th birthday (she’s a leap year baby). I enjoyed this project (especially because this is the year I embrace cakes!) and it was relatively simple to do. Here’s a DIY tutorial for making your own pup cake.

 

1. Bake your cake. It’s a sin, I know, but I used cake mix. Sometimes a girl just can’t be bothered. Thank you, Betty Crocker. 

2. Cut it in half.Put something nice in the centre. I used Betty’s chocolate frosting. Jam is nice, too. 

3. Cover the whole thing in buttercream icing. This allows the fondant to stick to your cake.

 

5. Take your fondant and roll it out. Use icing sugar to avoid stickiness.

6. Use your rolling pin to lift the fondant and cover your cake. 

7. Smooth it down with your hands, being careful not to tear it. Use a knife to tidy the edges. 

8. Voila! A perfect canvas. 

9. This is Sam the Labrador. I used chocolate fondant to make him. Really it’s just one large elongated rounded body, a smaller head, some sausages for his legs and tail all stuck together with sugar glue. To make up some sugar glue take 2 parts caster sugar, 1 part water and nuke it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Let it cool before applying then brush your surface lightly and stick it all together. 

10. Roll up some fondant balls to stick around the edge of your cake. This hides any messiness and finishes it off. I also added a bone in the front made from fondant and some paw prints made from royal icing. 

And here he is. Little cake-dog with his bowl of kibble. I used the fondant bone as writing space to personalise the cake.

I advised my friend to keep this out of the sun, in a cool dark place. She suggested the fridge and the last 3 hours of hard work flashed before my eyes. Do not commit cake crime – fondant and royal icing do not fare well in the fridge. Just be kind and put it in an airtight container. That is all. It should last for a good 4-5 days (that is if it's not consumed by then). 

Happy baking, lovelies!

x