Kid's Birthday Octopus Cake

By JoBellette

Ingredients

• 2 x 340g packets golden buttercake mix
• 2 x 165g packets jam rollettes
• 2 quantities Buttercream icing (see below)
• Blue food colouring
• 10 x 6g packets Candy Rolls or Fizzers
• 2 large round peppermints
• 5 cm piece liquorice twist
• 4 cm piece liquorice strap
• Buttercream icing
• 125 g butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups icing sugar mixture
• 1 tablespoon milk

Details

Servings 12
Preparation time 120mins
Cooking time 180mins

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Lightly grease an 8 cup-capacity metal pudding steamer.

Prepare packet cakes following packet directions, or homemade cakes (see related recipe). Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour or until cooked through. Stand cake in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Using a serrated knife, level top of cake if necessary. Place cake, cut-side down, on board to form the body. Using the picture as a guide, position rollettes around base of cake to form tentacles. Secure with toothpicks.

Make icing: Using an electric mixer, beat butter in a bowl until pale. Gradually add icing sugar mixture and milk, beating constantly until combined.

Tint icing blue. Spread over top and sides of cake and rollettes, adding extra icing to cake top. Dab with a palette knife to create texture. Position Candy Rolls or Fizzers on tentacles to form suckers. Cut two 5mm pieces from licorice twist. Using a little icing, attach 1 piece licorice twist to each mint. Position mints on body to form eyes.

Cut licorice strap into a 2mm wide, 4cm long piece. Position licorice strap under eyes to form mouth. Serve.