Butterfly Birthday Cake

March 7th 2009
Decorating my daughters 1st birthday cake.
slab-birthday-cake.jpg
Here is a picture of the slab sponge cake and template. I decided to buy a cake so that I could concentrate on the decorating and other aspects of the party. I ordered this slab from my local supermarket.
The template I drew based on the cake size. We have a few people attending and naturally I wanted my daughters first cake to be grand.
butterfly-cake.jpg
I then cut the butterfly shapes out. I am using two, with jam in between. I found the cake crumbled if I sawed vertically along the template. It was best just to line the knife up to the template and do normal broad slices.
My father-in-law enjoyed cleaning up the bag of offcuts.
birthday-sponge-cake.jpg
This is the butterflies stacked together with jam between them.
butterfly-cake-iced.jpg
Now iced. This is butter icing. I did a layer covering the entire cake. Refrigerated until it set.
decorating-cake-outline.jpg
I then used licorice to mark out the different coloured sections. This would be covered by the frosting, but was a yummy combination with the icing on the day.
butterfly-cake-decorated.jpg
Finally, hundreds of florets placed with a piping bag. I started with the lightest coloured icing and incrementally darkened it for each section. I had to refrigerate the cake and icing bag a few times as the icing was melting in the bag.
It was a truly magic day. I have looked forward to doing this for such a long time.
March 8th 2009 10:06
WOW Sis, this is really really fantastic, and how helpful that you have made it a step by step thing so that other people can do it...(just not as good)
You are VERY CLEVER GIRL!!!!!
Do you rememeber Kyan's first birthday cake that I made it had blue icing and randomly placed smarties. Huge amounts of skill involved.
Love you
March 8th 2009 14:44
The finished product was so amazing and tasted as good as it looks. It's great to be able now to see each step as it took shape to be the awesome cake we saw on the day. Well done Lana!!!
Love you heaps
Mum xxx
March 16th 2009 20:56
dearest alanna, i so enjoyed being part of helping you with project in the end part, for our precious little girl.
NicoleNovember 30th 2009 14:15
Awesome cake, great proceedure out layed...I bet it was a great B'day:)
katieJanuary 3rd 2010 10:12
hi where did u get the butterfly template from i want that excact one i love it it looks great i am about to make a butterfly cake for my daughter and her friend and this is PERFECT
Comfortable HippyJanuary 3rd 2010 10:24
I drew it, based on the size of the cake I wanted.It was for my daughters first birthday so I wanted it big. Maybe just try a few sketches until your happy. Happy baking.
katieJanuary 4th 2010 03:13
is there any chance u can scan that template to ur computer and send it to my email so i can print it out and then enlarge it to size
Comfortable HippyJanuary 4th 2010 03:50
sorry katie, the template is long gone. Maybe do a search for butterfly in google images, print one of these. I used cereal box cardboard to draw it on.
katieJanuary 4th 2010 07:32
lol thats ok thanks anyway i have done a search cant find anything like urs i think im gunna have to attemp a sketch lol thanks the cake looks great i only hope mine turns out half as good and i'll b happy :)
Ms. MeiJanuary 28th 2010 21:45
Hi - this cake looks great! what did you end up using for the antenna?
Comfortable HippyJanuary 29th 2010 00:32
hi Ms Mei, these were just fluffy pipe cLeaners from Big W or woolies.
welsh MAzMarch 23rd 2010 08:18
Hi there- fab cake and where did you buy the cake slab from- thank you
Comfortable HippyMarch 23rd 2010 08:20
Hi welsh Maz,From the bakery at woolworths, we ordered it and went back and picked it up.
welsh MAzMarch 23rd 2010 22:14
HI thanks for that- just checked and didn't realise it was in Australia- I am in the Uk ! thanks anyway for a great idea
EmilyMarch 31st 2010 05:38
Great Cake!What would you say the approximate size of the cake was? Thank you.
Comfortable HippyMarch 31st 2010 07:31
Hi Emily,I think 40cm * 40cm * 20cm deep, there abouts. It was pretty chunky in the end. In some of the photos you can see a phone or a camera case that might give some perspective.Thanks for visiting.
May 5th 2010 20:28
Hi. It's also worth checking out some cake shops as I am renting a butterfly shaped cake tin for my daughter's cake for only a couple of £. Saves having to get hold of a template and cut carefully around the cake. Hope that this helps
Scott KortrightMay 14th 2010 07:27
Hey...thanks so much for posting this "how to" blog entry. The crumb layer (icing then refrigerating) was a critical step that I never would have thought of. I never baked or decorated a cake before, however, followed your process and it turned out amazing. I made a one layer sheet cake using my huge turkey roasting pan and three boxes of cake mix. Also, I bought a mechanical decorating tool from William Sonoma. I highly recommend the tool as it made decorating extremely easy. I think the cost was $28 for the tool and tips. You can see my finished cake at Scott's Butterfly Cake Thanks again! Scott
Comfortable HippyMay 14th 2010 08:08
Thank you so much for sharing Scott, your cake looks awesome. I love the marshmallow eyes.
kylie ann hockingJune 29th 2010 21:50
Fantastic cake, bet it was yummy to;]
CasswalJuly 10th 2010 18:49
Thank you so much for sharing your ideas!! My daughters 1st birthday is coming up, and I have been searching for 'tips' on how to make a butterfly cake for a while now... and presto! Here you are! I cant wait to be able to make it!
Comfortable Hippies
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