Tips for Making a Safari Themed Cake for a First Birthday

[1stbdycake]

Hello all. I'm completely new to baking and decorating cakes. I am going to make a cake for my son's first birthday and I need help planning it. I'm hoping to make a safari theme cake for about 15 people. I will be working with fondant.

I need advice on the cake recipe, frosting, filling and fondant. My son's bday is on 10/10 and we are traveling from 10/1 to 10/8. Can I make the entire cake before 10/1? I am looking for recipes for cakes that keep well, as well as frosting and fillings that keep well.

I want to bake a chocolate cake that would keep well for about ten days, orange curd filling and dark chocolate ganache. Then fondant the cake. Would that work and can someone send good recipes and techniques/tips my way?

I have attached my inspiration cake and hope to make something similar. TIA

 

[ChesterV]

You can make everything ahead of time, except the ganache. It doesn't take long to make that and it tastes better if it's not been pre-made.

You can bake your cake layers and as soon as they have cooled down enough to take out of the pans and handle, you can wrap them up in at least three layers of plastic wrap each. Place them on a flat surface and stick them in the freezer. It will be easier to work with frozen cake when the time comes anyway.

Never made curd filling, so I have no idea if that is something that would work pre-made, but I assume it would, as long as it is kept in an air tight container in the fridge. Becky would probably know more about that than me.

Fondant you can definitely make ahead of time. You can even roll it out, make your cuts and even make your fondant animals if you want. If you make your flat cut outs, just make sure to put plastic wrap between each piece and lay them on one another in an air tight container and put in the fridge. Same goes for the other pieces.

When you get ready to put the cake together, put your fondant and curd out on the counter for an hour to get it room temperature. While you are doing that, you can make your ganache.

Then get your cake out of the freezer, cut the layers in half, if that is what you are going to do, and then you can put your cake together while its still frozen. Frozen cake is much easier to work with.

Once you get the cake filled and built, then you can pour your ganache over it and then let it dry and then put your fondant over that....if thats what you are doing.

There are plenty of do it yourself videos on YouTube if you need visuals.

 

[Becky]

Welcome to the forum!

Gosh, you are jumping in at the deep end! If you are new to baking and decorating cakes then you might want to try and simplify things for yourself. I agree with @ChesterV's suggestion to make the cake in advance and freeze it.

Are you planning on doing a multi-tier cake? If so, you might need to think about using cake boards and dowels so that the top tier doesn't squash the bottom tier. It depends on how dense the cake is though.

In terms of recipes, I like this one:

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3092/ultimate-chocolate-cake

It's quite dense and rich, but very yummy!

Never made curd filling, so I have no idea if that is something that would work pre-made, but I assume it would, as long as it is kept in an air tight container in the fridge. Becky would probably know more about that than me.

I would just buy in ready made curd to simplify things

 

[Zyni]

Looks like you already got some great advice, from the pros around here. I would second Becky's notion that you might want to try something a bit simpler if you're not super keen around the kitchen. This sounds like an advanced project, which could be do-able with plenty of time and tutorials. I'm just concerned about trying it with time constraints. Don't let me discourage you though.

There are lots of candies and toys and other items you can use to decorate as well, instead of trying to make them all yourself. Using some of these might help ease your time constraints.

 

[1stbdycake]

Thank you all. Yeah, I'm new but I really want to make this cake for my baby boy and also for myself. I survived a year of parenting, how hard can a cake be. I hope you ladies will keep helping me through out. I have been looking, reading and watching tutorials since about mid-August. Atleast I know the terms now - crumb coating and what not.

I will definitely bake the cake next week and freeze it, like ChesterV suggested. I like the recipe Becky, only can I make it without coffee granules? I mean will the taste change a lot? Or is that much coffee in a cake once in a while okay for a one-year old? Also where will I get the different sugars? I have never seen/heard about either one of them. Or can I substitute with plain sugar? And how do I get my cake to be less dome-shaped? I saw those baking strips at Walmart, but don't want to spend much. Also my cakes till date have been a bit on the dry side, any advice?

Yeah I want two tiers. I know I'm making a cake for about 40 more people than needed, but I thought I could just freeze top tier like a wedding cake, and give it to my boy when he enjoys cakes more. I did read a bit about dowels for support. Can I use the cheap bamboo skewers that I have for grilling? Also I was planning to use the standard cake board that Walmart sells. Will that be enough?

I did make the lemon curd once, and found it easy to make and lasted quite long. So I'll make the orange curd myself too. Also I don't even know where can I buy curd filling. Do you have a trustworthy recipe for that too? The curd will need ganache piping right?

ChesterV I read that fondant shouldn't go in the fridge because it gets sticky. Is that not true? So can I store my cutouts and animals in there or keep it out?

For the assembling, how much in advance should I take out fondant and curd out of the fridge? Won't a frozen cake break/crumb if I cut it into layers?

Also what is easier to work with? and better under fondant? Pourable ganache or whipped frosting ganache? Also how long does ganache need to dry?

And any way I can assemble cake before 10/1 and just keep it in a box on the counter till 10/10? I will keep posting my progress on this project.

 

[1stbdycake]

So last weekend I thought I would start with the fondant. I got Wilton's, I found the taste okay, not as bad as some described and quite workable. I did use tylose powder to harden and gel colors, all new. I felt as if I was back in art class again The animals have come out pretty cute I think. Only they suddenly seem too big for a cake. The zebra, elephant and tiger are 2 inches in height, giraffe is 2.5 and lion tops out at 3 in all its glory. Are they too big? I was initially planning 8 inch and 6 inch layers. Will I need bigger layers to fit them? I still have the monkey to work on. Also how do I store them now?

Oh and I kept them on a tall table, and my son wants to be picked up to see them at least 5 times a day. He already recognizes the elephant and the lion. I think he's going to be a happy little boy when he sees them on his cake.

The colors haven't come true in the pic. The elephant is not blue, just gray

 

[Becky]

First off, those fondant animals are incredible! You've done a fantastic job with them, bet you must be really proud of how they turned out

I like the recipe Becky, only can I make it without coffee granules? I mean will the taste change a lot? Or is that much coffee in a cake once in a while okay for a one-year old?

You can't taste the coffee at all, it's just there to enhance the chocolate flavour. It's a very rich cake - kind of like a brownie cake. I don't have kids so I'm not sure what their tastes are like, but I'm guessing that (as with everything) it depends on the child in question

If you decide to use this recipe it's worth reading through the comments - some people use half milk chocolate and half dark.

Also where will I get the different sugars? I have never seen/heard about either one of them. Or can I substitute with plain sugar? And how do I get my cake to be less dome-shaped? I saw those baking strips at Walmart, but don't want to spend much. Also my cakes till date have been a bit on the dry side, any advice?

I think caster sugar is known as superfine sugar in the USA - it would be fine to use the white stuff if golden isn't available. Light muscovado sugar is just light brown sugar.

The cake won't be too dome shaped, but if you want it completely flat all you have to do is slice the top off with a sharp bread knife when the cake is cold.

When it comes to avoiding a dry cake, there are a few things you could try. Too much flour or other dry ingredients can cause dryness, so be careful when you are measuring things out. This is where I think using weight is more helpful (like we do in the UK), as when you are measuring something like flour using volume (ie cups) you can get varying amounts depending on how loosely/densely it is packed in. If you are using volume to measure flour, try to avoid packing it in as much as possible. The other factor which might be at play is baking time. A cake is usually done when it springs back when pressed lightly, has come away from the edges a little, and a skewer comes out clean. Don't open the oven until at least 80% of the baking time has passed, or the rush of cool air could cause it to collapse, but take your cake out as soon as it looks done according to those tests.

 

[ChesterV]

Thank you all. Yeah, I'm new but I really want to make this cake for my baby boy and also for myself. I survived a year of parenting, how hard can a cake be. I hope you ladies will keep helping me through out. I have been looking, reading and watching tutorials since about mid-August. Atleast I know the terms now - crumb coating and what not.

I will definitely bake the cake next week and freeze it, like ChesterV suggested. I like the recipe Becky, only can I make it without coffee granules? I mean will the taste change a lot? Or is that much coffee in a cake once in a while okay for a one-year old? Also where will I get the different sugars? I have never seen/heard about either one of them. Or can I substitute with plain sugar? And how do I get my cake to be less dome-shaped? I saw those baking strips at Walmart, but don't want to spend much. Also my cakes till date have been a bit on the dry side, any advice?

Yeah I want two tiers. I know I'm making a cake for about 40 more people than needed, but I thought I could just freeze top tier like a wedding cake, and give it to my boy when he enjoys cakes more. I did read a bit about dowels for support. Can I use the cheap bamboo skewers that I have for grilling? Also I was planning to use the standard cake board that Walmart sells. Will that be enough?

I did make the lemon curd once, and found it easy to make and lasted quite long. So I'll make the orange curd myself too. Also I don't even know where can I buy curd filling. Do you have a trustworthy recipe for that too? The curd will need ganache piping right?

ChesterV I read that fondant shouldn't go in the fridge because it gets sticky. Is that not true? So can I store my cutouts and animals in there or keep it out?

For the assembling, how much in advance should I take out fondant and curd out of the fridge? Won't a frozen cake break/crumb if I cut it into layers?

Also what is easier to work with? and better under fondant? Pourable ganache or whipped frosting ganache? Also how long does ganache need to dry?

And any way I can assemble cake before 10/1 and just keep it in a box on the counter till 10/10? I will keep posting my progress on this project.

Well, it depends on what kind of fondant you are using.

You could make your fondant mix and put it in an airtight container and store in a cool place until time to roll it out and make your cutouts and animals.

I dont know what kind of fondant we used when I was a baker, since I never touched the stuff.....but we kept it in the cooler, and the woman who did use the fondant never had a problem with it.

 

[Zyni]

View attachment 850 View attachment 851 So last weekend I thought I would start with the fondant. I got Wilton's, I found the taste okay, not as bad as some described and quite workable. I did use tylose powder to harden and gel colors, all new. I felt as if I was back in art class again The animals have come out pretty cute I think. Only they suddenly seem too big for a cake. The zebra, elephant and tiger are 2 inches in height, giraffe is 2.5 and lion tops out at 3 in all its glory. Are they too big? I was initially planning 8 inch and 6 inch layers. Will I need bigger layers to fit them? I still have the monkey to work on. Also how do I store them now?

Oh and I kept them on a tall table, and my son wants to be picked up to see them at least 5 times a day. He already recognizes the elephant and the lion. I think he's going to be a happy little boy when he sees them on his cake.

The colors haven't come true in the pic. The elephant is not blue, just gray

Your animals turned out super cute. That art class paid off!

I don't think you can leave a cake on the counter in just a box for over a week though. I don't think it would taste very fresh.

I'm thinking you might need bigger layers anyway to feed the number of people you are serving, especially if you plan to save the top tier of the cake for later.

Using mayo instead of eggs and oil makes cakes extra moist, if you are worried about dryness.

Best wishes. I hope it all turns out great.

 

[Clair02]

I've been reading through this thread and it seems you've already got some really great advice. A lot of it has been new information to me. As a newbie to baking, I'm trying to learn as much as I can. I have a five year old whose birthday is coming up soon too and I will be 'borrowing' some of the advice here to make her a special cake.