Clickety Clack Croc Recipe
You’ll need to plan in advance where you want to serve this cake from as it is easier to finish icing the sections when they are in position. See here for diagrams of how to cut out and assemble the cake shapes.SERVES 12–16
See Also: Bunny Rabbit Cake Recipe
Ingredients:
FOR THE VANILLA SPONGE✔ 350g unsalted butter
✔ 350g caster sugar
✔ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
✔ 6 eggs, lightly beaten
✔ 300g plain flour
✔ 50g cornflour
✔ 4 teaspoons baking powder
✔ a pinch of salt
✔ 5 tablespoons milk
✔ 400g raspberry or apricot jam
FOR THE VANILLA BUTTERCREAM
✔ 400g unsalted butter
✔ 800g icing sugar, sifted
✔ 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or extract
✔ 4 tablespoons milk
FOR THE DECORATION
✔ light and dark green, yellow and black food-colouring pastes
✔ 50g white fondant icing
✔ strawberry liquorice laces
✔ light and dark green nonpareils sprinkles
YOU WILL ALSO NEED
✔ 3 x 20cm square cake tins
✔ 6cm round cutter
✔ 2 or 3 baking sheets
✔ disposable piping bag
✔ open star nozzle
See Also: Lion Cake Recipe
Directions:
MAKE THE VANILLA SPONGE1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 4 and position the shelves as close to the middle as possible, leaving enough space between them for the cakes to rise. Grease the cake tins and line the bases with squares of buttered baking parchment.
2. Make the vanilla sponge mix following the instructions on here, up to the end of step 3.
3. Divide the cake mix evenly between the prepared tins and spread it level with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake for 25–30 minutes or until well risen, golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cakes comes out clean. Leave to rest in the tins for 4–5 minutes and then carefully turn out onto a wire rack and leave until cold.
CUT THE PIECES FOR THE CROCODILE
4. Use the diagram on here to help you cut the sponge layers into several triangles and circles. First use a large serrated knife to cut each cake in half diagonally, corner to corner, to give 6 large sponge triangles. Cut 3 of these large triangles in half again to make 6 even-sized triangles and set them aside.
5. Use the cutter to stamp out 4 discs from one of the large triangles and discard the trimmings. Set aside.
6. Take another large triangle and cut notches at the centre of each edge. Cut from point to point to make 4 medium triangles. Set aside.
7. Take the final large triangle and cut 2 notches along the long edge, one-third and two-thirds of the way along. Cut at right-angles from these notches to make one arrow-shaped piece and 2 triangles. Cut the triangles through the middle to make 4 small triangles. Set aside.
ASSEMBLE THE CROC
8. Make the vanilla buttercream following the instructions on here. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
9. Use a little jam to sandwich the large triangles together in pairs, flat sides together. Stand them upright on a baking sheet, long edges down, and spread with a thin crumb coat layer of buttercream. Repeat with the medium triangles and 2 of the small triangles.
10. Take the final small triangles and use a little jam to stick them together at the long edges to make a square. Stick this flat against the square end of the arrow-shaped piece to make the croc’s head. Coat the whole head in buttercream. Chill all the pieces for 30 minutes to set.
11. Spoon 6 tablespoons of buttercream into a small bowl and tint it yellow using food-colouring paste. Use a palette knife to cover the round sponge pieces in a thin crumb coat of buttercream and return to the fridge for 30 minutes. Cover the remaining yellow buttercream in cling film to stop it drying out.
12. Divide the remaining plain buttercream between 2 bowls and colour each a different shade of green. Spread the sides of 2 of the big triangles, 1 of the small triangles and the whole head in a thick layer of the darker shade of green. Spread the sides of the remaining triangles in the lighter green. Spread the remaining yellow buttercream over the wheels. Chill all the pieces for another 30 minutes.
13. Place the lighter green large triangle in the centre of a long cake board or directly onto the serving table on an oilcloth tablecloth. Place the darker large triangles either side, leaving a small gap between each section. Position the medium triangles at either end. Place the head at one end and the small triangle at the opposite end to make a tail. Position the yellow wheels either side.
14. Scoop the remaining light green buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe rosettes across the tops of the lighter sections. Repeat with the darker green buttercream.
15. Pinch off 2 cherry sized pieces of sugarpaste, roll them into balls and press them into discs. Pinch off 2 pea-sized pieces of sugarpaste and tint them black using food-colouring paste. Roll them into balls and press them into discs. Use a dab of water to attach the black discs to the white ones to make eyes and press them into the buttercream on either side of the crocodile’s nose. Divide the remaining sugarpaste into 12 even-sized pieces. Roll them into balls and position one between each section of the crocodile to resemble joining pieces.
16. Place a long liquorice lace at the crocodile’s mouth for a string and scatter the tops of the cake pieces with light and dark green nonpareils sprinkles to serve.