Lion Cake Recipe

Lion Cake Recipe

You won’t need any special tins or particular skills to make this fun, quizzical-looking lion.
SERVES 16

See Also: Baked Fried Italian Herb Chicken Legs 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
✔ 3 tablespoons raspberry or apricot jam

FOR THE VANILLA BUTTERCREAM
✔ 400g unsalted butter
✔ 800g icing sugar, sifted, plus 4 tablespoons
✔ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
✔ 4–5 tablespoons milk
✔ 3 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted
✔ 1 tablespoon golden syrup

FOR THE DECORATION
✔ yellow and black food-colouring pastes
✔ 200g ready-roll fondant icing
✔ 2 tablespoons white nonpareils sprinkles
✔ chocolate sprinkles
✔ icing sugar, for dusting

YOU WILL ALSO NEED
✔ 2 x 23cm round cake tins
✔ 1 x 6-hole muffin tin
✔ 2 x paper cupcake cases
✔ 2 x disposable piping bags
✔ open star nozzle

See Also: Vietnamese Fried Chicken Thighs with Garlic-Chile Glaze Recipe

Directions:

MAKE THE VANILLA SPONGE
1. 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 discs of buttered baking parchment. Line 2 of the holes in the muffin tin with paper cupcake cases.

2. Make the vanilla sponge mix following the instructions on here, up to the end of step 3.

3. Half fill the cupcake cases with the cake mix and divide the rest evenly between the prepared tins, spreading it level with a palette knife or the back of a spoon. Bake the cupcakes for about 15 minutes and the large cakes for about 30 minutes, until golden, well risen and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cakes comes out clean. Leave to rest in the tins for 3–4 minutes and then carefully turn out onto a wire rack and leave until cold.

ASSEMBLE THE CAKE
4. Make the vanilla buttercream following the instructions on here, reserving the 4 tablespoons icing sugar, the cocoa powder and the golden syrup.

5. Spoon two-thirds of the buttercream into a separate bowl and add the cocoa powder and golden syrup. Mix well until smooth and thoroughly combined.

6. Use a large serrated knife to level the tops of the sponge layers. Place one layer on a serving plate and spread the top with 2 tablespoons of jam. Spread the underside of the second layer with 2–3 tablespoons of vanilla buttercream and sandwich the two together.

7. Tint the remaining vanilla buttercream pale yellow and use a palette knife to spread it over the top of the cake. Spread half the chocolate buttercream over the sides in a smooth, even layer. Spoon the remaining chocolate buttercream into a large piping bag fitted with an open star nozzle.

8. Unwrap the cupcakes and cut them in half horizontally – you will only need the bottom half of each cupcake. Spread the top and sides of each small round cake with jam.

DECORATE THE LION
9. Take half the fondant icing and wrap the rest in cling film. Cut it in half again and roll each piece out on a lightly dusted work surface to a neat circle 4cm wider than the cupcakes. Cover the top and sides of each small cake and trim the bottom edges to neaten them. Lightly brush the tops with water and cover them with white nonpareils sprinkles. Position on top of the large cake to make the lion’s muzzle.

10. Pipe ribbons of the chocolate buttercream all around the edge of the cake to create the lion’s mane. Repeat to make a double-height layer of buttercream and scatter with chocolate sprinkles.

11. Take half the remaining fondant icing and colour it black. Split it in half and roll 2 small pupils for the eyes from one half and a larger nose from the other half. Squeeze the nose into a triangle shape and place it just above the lion’s muzzle.

12. Roll the remaining white fondant into 2 eyeballs, flatten them slightly and place on top of the cake. Slightly flatten the pupils, brush the undersides with water and position them on top of the eyes.

13. Mix the remaining 4 tablespoons of icing sugar with a little water and black food-colouring paste to make a thick writing icing and spoon into a disposable piping bag. Snip the end to a fine point and pipe a mouth and 2 eyebrows onto the lion’s face. Scatter chocolate sprinkles around the base of the cake and then leave to set for 1 hour before serving.