May 30, 2012

Retro Women's Weekly Butterfly Birthday Cake


Each year for our birthdays we were allowed to choose which cake we would like from the Women's Weekly Birthday Cake book, which has just recently been reprinted. Most Aussie kids had cakes made from this popular birthday cake bible, and our mums would tirelessly work to produce these sweet creations. The butterfly cake was my favourite choice, so much so, my mum even made it for my 20th birthday. I had to post it here for old-times-sake.

Women's Weekly Butterfly Cake from the Women's Weekly Birthday Cake Book 
Ingredients:
  • 1 packet butter cake mix
  • 1 quantity Vienna Cream*
  • apricot food colouring
Lollies:
  • Licorice
  • Hundreds and Thousands
  • Orange and red jellybeans
  • Smarties

Where to start:
  1. Make cake according to directions on packet. Pour into greased deep 25cm (10in) round cake tin. 
  2. Bake in moderate oven 30-35 minutes or until cooked when tested. 
  3. Turn on to wire rack to cool.
  4. Cut and assemble cake to form butterfly. Follow picture below.
  5. Tint Vienna Cream with yellow food colouring. 
  6. Cover top and sides of cake with frosting. 
  7. Licorice strips represent feelers and patterns on wings. 
  8. Decorate with assorted sweets as shown.


* How to make Vienna Cream
Ingredients:
125g butter
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
2 tablespoons milk
Method:
  1. Have butter and milk at room temperature. 
  2. Place butter in small bowl of electric mixer, beat until butter is as white as possible. Gradually add about half the sifted icing sugar, beating constantly. 
  3. Add milk gradually then gradually beat in the remaining icing sugar, mixture should be smooth and easy to spread with a spatula.
Chocolate Vienna Cream
Make up the basic recipe as above and add 2 tablespoons sifted cocoa to the icing sugar.
Coloured Vienna Cream
A large variety of food coloring is available from supermarkets… Start to tint Vienna Cream by dipping a skewer into the bottle of colouring, shaking off the excess, then dipping the skewer into the icing, beating well with a wooden spoon.


Useful tips:

  • Pure icing sugar or icing sugar mixture can be used in Vienna Cream. Sift icing sugar through a fine sieve for best results.
  • Make Vienna Cream on the day it is to be used; keep covered during use as a crust will develop if it is left uncovered.
  • Do not refrigerate cream as this will cause the butter to harden and it may separate. For best results Vienna Cream should be applied to a cake on the day it is to be served. You can apply it the day before serving but, if you do, the cream will become slightly darker and crust in appearance.
  • When applying the Vienna Cream, make sure it coveres the cake around the base near the board to form a seal and help keep the cake fresh.
  • Use a small spatula when applying Vienna Cream as this will give a smooth surface to the cake. Cream will spread easily, but if you do want a particularly smooth surface, dip the spatula in hot water, dry quickly, and use heat to spread the cream.

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