Junior Cake Chefs!

The week after the Cookie Decorating class for No.3, I held a Cake Decorating class for No.2's class.

Their cooking brief was simple: to decorate a cake given to them into one of the 4 transports they've learnt as part of their module on Transportation.

I first got the kids to discuss and plan on paper how best to cut their cake into a 3D version of the transport (Car, Plane, Ship or Train), and how they would decorate it.

Next, I showed them the resources they will be given for decorating the cake: buttercream frosting, Smarties, Rolled Biscuits, and Oreos.

Then the kids got down to decorating their cakes... and eating it too! ;)

Here are the highlights:

The cakes in the box, the ziploc packets of buttercream frosting, Oreos, Smarties and Rolled biscuits.  All the kids are given are cake board and a butter knife, and are taught knife safety. :)

How many of you like chocolate cakes?

Great plan.  Now how should we cut the rectangle cake to get the design we want?

So the next step is?

Plan done.  Now to get the decorative bits!

Cutting the cake to assemble. 

It's beginning to take shape.

What does this look like? ;) 

More frosting, please!

Messy fun!

See our sticky hands?

Morning class' CAR.

Morning class' SHIP.

Morning class' PLANE.

Morning class' TRAIN.

Yummy!

Afternoon class' turn at decorating.

Afternoon class' CAR.

Afternoon class' SHIP.

Afternoon class' PLANE.

Afternoon class' TRAIN.

Say 'Cakes!'

Yum!

Yay!

The recipe for the chocolate cake can be found here, which is my favourite go-to chocolate cake recipe.  I just baked in an 8x8-inch square cake tin, and cut it into 2; half for each of the group.  Because that was a busy week for me in terms of work, I wrapped the cake in baking parchment, and then in plastic wrap and froze all 4 cakes, defrosting them in the fridge the night before the session.

The buttercream frosting I used was a simple one, but with the Kitchenaid beating it, the texture was really, really good.


Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients:
1 block unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2.5 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons milk


Directions:

1. In a mixer, cream the butter and vanilla.
2. Add in the sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. Beat in the milk, and continue mixing until light and fluffy. 
4. Keep frosting covered until ready to decorate.

I just scooped the frosting into ziploc bags and put it in the fridge.  Because of our tropical weather, the frosting gets pliable quite easily, but it holds relatively well nonetheless.  When the kids need the frosting, I just cut a corner of the bag and the kids can pipe it onto the cake and use the butter knife to spread the buttercream.