How To Make A Frog Cake For Your Child S Birthday

Image © prostooleh, under a Creative Commons license.It can be daunting when your child asks you to make a cake for their birthday party.Especially when they’re having a frog theme party. But, there’s no need to worry, because we’ve found the perfect frog shaped birthday cake recipe that will put all other frog cakes to shame.This bake is easy to follow, and the decorating process is almost as simple too. In fact, it’s so easy you could get the kids involved at appropriate steps for some fun family time. Making a homemade birthday cake will make your child’s day feel just that extra bit special. Plus, it tastes yummier than store bought birthday cakes!Follow this easy cake recipe to get the perfect frog cake. If you’re still worried about it being tricky, you could try something different like cupcakes, or another fun cake design like this enchanted toadstool.Image © ihorga, under a Creative Commons license.IngredientsFor The Cake:170g butter251g sugar3 large eggs1 teaspoon vanilla extract281g all purpose flour1/4 teaspoon salt8.6oz milkFor The Icing:2 tablespoons all purpose flour8.6oz milk113g butter115g margarine/shortening200g sugar1 teaspoon vanilla extractgreen food colouringFor The Decorations:2 milk chocolate m&msstrawberry lacesEquipment:9 inch baking tincupcake tinImage © freepik, under a Creative Commons license.Method1. Using a large bowl, mix together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then beat in the eggs and vanilla extract.2. In a separate bowl, combine together the flour, baking powder and salt. Once this is done, add it to the creamy mixture, making sure to alternate while you add the milk as well.3. Fill up three of the cupcake tins in your muffin tray, these will act as the eyes and the legs. Add the remaining mixture to the round nine inch baking tray. This big mixture will be the base of your frog cake.4. Bake the cupcakes at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, and the sponge cake for 25-30 minutes, or until you poke it with a knife or toothpick and the utensil comes out clean. Wait until they’ve cooled slightly before you move them to a wire rack and leave them to cool completely.5. To decorate and assemble your frog cake, place the nine inch cake in the middle of the surface and place two of the cupcakes above the cake so they can become the frog’s eyes. For the frog’s legs, cut a cupcake in half using a zigzag method and place each half with the rounded edge touching the sides of the frog cake.6. For the icing, use a small saucepan to whisk together flour and milk until the mixture is smooth. Then, bringing this to a boil, cook and stir the mixture until it thickens. Leave this mixture to cool. In another small bowl, cream together the butter, shortening of your choice, sugar and vanilla. Then stir in the milk mixture until everything is smooth.7. Using this white icing, ice the bottom two thirds of the frog’s eyes, and add m&ms for the pupils. Using your green food colouring, tint the icing mixture a nice shade of green. You can use more or less to get the icing as dark as you want it. Use this remaining green mixture to ice the rest of the frog cake. Place on a strawberry lace to act as the frog’s mouth, and if you want, add two shorter pieces at the ends of the mouth to make the frog look like it’s smiling.And there you have it! A step-by-step guide to making the perfect frog shaped cake for any birthday party.Tips And RecommendationsIf you have any people with allergies, intolerances or dietary restrictions try switching out the flour for a gluten free version, and use a vegan or plant based alternative for any dairy products within the recipe. The cake will still taste just as good, and everyone will be able to enjoy it!Perhaps you’re not interested in a standard sponge cake? That’s fine. You can make the cake any flavour you like by adding cocoa powder or different flavourings to the original cake mix. Chocolate is always fun at children parties, but there are endless options out there such as red velvet, lemon or coconut.If you don’t want to make your own icing for the frog cakes, try using fondant. You can find different colours of fondant in most supermarkets that would work well, or you could try making your own if you’re feeling brave. This would also give the cake a neater look, and would be easier to create smaller details to make your frog look extra perfect.Image © ihorga, under a Creative Commons license.AlternativesPrincess And The Frog Cake: If your child is having a Princess and the Frog theme, try baking a two-tiered cake. You can cover this in purple and green icing to match the colours of the movie, and create lily pads on a pond out of green fondant to place your cute frogs on top of.Frog Cupcakes: Maybe there will be a lot of people at the party, or transporting a cake would be difficult. Frog cupcakes are a perfect way to still adhere to the frog theme while being a practical option and even simpler to make. You’d just need to create two 3D eyes out of cake to place on top of the cupcake and decorate much like you would the big cake. And voila! You’ve got yourself as many frog cakes as you can fit in your fridge.Frog Cake Topper: There are many ways to make a frog cake topper if you’d rather go down this route. If you’re looking for something that is edible, you can create a really simple frog shape out of fondant, ice on some details to make the shape more frog like and place on your cake! If you’re not worried about it being edible, you can try using a stencil to make a frog out of plastic for the perfect cake decoration.Good To KnowThe cake takes around an hour to make including prep, baking, cooling and decoration.Using the measurements of ingredients listed, the cake should serve between 12-15 people.These frog cakes are suitable for children of all ages to eat, as long as they eat within moderation.It is recommended to not freeze this cake, but if you need to bake in advance the advice would be to keep in the fridge for up to a few days before serving.