How To Make A Power Ranger Cake That Kids Will Love

Image © vkstudio, under a Creative Commons license.Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is a popular superhero TV series, where a group of teens with special powers join forces to try to save the world.Children who love the Power Rangers TV series will adore this fantastic red Power Ranger cake, shaped like the Mighty Morphin Red Ranger’s head and full of impressive details. They’ll definitely value the deviation from the typical iced cake and appreciate the wow factor that this one has! How To Make A Power Ranger Sponge CakeTime Needed: 20 minutes for mixing, 50 minutes for baking and 30 minutes for decorating.Serves: 15.Image © rawpixel.com, under a Creative Commons license.You Will NeedFor Baking The Power Ranger Cake:Caster sugar (300g).Butter or margarine (300g).Eggs (6).Self raising flour (300g).Vanilla extract (1 teaspoon). For The Power Ranger Cake Buttercream:Icing sugar (200g).Butter (100g).Vanilla extract (1 teaspoon). For Decorating The Power Ranger Cake:Fondant (red, black and silver).Edible marker pen (black).A thin, clean paintbrush.Water (100ml).Square cake board covered in foil (35cm x 35cm).Sharp cake knife.Craft knife.Scallop fondant modelling tool.Piping bag with a large circular nozzle. Plus:Two rectangular baking trays (21cm x 31cm).Greaseproof paper (or extra butter to grease the tin).A paper cut out of the Power Ranger’s head, large enough to fit on the cake, covering as much as possible. Image © pakorn1981, under a Creative Commons license.MethodFor The Power Ranger Cake:1) Preheat the oven to 170C.2) Mix the sugar and butter together in a large bowl until fluffy.3) Whisk the eggs in one at a time, then sift in the flour, baking powder and salt.4) Carefully mix the milk and vanilla extract, then pour equal amounts to the lined baking trays.5) Bake for 50 minutes, or until light brown and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Then allow to completely cool. For The Power Ranger Cake Buttercream:1) Carefully whisk the icing sugar, vanilla and butter until light and fluffy. Let The Decorating Begin!1) Place the paper cut-out of the face on the first cake and cut around it. Then repeat for the second cake.2) On one of the cakes, using a knife, mark a faint horizontal line where the top of the mouth will be.3) Cut across this line, cutting into the cake layer halfway.4) Remove the top half of this mouth section by slicing it off horizontally.5) Place the first cake (without the mouth part cut off) in the centre of the cake board.6) Spread a layer of buttercream over this layer (about a centimetre high) then place the second layer with the mouth missing on top of it, to make a two layer cake with a buttercream filling.7) Press down lightly on the top cake layer, then completely cover both layers in buttercream, applied generously and smoothly. Use more buttercream to create a 3D head by adding more in the centre and smoothing into the shape of the Power Ranger’s face. A small spatula or blunt knife can be used to create indentations in the frosting to match the printout face.8) Using a piping bag, pipe a curved sausage of buttercream across the bottom of the mouth area (the chin) so that the mouth is sunken but everywhere around it is raised.9) Roll a small amount of red fondant and cut a closed mouth shape out of it for the Power Ranger. Put this in place on the cake.Image © topntp26, under a Creative Commons license.10) On a clean flat surface, roll a thin sheet of red fondant, half a centimetre thick, that is large enough to completely cover the cake.11) Carefully cover the whole cake in fondant smoothly, preserving the marks, buttercream chin and indentations, as well as keeping the outline of the lips visible.12) Using the paper cut out and a craft knife, cut the silver mouth area away, then cut the silver and black eye cover out, keeping the latter two parts together.13) On a smooth sheet of silver (or grey) fondant, use the paper cut outs as templates to create the fondant mouth and eye sections.14) Use a wet paintbrush to lightly brush water onto the back of these pieces, then stick them onto the cake in place.15) Returning to the silver and black paper cut out for the eyes, cut the silver part away using a craft knife to leave only the black part.16) Cut the black eye cover out of black frosting, then place it on the cake using a wet paintbrush to stick it on.17) For the black indentations on the Power Ranger’s temples, cut these away from the printout, using them to create fondant versions.18) Use a wet paintbrush to stick these onto the cake.19) Use the end of a paintbrush to make more indentations in the cake for more definition, and an edible marker pen to add more details.20) Roll out a long sausage of red frosting and wrap it around the bottom of the cake. Use a wet paintbrush to stick the fondant sausage to the bottom edges of the cake.21) Use a scallop or curved modelling tool to press into the fondant sausage, all around the cake for a nice patterned finish - done!Top TipsTo personalise your cake, either use alphabet letter cutters or a thin piping bag filled with frosting.White frosting mixed with coloured gel food colouring will help to give whichever colour of frosting you desire, including silver.Swap the red fondant for yellow, pink, blue, or black to create a Power Ranger cake for the other characters!For vegans and those with egg allergies, one tablespoon of ground flaxseeds and three tablespoons of water will replace one egg, so scale up and you can have an eggless cake.Feel free to swap some of the ingredients for their allergen-free alternatives (such as gluten free flour and dairy free butter).If kept airtight, this Power Ranger cake can be stored at room temperature for up to three days, or airtight in the fridge for up to five days. To freeze, wrap the cake in foil then it can be frozen for up to five months.The Power Ranger birthday cake can be enjoyed by children aged two and up, and those as young as four can help with sticking the fondant pieces on.

Image © vkstudio, under a Creative Commons license.