I made this cake for my son’s 3rd birthday and he was absolutely delighted! He also got a toy train set the same year and I used the little figures from that plus the signs etc that you can see in the photos to adorn the cake.
The cake was very very easy to make. Decorating it was the best part and lots of fun. I bought candy animals from the supermarket in the cake decorating aisle and used them in one of the “carriages” as if the train was carrying some toy animals (like in the Little Engine that Could book (also given to our son for his birthday!)
The cake board I made from cardboard and then covered it in silver aluminium foil and then put clear contact over that. I have used it for two years in a row now and it is easy to wipe down and keep.
The cake recipe is basically any hedgehog slice recipe. There are many out there, so just use your favourite. Make it a day or two ahead as I believe it improves in flavour but, not only this, will also become a bit firmer, making it easier to cut.You simply work out how many carriages you want. The photo shows a train made from a single recipe. Cut the carriages up. I also cut very thin roofs for the tops of some carriages.
To make the front of the train is quite easy: With some of your mixture, a few tablespoons, get a piece of baking paper and put it on some foil and get a cardboard toilet roll. After placing some tablespoons on the baking paper, roll and twist it up in the foil as if you were making a Christmas bonbon then put it in the toilet roll holder or any cylinder so that it will hold its shape as round. You can use a chocolate coin wrapped in gold foil to make the trains headlight later. You can ice this round piece of chocolate hedgehog, one you have set it in the fridge.
To hold some of the decorations in place, I used toothpicks in strategic places, hidden from view, but places which I remembered so I could remove them as the cake was being served!
I used all sorts of candies and also for the wheels I used fruit tingle lollies and then “glued” them on with melted chocolate (I used this to apply the chocolate smarties on the wheels too).
It was so much fun decorating this cake.
For the smoke I used florists wire and threaded popcorn over it. This was a real talking point.
It is easy to make this cake the day before so you don’t have any work on the day. Keep in a cool place, maybe covered with plastic wrap.
Enjoy and just let your imagination run wild!
So creative Fiona! Using hedgehog for your “cake” is such a great idea. It is truly a feast for the eyes and far too beautiful to cut!! Love it…….so talented!
Congratulations Fiona, you are very talented.
Roy is very lucky to have a mother that puts so much love and thought into a birthday cake !
Dear Kerrie and Joyce, thank you for your kind comments!
As we had not too many guests for the party, the train carriages were basically cut in half. I loved using the hedgehog slice. Roy loves hedgehog in preference to cake and it was a favorite that year.
I loved decorating it most of all!
Fiona xx