A chocolate sponge igloo cake covered in a blue buttercream frosting with random shapes of white fondant icing. Decorating it is simple and it will keep the kids entertained for an hour or two before devouring it – hopefully not before the guests arrive!
- Heat the oven to gas 3, 170°C, fan 150°C. Grease and flour a 2 litre (3 1/2 pint) Pyrex bowl. Beat the butter and sugar together using an electric whisk until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then sift in the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and salt. Fold through with a large spoon until just combined. Then fold through the vanilla and milk.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared Pyrex bowl and transfer to the oven to bake for an hour and 15 minutes until a skewer comes out clean when inserted. After 45 minutes of baking, cover with foil to prevent the top from drying out. Leave to cool in the bowl for 15 minutes before gently releasing with a palette knife and turning out on to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the buttercream beat the butter and 500g (1lb) of the icing sugar together with an electric whisk until it’s light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and a few drops of blue food colouring, enough to create a nice baby blue colour, and beat again until well combined. Once the cake has cooled, halve horizontally and spread a thin layer of the buttercream between the two layers.
- Trim one edge off both of the doughnuts so they can sit on their sides. Using a small cookie cutter (4-5cm round) cut out a larger hole in the centre of the doughnuts to make an igloo door. Use a little buttercream to attach side-by-side against the cake then cover the whole cake in the buttercream.
- Roll the white fondant icing thinly. With a knife, cut out random shapes and gently press each piece into the buttercream frosting. Repeat with all the other fondant pieces, placing them in a circular pattern around the igloo leaving a little space between each for the blue icing to squeeze out.
- Press the blue glimmer sugar in around the edge of the doorway and scatter the snowflakes around the cake to serve.
See more Christmas dessert recipes