When I was a child, whenever I was asked what cake I would like for my birthday, the answer was always Colin the Caterpillar. My absolute favourite also became the cake for my dad's birthday a few years ago. With his birthday coming round again, I decided that this year I would make him a Caterpillar Cake. It does require a bit of effort, but it is well worth it.
Preparation Time: 45 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Makes: 16 servings
Ingredients
400g dark chocolate
50g ready to roll yellow icing
red writing icing pen
3 raisins
12 walnut quarters
4 glace cherries
450g wholemeal flour
2 eggs
8 tbsp cocoa powder
4 ½ tbsp Truvia sweetener (or 225g caster sugar)
2 tsp chopped hazelnuts
225g margarine
200g creme fraiche
2 chocolate covered candied orange sticks (you could also use chocolate covered ginger)
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 180 ༠C/ 160 ༠C fan/350 ༠F/4 Gas.
Mix together the flour, cocoa powder, and sweetener/sugar.
Rub in the flour and beat in the eggs so the mixture forms into a dough-like ball.
Divide the mixture into eight mini cake tins and bake for 20 minutes.
Melt 200g dark chocolate over hot water and stir in the creme fraiche.
Spread the ganache over each cake so that you can stick them together.
Press the two orange/ginger sticks on either side of the front cake.
Melt 200g dark chocolate and spread it over the cake so that it is completely covered.
Put the cake in the fridge to chill, but take it out before completely set.
Roll out the icing to the same size and shape as the front cake.
Use the raisins for eyes and a nose, and the writing icing pen to draw on a mouth.
Stick the face onto the front of the cake.
Dip one cherry in any left over melted chocolate, and stick it on the back of the cake.
Place six walnut quarters under each side of the caterpillar for feet.
Chop the remaining cherries in half to decorate the top of the cake, and scatter the hazelnuts around them.
Put the cake back in the fridge to set.
Take out of the fridge a little while before serving to make it easier to cut through.
Categories
#Cake
#Chocolate
#Celebration
#Birthday
#Party
#Novelty