Pop a crown on his head and he is Prince Charming in disguise

FRIENDLY FROG CAKE

MATERIALS

• 1 x 2 liter ( 4 pints / 10 cups)
• 1 x 0.5 litre ( I pint / 2½ cup ) bowl-shaped cakes
• 30cm ( 12in ) round cake board
• icing/confectioners' sugar in a sugar shaker
• 1.9kg ( 3lb 13oz ) sugarpaste / rolled fondant
• green, black & yellow food coloring pastes
• 375g ( 12oz / 1½ cups ) buttercream
• sugar glue
• dark green edible dusting powder petal dust/blossom tint 

EQUIPMENT.

• large rolling pin sharp knife.
• cake smoother 
•  medium paintbrush 

FRIENDLY FROG CAKE METHOD:

Color 375g ( 12oz ) of the sugar paste a muddy green using green food coloring mixed with a touch of black. Using icing sugar to prevent sticking, roll out and cover the cake board completely, trimming excess from around the edge, then put aside to dry. Trim the crust from each cake and slice the tops flat. Turn each cake upside down. Trim the sides of the small bowl-shaped cake to create a dip for the neck. Cut a layer in the large cake and sandwich it with buttercream. Sandwich the cakes together, then spread them with buttercream.

Color 1.5kg ( 3lb ) of the sugar paste green. Using 45g ( 1 % oz ), pad the face as in the photograph below. Press with your finger to indent each eye socket. Roll out 1kg ( 2lb ) of green sugar paste and cover the top of the cake, smoothing the sugar paste over the frog's head and body. Carefully position the cake on the center of the cake board. Use a cake smoother to smooth the surface. Use the back of the knife to mark the mouth, indenting each corner and the nostrils with the end of the paintbrush.

Roll a ball with 7g ( oz ) of green sugar paste and cut it in half to make the frog's 3 eyelids. Color yellow and an amount of black Roll two tiny yellow balls and press flat for the highlights, then roll the remaining yellow into a ball and cut it in half to make the eyes. Roll the black into a ball and press flat, then divide it to make the pupils. Assemble in the eye sockets using sugar glue to secure.

To make the frog's arms and hands, split a 155g ( 5oz ) piece of green sugar paste in half 4 roll two thick sausages, one end of each sausage, and make a cut in the center with a sharp knife. Cut again on either side of the central cut, then smooth the sugar paste to round off. Press the end of the paintbrush between each to separate and make fingers.

Split 220g ( 7oz ) of green sugar paste into two thick sausages to make the legs. Keep the center sausage then them in half together with sugar glue, then stick it in place on the cake. Using the remaining green sugar paste, make two feet in the same style as the hands. Leave the cake to dry, then carefully dust circles over the back of the frog using the dark green dusting powder.       

USEFUL TIP

When covering the frog's head and body you will be left with unwanted pleats of green sugar paste. To get rid of these pleats, either carefully stretch them out and smooth them down, or cut the pleats away and smooth the joins closed. Use the cake smoother to ensure a perfect finish.

 

Also Read: Techniques Used In Kids Party Cakes