Mickey Mouse birthday cake recipe

We love Grainne's chocolate birthday cake that she decorated to look like Mickey Mouse. Why not send in your birthday cake pictures and recipes to our Cake Corner?

Ingredients

For the

chocolate cake

:

• 225g butter
• 400 g caster sugar
• 4 eggs
• 10ml vanilla extract
• 55g cocoa powder
• 125g plain flour
• 3g salt (½tsp)
• 2g baking powder (½tsp)

For the

chocolate frosting

:

• 80g butter
• 45g cocoa powder
• 4tbsp of milk
• 180g icing sugar
• White chocolate (for Mickey's face)
• Milk chocolate buttons to decorate

You'll also need:

• 1 x 20cm round baking tin
• 2 x 8cm pudding tins (for the ears)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC/350°F/gas mark 5. Line a round baking tin and the 2 pudding tins with grease proof paper.
2. In a large bowl melt butter in a microwave. Then stir in sugar, eggs, and 1tsp vanilla. Sift in the cocoa, flour, salt, and baking powder then mix together. Divide and spread the batter into the prepared tins.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 - 35 mins.
4. To make the frosting: Melt the butter in a saucepan. When melted sift in the cocoa then cook for about 1 min over a low heat. Add in the milk and sift in the icing sugar.
   
5. To assemble and decorate: Place the large round cake on a plate and place the two small cakes either side at the top of the cake for Mickey's ears.
   
6. Frost the cakes with chocolate frosting while they're still warm. Melt the white chocolate and place in an icing bag then draw Mickey's face on the cake. Decorate with chocolate buttons as shown.