Present Cake

Hi I found this recipe in the Jane Asher's easy Celebration Cakes and decided to make it for my Grandads Birthday. I didn't get to taste it properly but the off cuts were delicious. My sister tried a piece of it though and she loved it, which is great!

Dietary Info:
-Contains Dairy
-Not suitable for Vegans
-Contains Gluten (Flour)

Ingredients:
 For the Cake mix:
-125g (4+1/2 oz) soft butter or margarine
-125g (4+1/2 oz) caster sugar
-125g (4+1/2 oz) self-raising flour, sifted {if you wan to make it into a chocolate cake like I did, simply swap 25g (1oz) of flour for 25g (1oz) of cocoa powder.
-2 medium eggs
-1 level tsp of baking powder
For the decoration:
 - Butter cream (Recipe below)
 -500g roll-out icing
-200g red roll-out icing
-Blue, yellow and red food colours
-Fine Paint brush

For the buttercream:
-100g (3+1/2 oz) butter softened
-1/2 tbsp milk
-150g icing sugar, sifted



Method:
Cake  Mixture:
Preheat the oven to Gas 4 /180℃ /160℃ fan assisted /350 ℉. Grease and flour the tins {If you are making a chocolate cake, I suggest flouring the tins with cocoa powder}. Put all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until smooth. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 20-30mins {I think those times are right, the book was wrong and I forgot to write down how long I baked it for so just keep checking it as it might've been cooked for 45mins}. The cake is cooked when firm to the touch or the blade of a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. {I tested it with a skewer}.

How to do the icing:
For the parcel, split the cake in half and sandwich together with 3/4 of butter cream (that's if you're using the recipe the book gives if you're like me, I just brought some icing from Tesco and didn't sandwich anything together, I just made one cake.). Place the cake on the board. Spread the remaining butter cream in a thin layer over the top and sides. Chill to firm. Cover with roll-out icing and trim the base, keeping the trimming if necessary. Mark 'paper' folds on two sides with the back of a  knife. {I didn't mark the folds}.

 Using the food colours mixed with a little water, paint on balloons and streamers. Leave for a couple of hours to dry.{This didn't work for me ,as you can see on the picture}

Roll out the red icing into an oblong, Cut into two long strips and stick them both ways across the cake to make the ribbon, trimming the edges to fit snugly round the base. Cut out two more strips and trim one end of each at an angle.

Stick both strips to the center of the 'ribbon' to make the ends into a bow. Cut a strip. Dampen the center of the strip, fold each end into the middle and squeeze together to make the bow. Turm it over, then cut out and stick on a thin strip for a knot. Using the back of the blade of the knife mark on fold lines along the knot. {I didn't}. Stick the bow on the cake with a little water. {I made the bow on the cake}.

 How to make buttercream
{This is how my recipe book says to do it, I've personally never made it before so if you do end up making it please comment how it goes}

Put the butter into the bowl with the milk and mix well. Beat in the sifted icing sugar a little at a time, until the mixture is light and creamy. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until needed. Bring to room temperature before using.