Nellie's Cooking Adventures: The Teacup Pig Cake

It was my little sisters 21^st and I was in charge of the cake. She’s trumped me a few times in the cooking arena so the pressure was on! She LOVES teacup pigs, the gauntlet was thrown and I signed up to make a cake in the shape of a teacup pig.

That image isn’t mine by the way, it’s by the very talented Libby's Cake Creations  See how I went after the jump. 

It was edible!! Yay! This is how I did it:

Step one: Decide on the material to use for a cake that tapers at the base.. It needs to hold its shape, quick to make, easy to use and lets not forget tasty…. When all else fails in life, you must turn to ice cream.

Arm yourself with the following ingredients: 

• 1 tub of chocolate ice cream (to look like tea) 

• A bag of raspberry (chewy) lollies

• 1 peppermint crisp bar 

• 1 pkt of pre-made white icing 

• Blue food dye 

• 4 pegs

• A bowl that tapers in at the base (slash resembles a large teacup mine was 18cm (widest diameter) x 10cm (smallest diameter) x 11.5cm (high))

• Baking paper, glad wrap, 2 fabric pieces (they’ll be placed in the bowl and need to overlap the edges so cut the length needed)

• A little bit of icing sugar,

• Candles, tooth picks and edible decorations of choice.

Step two: Sit the tub of ice cream out of the freezer to soften. Criss-cross the fabric strips inside the bowl securing the each end to the bowl with a peg. Put baking paper inside that, then the gladwrap, secure with pegs. Drastic measures, but you need to get this thing out of the bowl in one piece!

Step three: Work your white icing as per the maker’s instructions, add the food dye. Cut off a small piece of icing for the cup handle and sit aside, roll out the rest and place into the bowl (the cleanest size facing out). Use the pegs to stop it flopping around while you press it into the wall of the bowl and right up to its top edge. Remove the pegs and place inside the freezer.

Step four: It’s ice cream time! Cut up all your raspberry lollies and peppermint crisp. Throw them, and the softened ice cream into a separate bowl and mix. I used a potato masher knowing that it would be useless, but I also knew someone would have to look after whatever ice cream I couldn’t scrap off it. Genius or silly, you decide.

Step five: Pour the mixture into the icing lined bowl, smooth the top and place back into the freezer over night.

Please note – from now on you’ll need to work at super speed to prevent the ice cream melting!

Step six: Remove the cup creation from the bowl by pulling evenly on the fabric pieces, you may need to phone a friend for this one to help you out. Place onto a noice plate and neaten the icing edges by cutting them off (level with the ice cream) using a warm, sharp knife.

Step seven: Roll the icing (set aside in step 3) between your palms to make a log, curve it into a ‘c’ shape and attach to the side of you cake as a handle. Decorate the icing with your edible bits and bobs then put back inside the freezer until par-tay time.

Step eight: Just before you need to, place the pig picture at the top of the cake (placing tooth picks on either side so it stands up straight), insert your candles and your done!