Dinosaur Birthday Cake

A gorgeous little kids birthday cake that can be used for boys or girls by changing the icing colour. This light and fluffy cake is speckled with colour (from the sprinkles in the cake mixture) and choc chips. Sure to be a hit at any birthday

• Ready In: 2 hrs 10 mins
• Serves: 15

Ingredients

• 370  g butter, at room temperature
• 4  teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1⁄2 cups caster sugar
• 6  eggs
• 2 1⁄2 cups plain flour
• 4 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1⁄2 cup  candy sprinkles
• 3⁄4 cup  milk chocolate chips
• 250  g unsalted butter, at room temperature, cubed
• 3  cups icing sugar, sifted
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons milk
•  pink food coloring (or desired colour)
• 50  g  nestle  smarties candies
• 1⁄2 cup  candy sprinkles
• 12  miniature M&M baking bits
• 2  white mini marshmallows
•  black writing  icing (I used cake mate brand)
•  red writing  icing (I used cake mate brand)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 160°C Grease two 7.5 cm deep 24cm (base) round spring form cake pans and line their bases with a circle of baking paper.
2. Using an electric mixer, cream butter, vanilla and sugar in a large bowl until pale. Add eggs 2 at a time beating well after each addition.
3. Sift the flour and baking powder together into the same bowl. Add in sprinkles and chocolate chips and gently fold mixture until just combined.
4. Pour half of the mixture into each cake tin and bake for 40-45 or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean.
5. When cooked, allow cakes to cool in tins for five minutes before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely.
6. When cakes are at room temperature, slice the top off both so that they have a flat surface and set the tops aside.
7. Out of one cake cut out an oval (for the body) and a banana-shape for the tail. Reserve remaining cake.
8. Out of the second cake cut out a piece for the head connected to the neck (small oval for head and curved shape for neck- I followed the curve along the outside of the cake for the neck) and 4 small rectangles for the legs. Reserve remaining cake.
9. Out of leftover cake cut-offs, cut out six small triangles for the spikes along the dinosaurs back.
10. Assemble the pieces together on a cake board or desired serving platter to get the rough shape of your dinosaur, shaping and sizing where necessary until you're satisfied with the shape. Remember you can perfect the shape with icing.
11. Dust off any crumbs and set dinosaur aside.
12. To make the icing beat the butter with an electric mixer until white and creamy. Add icing sugar 1/2 a cup at a time and beat well. Add in milk and beat for a further 1-2 minutes. Lastly, stir in enough food coloring to achieve your desired colour.
13. To ice the cake, start by spreading icing on the tops of each spike that goes along the dinosaurs back. Pour some sprinkles in a shallow bowl so that you can’t see the bottom of the bowl. Press the iced top of each spike onto the sprinkles carefully so that it is covered in sprinkles. Return spikes to their position on the dinosaur and continue icing the cake.
14. Spread and even, smooth layer of icing all over the cake using dobs of icing to connect each section of the cake if necessary. When cake is completely covered in every nook and cranny and icing is used up you are ready to decorate.
15. Place 3 mini m&m’s on each foot of the dinosaur to create toes.
16. Place the mini marshmallows on the head for eyes and dot the black writing icing on each marshmallow to make pupils.
17. Draw a smile on the face of the dinosaur using the red writing icing.
18. Lastly place the smarties on the dinosaur’s back and neck for spots.
19. Chill cake for at least 1 hour or until icing is set and ENJOY!