Babys First Birthday -

Babys First Birthday

Ingredients

1 egg white
1 teaspoon (5 ml) lemon juice
225 g (8 oz) icing sugar, sifted
25 cm (10 inch) round fruit cake, covered with almond paste
1.4 kg (3 lb) ready-to-roll fondant icing
Lemon and fuchsia pink or blue food colouring

YOU WILL ALSO NEED

25 cm (10 inch) round silver cake board
Small flower cutter
1 duck and 1 teddy-shaped button
20 cm x 5 mm (8 inches x ¼ inch) white satin ribbon
66 cm x 4 cm (26 inches x 1 ½ inch) and 86.5 cm x 2.5 cm (34 inches x 1 inch) pale pink or blue satin ribbon
Piping gun or bag set

Method

1 First make the royal icing: put the egg white, lemon juice and icing sugar in a bowl and beat together until smooth. Cover with damp greaseproof paper and put the bowl in a large polythene bag in the refrigerator until required.

2 Put the cake on the board. Colour 1.1 kg (2 ½ lb) of the fondant pale lemon. Roll out and cover the cake. Trim the base. Colour 125 g (5 oz) of the fondant pale pink or blue. Roll out 25 g (1 oz) and use to cut out small flowers. Dampen with water and fix around the top edge of the cake.

3 Push the duck button into the icing just below the flowers. Repeat with the teddy bear button around the base of the cake.

4 Shape 2 bootees from 25 g (1 oz) of the pink or blue fondant. Roll out a little of the remaining white (uncoloured) fondant and cut out 2 small rectangles. Dampen the edges and then fix on to each bootee to make a cuff. Carefully pinch together at the front.

5 Cut the 5 mm ( ¼ inch) ribbon in half and use to tie 2 small bows. Dampen the front of each bootee with a little water and attach a white ribbon bow. Use the 4 cm (1 ½ inch) wide pink or blue ribbon to tie a large bow and set aside.

6 Use 75 g (3 oz) of pink or blue fondant to shape the teddy's legs, arms, body, head and ears, as shown below. Use white fondant to make the features and paws and attach with a little water. Fix the head, arms and legs on the body with water. Leave to dry, then position on the cake with the bootees.

7 Roll out the pink or blue fondant trimmings and cut out the baby's name. Fix to the cake with a little water. Using a fine plain nozzle, outline the edges of the letters with royal icing. Tie the 2.5 cm (1 inch) wide pink or blue ribbon around the cake and attach the bow with a little royal icing.

Related food category:

• Celebration Cake