Juliet Sear's Bertie the Bunny cake
It might be the undisputed king of the supermarket birthday cakes - but could Colin the Caterpillar have some competition?
As Juliet Sear gears up for Easter, she’s made one cake that could rival that trusty M&S treat, as she shows us how to create her very own Bertie the Bunny!
Bertie the Bunny cake
Serves: 8
Ingredients
4 tbsp apricot jam, warmed and sieved
Chocolate Swiss roll, approx 300g
700g white ready to roll fondant icing
Baby pink food colouring paste
2 tbsp royal icing sugar, made up to a stiff consistency as instructed
2 wooden kebab skewers, cut to about 7cm
30cm cake board
To decorate
200g buttercream icing, in your choice of colours, we used pink, blue, yellow and green
Easter sweets or decorations
Wafer daisy flowers
Method
Brush a little apricot jam all over the Swiss roll
Roll out 500g of the fondant icing to make a rectangle about 45 x 30cm, and trim to 40 x 25cm. Carefully wrap the Swiss roll in the rolled-out fondant, making sure the ends are covered in one piece and the join is tucked underneath.
Colour half of the remaining fondant icing baby pink
Cut out two cardboard templates for the rabbit ears, one should be about 10 x 4cm and the other 8 x 2.5cm
Roll out a little of the white icing to about 4mm and roll out some of the pink icing to 3mm. Cut out two white ear shapes using the larger template, and two pink ears using the smaller template.
Brush a little water on the white ears and stick the pink shape on top, leaving a white edge all the way around. Insert one of the kebab skewers in the base of the ears, pushing it in between the pink and white icing and pinch the base securely to make a curved shape. Leave to dry for a few hours.
To make the rear paws, take 100g of white icing, divide into two balls and flatten into oval rear paw shapes, about 6 x 5cm. Using the pink icing, make 6 small balls and two larger balls and flatten them slightly. Brush a little water onto the feet and stick the pink pads in position.
To make the front paws, take 20g of white fondant icing and make into two evenly sized balls. Press down slightly at the back and using the back of a sharp knife, press down gently to make indents for the toes.
To make the bunny tail, take a 60g piece of white icing and roll into a ball
To make the nose, take a small piece of pink icing and roll into a ball
To assemble, use a small amount of buttercream on a plate or cake board and sit the covered Swiss roll in the centre. Put the front paws in position then use a little royal icing to secure the back feet and tail in place – you can also use cocktail sticks to secure them if you want.
Push the two ears about 1cm back from the front edge of the cake. Pipe buttercream rosettes around the ears and the front of the head.
Using the edible pens or writing icing, draw a bunny face on the front. Use the Easter sweets and flowers to decorate around the bunny.
Bertie is out Best Bits!
Bertie the Bunny made Eamonn and Ruth's Best Bits today too... here's why!