If you love biscuits and you love cake – this biscuit birthday cake is for you! Not only is it quick and easy to make, it’s a real showstopper!
We’re not big on birthday presents in our house but we are big on birthday cakes. Making each other a cake has become something of a tradition. Usually we each choose a cake from the Australian Women’s Weekly Childrens’ Birthday Cake Book. Growing up in the UK we never got to enjoy these cakes as kids, so I decided we’ll enjoy them as adults instead.
The only problem was that this year neither of us found a cake that ‘grabbed’ us. I’d seen a few of these biscuit birthday cakes on social media and decided to have a crack at that instead.
It was a wise choice because this cake was a huge hit! In fact it was so easy to put together, so delicious to eat and I had so many biscuits left over that I asked David to recreate the cake (in pink) of course, for my birthday!
Adorned with all our favourite biscuits, this cake had a real retro feel – especially the iced gems and party rings! Fun fact, my mum used to give her dog Calvin a party ring after dinner every night and he had the whitest dog teeth I’ve ever seen!
Anyway I digress, you can of course, use any biscuits you like on this cake, and if a rectangle shape doesn’t suit you, make a round one instead. Whichever shape you use though, be sure to make a paper template of the top of your cake so you can plan where you are going to position the biscuits.
If you were making this cake, what biscuits would you use?
Must-Know Tips
Bake the cakes in advance. Once completely cool, wrap them well and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost before decorating.
Crumb coat the cakes the day before. Adding the crumb coat (or “dirty icing”) the night (or at least a few hours) before gives it time to firm up in the fridge, making the final layer of buttercream much easier to apply.
If you’re colouring your buttercream, only add the gel food colouring to the second batch. Use the first batch as plain buttercream for the crumb coat, then colour the second batch ready for decorating.
Plan your biscuit layout. Draw around the top of your cake on paper and arrange the biscuits first, so you know exactly where everything will go before you start decorating.
Making Ahead? If you’re making the cake ahead, stop after covering it with buttercream and refrigerate it. Arrange and add the biscuits just before serving.
Storing leftovers: After the candles have been blown out, it’s best to keep the cake in the fridge, especially if the weather’s warm. I recommend removing the biscuits first and setting them aside, then popping them back on just before serving so they stay nice and crisp.
You will need:
EQUIPMENT
You will also need:
2 x 26cm x 30cm cake tins (or use one tin and bake the cakes one after the other)
1 large tray or cake board
piping bag and nozzle (optional)
palette knife
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE
2 batches of Buttermilk Birthday Cake
FOR THE FILLING AND BUTTERCREAM
100g strawberry jam
2 batches of buttercream (1 for crumb coat, 1 for decorating)
FOR THE DECORATIONS
4 Party Rings
4 Jammie Dodgers
4 Custard Creams
2 white chocolate Tim Tams
sprinkles and food colouring (optional)
Preparing the Cake
- Make two quantities of my Buttermilk Birthday Cake. I recommend using this recipe because it’s sturdy enough to hold its shape under the buttercream and biscuits while still being lovely and soft to eat.
- Prepare one batch of buttercream. I love making mine in the Thermomix, but if you don’t have one, don’t worry. Just use the same ingredients and beat everything together with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer until smooth and fluffy.
- Place a sheet of baking paper over the top of the cake and lightly draw around it to make a template for planning your biscuit layout later. Set aside.
- Place five blobs of buttercream on your tray or board – one in each corner and one in the centre. This acts as the ‘glue’ to stop the cake from sliding around. Put the first sponge on top.
- Spread the jam generously over the cake, leaving a border of about 1 cm around the edge.
- If you have a piping bag, pipe the buttercream evenly over the jam. If not, don’t worry. Simply spread the buttercream over the bottom of the second sponge, then turn it right side up and place it on top of the jam-covered cake.
- Now it’s time to give the cake a crumb coat. Using a palette knife, spread a thin layer of buttercream over the top and sides of the cake to seal in any loose crumbs. Scrape away any excess buttercream with the palette knife. Don’t worry about making it perfect at this stage – the crumb coat is just there to seal in any loose crumbs. Pop into the fridge for at least 30 minutes or preferably overnight.
Decorating the Cake
- Before you start decorating, arrange your biscuits on your paper template so you know exactly where you’d like them to go.
- Prepare a second batch of buttercream. If you’d like coloured buttercream, add a few drops of gel food colouring and mix until you reach your desired shade.
- Remove the cake from the fridge. Spread the second batch of buttercream over the top and sides of the cake using a palette knife. For a smoother finish, dip your palette knife into hot water, wipe it dry and smooth the buttercream. Repeat as needed.
- If you’re making the cake ahead, stop here and refrigerate it. Add the biscuits just before serving so they stay nice and crisp.
- Starting with the largest biscuits, gently press them into the buttercream around the edge of the cake. Fill the gaps with the smaller biscuits, working your way in until you’re happy with the design. If you’d like to add sprinkles, now’s the time!
- Once you’ve finished decorating, it’s time to celebrate, add the candles, sing loudly and enjoy every slice!
