Lakeland Woodland Animal Mould – with a 6-cup hemisphere mould silicone tray to create your sponges and a silicone feature mould to help you create various eyes, ears and noses, etc. out of fondant icing. As well as our cute woodland animals, you can create lots of other animals with this kit too. Woodland animal ginger cake - this impressive vegan ginger cake with lemon curd, cream cheese frosting and whimsical gingerbread woodland animals is a real festive showstopper for Christmas! The birthday girl wanted to help with the frosting so I piled some on top for her to spread, then I made sure to take it down the sides once she was done. Remember, since this is a rustic cake you want to make sure that the chocolate cake peeks through the sides.

First up: I chose to make a three layer cake rather than a two layer cake as this adds height, giving the cake a more dramatic and impressive look. This is the cake recipe I used. Divide the batter between three greased and lined 20cm/8in round cake tins and bake for about 25 minutes. I can't believe how close to Christmas we are already - I am so not prepared! I've got a few more festive recipes that I want to post before the big day, as well as some work to finish up, so things are busy, busy, busy at the moment! To make the vegan ginger cake layers, whisk together sifted plain flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, ginger, mixed spice, caster sugar and salt in a large bowl.Tip: if you only have two pans, pre-measure the batter, splitting it into three. That way you know the third layer will bake up the same as the others. Divide the mixture evenly into 6 moulds and smooth the top of each. Place in the centre of the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes or until well risen, lightly golden and a skewer comes out cleanly. Allow to cool a little then bring the mixture together into a ball (it will still be very soft), wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for about an hour until it is firm enough to roll out. It consists of three layers of soft, moist vegan ginger cake which is filled with cream cheese frosting and a generous dollop of lemon curd for good measure.

Both the cake layers and biscuits can be made a day or two in advance, as can the vegan lemon curd. The frosting needs to be used straight away however so don't make that until you are ready to assemble the cake - it only takes five minutes to make. If you go down to the woods today, you’re in for a tasty surprise… A fox, badger, rabbit, owl, fawn, and racoon in delicious, almost too-cute-to-eat cake form. While they might look like they’ve been done by a professional, they’re actually incredibly easy to make thanks to our Animal Cake Mould Kit and step-by-step instructions. They’re perfect for children’s parties, and they make a great rainy day activity with the kids as they can have fun helping with the mixing and the decorating. And not to mention the eating! Start by making the gingerbread biscuits; place golden syrup, treacle, brown sugar, coconut oil or margarine* and some water in a pan.

How To Make Woodland Animal Ginger Cake:

She loves planning and baking with me so the whole birthday planning process was a dream come true for her. I kept a few small surprises for her but I always let my kids plan with me because they come up with the most interesting ideas and in reality what I come up with always ends up being much more work. So why not keep it simple and let them plan? I made these animals the night before as well. I used marzipan but you can use fondant or gumpaste as well. I followed these tutorials from Cake Dutchess on Youtube:

Add sifted icing sugar, fresh lemon juice and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth. Transfer a third of the buttercream to a disposable piping bag and snip off the tip, or place it in a regular piping bag fitted with a large round nozzle. Spread a thin layer of buttercream over the TOP of the final cake layer and place it on the cake upside down to give you a flat surface. Break the eggs into another bowl, beat in the vanilla and yoghurt, then stir in the melted butter until well mixed.

Cover each mini sponge with a thin layer of buttercream. You’ll find our buttercream recipe and top tips on our blog. You can also add a dollop of buttercream in the middle to help make the cake sturdier - I totally forgot to do it. It was a really fun cake to make and if you used toy animals instead of making them yourself, I’d say it’s got to be one of the easiest birthday cakes you could make! I think this theme would suit kids of many ages, so I figured I’d share a bit of a tutorial on how I made it in case you’re interested. I posted the process on my insta stories, and thought I would share those photos with a bit more in-depth explanation here.

Once assembled, the cake is best eaten that same day as the biscuits will soak up moisture from the cake over time and become soft. Heat gently while stirring until the coconut oil/margarine has melted. Whisk in cinnamon, ginger, cloves and bicarbonate of soda then stir in plain flour. For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.* Gingerbread Biscuits: Add golden syrup, treacle, sunflower oil and boiling water to the bowl and whisk until no lumps of flour remain. I have tested these biscuits with both coconut oil and dairy free margarine and both work well. The dough may feel a little oily if you use coconut oil but just make sure you use enough flour when you roll it out and it will be fine. I actually like them best made with half coconut oil and half margarine.)

Farm & Woodland Animals Cake Toppers

It is topped with cute vegan gingerbread animals and trees, with a scattering of sugared cranberries, nuts, seeds and rosemary sprigs to complete the woodland scene. It looks especially effective if you serve it on a wooden board! (Mine is from TK Maxx.) Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Dip fresh cranberries in the sugar syrup, shake off the excess then roll them in granulated sugar and transfer to a baking parchment lined tray to set.