Ninja Birthday Cake guest post by my sister

While some moms like me huff and puff over the everyday challenges of motherhood, few others like my sister, manage their family and jobs with equal dexterity.... and then find the time and energy to plan and arrange fabulous birthday parties for their sons, make themed cakes for the parties ....

and save some energy to do the same for their friends...

I am always awed by her baking and cake decorating skills and so asked her recently if she would share one her creations with us. She readily agreed and few weeks ago shared this Ninja birthday cake . It is the one that she made for her son's 6th birthday.

 Isn't it awesome ??

I am sure this lovely cake would have made her boy really HAPPY...

and in case it did not... this LEGO cake would have definitely swept the BIG boy off  his feet !!

Kudos to the supermom for baking such spectacular cakes and  lots of love and blessings to the lucky boy with the supermom and a loving dad !

Now the recipe of the Ninja Birthday Cake...

Ninja Birthday Cake  (Butter Cake with Buttercream Frosting)

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Recipe by Rinku Pal Pandey

Yields : 6 inch round cake

Total Time:  5 hours active time (including baking time) + overnight resting time for the fondant figures.   

Ingredients

For the Butter Cake

• 1 1/2 cups butter, at room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 5 eggs
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp No color almond extract
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup milk

For the Buttercream Frosting

• 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine softened
• 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approximately 1 lb.)
• 2 tablespoons milk

Cooking Directions

For the Butter Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). 
2. Spray a 6 inch round cake pans with vegetable pan spray, or use Cake Release.
3. In mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
5. Mix in vanilla and almond essence.
6. Mix flour with baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture alternately with milk, starting with the flour; mix well. 
7. Pour into prepared pans and bake at 350° F for approximately 1 hr 20 minutes, till the top bounces back or the skewer comes out clean. 
8. Cool 10 minutes in pan. Loosen sides and remove. Cool completely before decorating.

For the Buttercream Frosting

1. In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. 
2. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. 
3. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.
4. For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Re-whip before using.
5. For the decoration, color the icing in any color you desire using the edible colors and using a spatula cover the cake evenly to get a creamy layer.

For the Cake Toppings:

1. For the figures, fondant was colored using various edible colors and a hand at clay modelling was tried to get, in this case, the Ninja turtle character!!!! 
2. The figures and buildings were made a day before to allow them to harden overnight.

Assembling the Cake :

1. The recipe yields a 6 inch round and 3.5 inch tall cake. Cut the cake into 2 halves and spread the buttercream icing between them.
2. Stack the 2 halves with the sides with icing facing each other.
3. Next spread the icing in the center of the stacked cake and cover it all over to get a smooth finish.
4. Finally top the cake with the fondant decorations.

Notes:

• The above recipe yields 7 1/2 cups of cake batter and approximately 3 cups of buttercream icing.
• Baking times and temperatures are specific to pans. For a 10 inch round and 3 inch deep cake pan, bake at 350° F for approximately 2 hrs till the top bounces back or the skewer comes out clean. 
• Modelling the figures and buildings takes about 2-3 hours.
• The recipe is adapted from Wilton.com.

Thank you so much Rinku for sharing the recipe with all of us. Hope we get to taste a slice of your cakes soon....

The photo credits for this post go to Gunjan Panday and Rinku Pal Pandey.

I shall be sharing this cake at all these parties.