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Caterpillar cake

One caterpillar cake

Caterpillar cake

Name: Caterpillar cake
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 3 eggs; 100g caster sugar plus 1 tbsp; 80g self-raising flour; 50g desiccated coconut blitzed in a food processor until fine; 2 limes zested; 350g unsalted butter softened, plus extra for the tin; 700g icing sugar sifted; 2 limes juiced (use the zested limes); green food colouring gel; strawberry-flavoured laces; 50g white chocolate; liquorice allsorts and laces

Katie Marshall

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Serves 10

More effort

Prep: 40 mins

Cook: 20 mins

plus cooling and setting

A star rating of 3 out of 5.2 ratingsRate

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Make a children's birthday cake even more special with this super-cute caterpillar. Decorated with piped buttercream, it's sure to delight young party guests.

Vegetarian

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Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

3 eggs
100g caster sugar

plus 1 tbsp
80g self-raising flour
50g desiccated coconut

blitzed in a food processor until fine
2 limes

zested

For the buttercream and decorations

350g unsalted butter

softened, plus extra for the tin
700g icing sugar

sifted
2 limes

juiced (use the zested limes)
green food colouring gel
strawberry-flavoured laces
50g white chocolate
liquorice allsorts

and laces

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Nutrition: Per serving

kcal675
fat34g
saturates21g
carbs89g
sugars82g
fibre1g
protein4g
salt0.2g

Method

step 1

Butter a 25 x 32cm swiss roll tin and line with parchment. Whisk the eggs and sugar in a stand mixer until thick, about 5 mins. Fold in the flour, coconut and lime zest. Spread into the tin. Bake for 14-16 mins until golden. Invert onto a large sheet of parchment dusted with 1 tbsp sugar. While still warm, roll the cake up into a spiral along one of the short sides, with the parchment inside. Leave to cool fully.
step 2

For the buttercream, beat the butter in a stand mixer until pale, then the icing sugar in three parts, followed by the lime juice. Unroll the cooled sponge and spread with 100g of the buttercream before rolling back up. Put on a board. Divide the rest of the buttercream between two bowls. Colour one dark green and the other light. Spoon into two piping bags fitted with a multiple opening nozzle. Pipe the green buttercreams in alternating stripes along the length of the cake.
step 3

Lay the strawberry laces between the stripes. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Spoon an 8cm circle of melted chocolate onto a sheet of parchment. Chill until set, about 10 mins. Make the face using liquorice allsorts and strawberry laces, and attach to the chocolate disc using more chocolate. Attach to one end of the cake using buttercream. Stick liquorice laces into the top and sides to make antennae and legs. Will keep chilled for up to three days.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, September 2022

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A star rating of 3 out of 5.2 ratings

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