Beat the party stress

FOR MANY PARENTS, BAKING A BIRTHDAY CAKE IS CORTISOL-RAISING

It’s almost party season, so many parents are about to attempt making a birthday cake. Spongy unicorns, dragons and castles will be on the menu, as will iced soccer balls, tape decks and galaxy cakes for the kids (and adults, like my brother) who want to traverse the space-time continuum.

But a party cake is a pretty tricky thing to make. Hundreds of thousands of party cake recipes are on the internet, making them seem simple to conjure up. But if this is your first time, don’t take on too much at once. Begin with the basics.

We spoke to cakemaker and winner of My Kitchen Rules 2022, Janelle Halil, who shared her three top tips for making a perfect party cake.

1. USE A STURDY MUD OR BUTTER CAKE RECIPE

“Using a mud cake, whether white or dark chocolate, a butter or pound cake, is essential to creating a sturdy foundation that can hold decorations,” Janelle says.

“A mud or butter cake isn’t going to fall over and cause cake drama. Don’t use a light cake such as a sponge or angel food cake if you want to decorate it.”

2. CHILL THE CAKE

Janelle says living in Australia means cakes can become victims of hot weather, so choosing the correct icing recipe and ensuring the cake remains chilled is super-important.

“I usually use chocolate ganache to fill and ice my cakes and use buttercream to pipe decorations,” she says.

3. USE FOOD GEL

Janelle uses coloured food gel instead of liquid food colouring because the gel is more concentrated. “Food colouring liquids can make your icing consistency too runny and create a big mess!”

After you take Halil’s advice, don’t forget to master knowing when a cake is baked.

KNOW WHEN A CAKE IS DONE

Bakers and pastry chefs instantly know when their cakes are done by the smell. If your house fills with an irresistible scent five minutes before your timer is set to go off, check your cake – chances are it’s done. Failing that, use a sharp knife or a skewer to poke into the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s ready.

Halil’s ultimate kid’s cake with Swiss meringue buttercream frosting (below) is sure to be a show-stopper at your next party.