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Lowlites - Splitties - Thou's - Millions

The Morris Minor Traveller Cake



It was my wife's birthday the other day and she wanted a chocolate cake. I could have gone down to the cake shop and bought one, but I knew that I needed some more domestic credit points, so it had to be something special. How about a Morris Minor Cake made to Grandma's original recipe?

Ingredients

  • 20"x20" cake board (cover a piece of hardboard with tinfoil).
  • 4 packets of chocolate sponge cake mix.
  • 500 grams marzipan icing.
  • 2 ready-rolled 10-15" square sheets of marzipan decorative icing (whiter than normal icing).
  • Coloured edible icing (black, brown, sliver, yellow, etc) preferably in squeezable decorating tubes).
  • Desicated coconut.
  • Food colouring - green, black, red, etc
  • Jam, you choose the flavour.
  • 2 Cadbury Flakes.
  • 4 licorice rolls.
  • Assorted lollies/sweets.
  • A six-pack of beer for each of the 'chefs'.


Directions

  • Make up all four packets of sponge cake as per the directions and wait for it to rise in the oven. (this is a good time to sample the beer, just to make sure it's cold enough)
  • Place one of the ready-rolled icing sheets onto the cake board and roll out to completely cover the board
  • Cut the cooled sponge cake, which should be approximately 1" thick, into 2 rectangles approximately 10" long and 4" wide, and another 2 rectangles approximately 7" long and 4" wide. These will make up the basic shape of the car.
  • If you want to have chocolate icing layers in the middle of the cake, make up a batch of chocolate icing (we didn't, but it would help to hold the cake together. This is also another good time to check the beer temperature)
  • Stack the layers of cake together, spreading the chocolate icing between them as you go if you've made some, with the two long pieces of cake on the bottom and the two shorter pieces on top at one end. If you've done a perfect job of making the sponge cake then you may want to round off the 'front' end of each set of sponge layers, because this will be the bonnet and front of the roof. Of course if you are making a saloon or a van you will have to adjust the size and shape of the layers of sponge accordingly.
  • Now, position the sponge cake on the cake board in the required position, we put it diagonally across the board for that 'dynamic' look. (Either that or we'd had too many beers already)
  • Coat the cake with a thin layer of jam. This helps the icing stick in place.
  • Roll out the marzipan into thin strips and begin to build up the shape of the Minor, adding things like the raised guards (for a highlight) and filling any holes in the sponge cake. Think of this as welding up the rust holes and fitting new guards. Don't eat any of the leftovers yet, you might need it later for running repairs.
  • When the car is looking kind of like a real one put it in the fridge for about an hour to help the marzipan harden a bit. Have another beer whilst you wait.
  • Now it's time to add the top coat. Lay the last sheet of ready-rolled icing over the top of the car and smooth it down so that it takes the shape and hides the joins in the marzipan underneath. Cut any excess away with a sharp knife. Give the knife to the one who's had the least to drink.
  • Once you are happy with the shape of your masterpiece, it's time to start the fun bit, decorating. If you are adventurous you can use the food colouring to paint it to match the birthday girl/boy's car, or you can just leave it as is for that 'Old English White' look.
  • Use the decorating tubes to draw in the windows and doors (black), the chromework (silver or yellow), and the woodwork (brown).
  • Use the licorice rolls for the wheels and whatever small, round sweets you have for the head and tail lights.
  • Paint a road around the car with the black food colouring. Mix up the desicated coconut and some green food colouring in a cup to make the grass, and spread it beside the road. Make road markings out of leftover icing. Check the beer for consistency.
  • Stick the appropriate number of candles in the roof of the cake.
  • Crumble a Cadbury's Flake at the side of the road to look like a fallen tree.
  • Put the finished cake in the fridge to hide it and to let it solidify a little more. Eat the remaining Cadbury Flake as a reward for finishing the cakemaking and wash it down with the remaining beer in the knowledge of a job well done.


Of course, after all that beer, any dometic credit points you gain from the cake will get used up when you keep her awake all night snoring ...

Here's One I Prepared Earlier



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