Special 60th Birthday cake - heeeeelp!!

[Birdie Wife]

Says it all really! I've been asked to make a cake for my lovely neighbour who is 60 in just over 4 weeks' time. She's the lady who got me started on chickens and gave me three hybrids to start me off on that slippery slope, so I'd like to make a bit of an effort. Her husband is going to have a think about what she would like but his first idea was a nice simple sponge cake with icing. There will be a small crowd for the party, so it needs to be big enough for about 30 mouths.

So I need your best recipes please! I know you won't let me down

[Nicos]

well- I just make a basic Victoria sponge mix, but use butter and a splodge of vanilla essence

here's a nice fun cake you could make!!!...

http://coolest-birthday-cakes.shippo...hildren-04.jpg

This one was for a 69 th birthday!!

http://www.coolest-birthday-cakes.co...en-cake-6.html

[di]

I really like that second one!

My first thoughts were a vicci sponge,iced with white Regal ice & then make lots of different little icing chooks to pop on the top...or maybe ice it in pale green??...although some people are funny about coloured icing.

I made a chook for ndi's birthday,probably not appropriate for what you're doing,but it was fun.There's a pic in my Profile album.

[kirsty b]

The madeira recipe that Sarzwix posted up when I asked for help (see thread 'Cake Help') is pretty good. Has several recipes for different size tins.

[Hilary B]

Can you make a diamond shaped cake? Perhaps bake in a square/oblong roasting tin and do some 'reshaping' by cutting off triangles and adding them back on at a different point?
I prefer the roasting tin when making cakes for a large number, and you can decorate in such imaginative ways!
Chocolate butter icing makes good 'pretend earth' and you can colour desicated coconut green and add for grass (not all over if doing a chicken design), and chicks (either the little fluffy ones sold for Eastery things, or perhaps make your own out of marzipan or fondant icing).
If you can do enough chicks to arrange as the number 60, or make the number the bit without 'grass' on (cut shapes out of paper and lay over the butter icing while adding the coloured coconut, then remove paper)?

I forgot the important bit, if you are using a roasting tin as a large cake tin for a Victoria Sponge recipe, measure the capacity of the tin, and you need a 1 egg, 2oz butter, 2oz sugar, 3oz flour mix per pint of space (optional whether you fill the tin to the top). Cook as for normal Victoria Sp[onge, but will need a bit longer, depending on actual size. Test for 'springiness' in the middle to see when it is done.