It's hard to imagine children's birthdays without a beautifully designed cake. Mastic is often used for decoration, but many mothers prefer to abandon it, believing that sugar mixed with dye is not suitable for babies. There are many replacement options: colored or chocolate icing, ganache, light cream. Hand-baked curly gingerbread cookies, marzipan figurines, chocolate monograms and letters will help you decorate the cake.
Cake without mastic: features and benefits
Many confectioners cannot imagine elegant children's cakes without mastic. It forms a perfectly smooth finish, transforming ordinary homemade baked goods into an elegant dessert worthy of the festive table. In addition, it is convenient to make decorations from mastic: volumetric figures, plates with inscriptions and wishes, beks and other decorative elements. The cake perfectly tolerates transportation and looks spectacular in photos and videos.
However, mastic cakes have a big disadvantage - they are too sweet and even sugary. Not all adults like the thick layer of sugar, which contrasts with the delicate taste of cream, fruit additives and impregnations. Ey, such a high-calorie dessert is all the more unhealthy for children, even if they decide to try a piece.
Do not limit your imagination to practical mastic, there are many ideas for replacing it. Among the most popular:
- colored and mirror glazes;
- thick creamy or yoghurt cream;
- chocolate ganache;
- a variety of topping (crumbled cookies, chocolate or coconut flakes, crushed nuts).
The cakes are very beautiful, completely covered with fresh fruit, poured with homemade icing. Marzipan figurines can be used as decoration. The mass of grated almonds and powdered sugar contains a lot of calories, but it is much tastier and healthier than mastic. You can decorate the cake with gingerbread cookies fixed on skewers, ready-made lollipops, chocolates.
Simple cake for beginners: step by step preparation
As a base for the cake, you can use a light homemade biscuit, which is covered with custard. The main idea is the original form of the delicacy.
Ingredients:
- 100 g softened butter;
- 4 egg yolks;
- 1 cup of sugar;
- 1 tbsp. l. sour cream;
- 0.5 tsp slaked soda;
- 1, 5 cups wheat flour;
- a pinch of vanillin.
For the cream:
- 1 egg;
- 3 tbsp. l. Sahara;
- a pinch of vanillin;
- 1 tsp flour;
- 0.5 cups of milk.
Mix softened butter with sugar and vanilla, add yolks and sour cream. Grind everything thoroughly, add soda. Add sifted flour in portions and knead a light dough. Pour it into a round shape, lightly oiled. Bake in an oven preheated to 200 degrees until a beautiful golden color, check the willingness with a wooden skewer. Place the sponge cake on a cooling board.
Prepare the custard. In a saucepan, grind the egg with sugar and flour, dilute with cold milk and put the mixture on the stove. Stir, cook until thick, add vanillin at the end. Cool the finished cream slightly and rub through a sieve, achieving complete homogeneity.
Cut the round cake with a sharp knife according to a pre-prepared stencil. You can cut off 2 pointed ovals from the sides so that the upper part is narrower than the lower one, and the whole figure resembles a bell. The cut off parts are attached to the narrow top in the form of ears - a bunny is obtained. Place the figurine on a flat dish and cover with custard, leveling it with a wide knife.
The most interesting thing is cake decoration. The easiest way is to use a ready-made drawing mass from tubes. She draws a muzzle, legs, draws a skirt. An alternative option is to use a multi-colored dragee. You can attract a child to the decoration - kids really like this kind of work.
Children's cake with cream and icing: a step-by-step recipe
A more sophisticated option is the classic two-tiered cake with cream spread and colored frosting. The base is a delicious airy biscuit. An important condition: follow the recipe step by step and take your time. To simplify the process, you can use ready-made decorations, figurines on skewers are sold in all pastry departments.
Ingredients:
- 4 eggs;
- 120 g sugar;
- 40 g butter;
- 120 g flour.
For the cream:
- 100 ml thick creamy yogurt;
- 100 ml cream cheese;
- 3 tbsp. l. Sahara;
- a pinch of vanillin;
- 50 g canned pineapple.
For decoration:
- any canned fruits (peaches, pears, pineapples, strawberries);
- 1 tsp gelatin;
- 4 tbsp. l. fruit syrup from a jar.
Separate the whites from the yolks. Grind the yolks with half a portion of sugar, beat the whites into a strong foam, gradually adding the remaining sugar. Add sifted flour in portions to the yolk mass, and then carefully add the proteins, stirring the dough from bottom to top to maintain volume. Pour it into a greased round dish, bake in an oven preheated to 180 degrees for about 30-35 minutes. Pierce the sponge cake with a splinter to make sure the cake is completely cooked. Remove from the mold and cool on a board or wire rack.
To prevent the cake from falling apart, it must stand for at least 10, and preferably 12 hours. Cut the workpiece into 3 cakes using a special string knife or ordinary fishing line. Spread the layers with yoghurt cream with pineapple pieces. It is not difficult to prepare it: beat the softened butter with sugar and vanilla, add yogurt. When the mass becomes airy, add finely chopped canned pineapple.
Cover the surface of the cake with cream, put fruits on it. Drizzle over them with a mixture of warmed fruit syrup and gelatin dissolved in water. Decorate the cake with ready-made sweets or gingerbreads fixed on skewers.
