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Mudcakes are fine for sculpting into cake creatures and can be stored in the fridge. If you are freezing them, allow a day to thaw out in the fridge because they are very dense.
White chocolate mudcake
250 g butter, chopped
150 g white chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 cups/440 g castor sugar
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup self raising flour
1 tsp vanilla essence/1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Grease a 20 cm round cake tin. Line with baking paper.
Combine butter, chocolate, sugar and milk in a medium saucepan.
Sitre over a low heat without boiling until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl and cool for 15 mins.
Preheat oven to a medium-slow oven, 160 C fan forced.
Whisk sifted flours into mixture. Stir in eggs and essence.
Pour mixture into your prepared pan and bake for 1 hour. Cover the pan with foil and bake for a further 40 mins.
White chocolate buttercream frosting
1/2 cup solid copha
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
40 g white chocolate, melted
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
500 g sifted icing sugar
3-4 tbsp milk
Decoration
Orchard icing
Red food dye
Sour straps
Pink jelly snakes. The harder these are the better, so go for the cheapo brands.
Make the cake
Cream shortening and butter. Add the white and vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as required. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add food dye until you are happy with the colour.
Carve the cake into shape
Place your cake onto a chopping board and, using a sharp knife, cut out your cake into the shapes below
Carve away the edges of the cake to create a nicely shaped body and head. Remembering that people have to eat this cake and have decent sized pieces.
Transfer your cake to your prepared board. Place two slices of baking paper underneath the cake. After you have iced the cake you will slide these out (you wont messy up your board that way). Attach the head of the axolotl to the body using a bamboo skewer.
Ice your cake
Smother your cake all over with icing using a metal spatula. For finer areas, like the inner curve of the tail, use a butter knife. Smooth out most of the creases in the icing using a metal knife or spatula dipped into very hot water. You will set the icing and repeat this later, so just get the worst of the creases out now.
Add the legs and dorsal fin
Make the legs by adding a bit more food colouring to your Orchard icing and kneed it through until the colour is uniform. Pull off a clump and roll into a sausage. Flatten one end slightly between your thumb and forefinger and then make 3 cuts to make the toes. Press to the side of the body.
Lightly dust your clean, dry work surface with icing sugar. Roll out a strip of Orchard icing so its 3-4mm thickness and 3cm wide (you will need to work out the length depending on your own cake, from the top of the head to the middle of the tail). Arrange the dorsal fin along the length of the axolotl.
The gills
Take your 'snakes' and cut them 4-5cm long sections. You will need 6 in total. Make slit down one end. With your sour straps, cut them into 6 x 3cm sqares. Cut 10 slits down the sides of each square to make the furry gill segments - do not cut right the way to the middle! Slip the sour strap into the slot in the snake and trim the sour strap "gills" so the top bits are shorter (see diagram). Squeeze closed. The stickiness of the snakes should keep the sour strap gills in place. Poke them into the head. I didn't have any trouble with them staying in place but if you do I would suggest poking a tooth pick into the "snake" and then poking that into the head.
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The eyes
Roll a small amount of the Orchard icing into a ball. Flatten slightly. I used a coriander seed (oh yes!) for the pupil because it was the only thing I could find in the cupboard. But you could use mini m&ms or those little silver ball things or whatever else you find in your cupboard.
Finishing off
Leave the cake in the fridge for about an hour or so to allow the icing to set. Run a hot knife (a metal knife or spatula dunked in hot water) to smooth over your axolotl's icing. Mop up any messy bits on your display tray with a paper towel -- or ear bud for fine parts!
