Car Shaped Birthday Surprise

8oz Butter

8oz Granulated Sugar

10oz Self Raising Flour

1.5Tsp Baking Powder

4 Eggs

2Tsp Vanilla Essence

6oz Cherries (Chopped)

1-2Tbs Milk

Cooking time: Gas mark 4/170c for 45 minutes

Serving: 15cm by 30cm cake tin

1. Cream together the butter and sugar in a bowl with a whisk for 2-3 minutes

2. In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs and vanilla essence for 2 minutes

3. Whisk the egg mixture into the butter mixture for a further 2-3 minutes until the mixture is well combined and a smooth consistency

4. In a separate bowl sieve the flour and baking powder togeth

5. Mix the chopped cherries into the flour mixture

6. Fold the cherry mixture into the egg mixture and mix well until it is well combined and a nice smooth dropping consistency

7. Add the milk and mix well

8. Pour the mixture into the grease proof paper tin and spread out with a knife so it is even

9. Pop in the oven to bake, half way through the baking time, open the door and check the cake and cover with greaseproof paper this prevents the cake from burning and from it being cooked through

10. Once done leave in the tin to cool for a while and then using the greaseproof paper to help you turn out onto a chopping board to cool

Making the Shape

1. Turn the cake so its the right way up

2. At each corner cut a triangle off, so you should be left with a roundish point at each end

3. You then will have 4 triangle pieces, 2 of these will be spare and on the other 2 you need to curve the top so it is not pointie and a nice curved shaped

4. You then place these at one end of the rest of the cake e.g. the right hand side with the longer edge at the front of the car and the taller side in the middle (This will be the front of the cake)

5. You then need to cut along the sides to make it narrow, these will be fairly easy as it will be from where the triangle pieces were cut

6. With these two pieces, do the same and curve the top and place at the other end e.g. left. Again the longer, sloping side at the front and the taller in the middle. (This will be the back of the cake)

Icing and Decoration

2 Batches of the 'perfect icing' from this blog

4 Jammy Dodgers

Sweet shoe laces / strawberry laces

3 Cherries

Jam

Silver Ball Balls

1. Cover the whole cake with the icing, Use the icing to help you hold the sponges inplace, I also used Jam as well as it adds more flavour and is a nice surprise for when the person takes a bite

2. Do not leave to set as you need to put the other decorations on

3. Cover the back of the jammy dodges with jam and press onto the side of the cake

4. Cut the cherries in half and use 2 halves at each end of the lights and one half for the stirring wheel

5. Cut the shoe laces and place them on the car as shown in the picture or how you desired

6. I then made the number 17 as it was my brothers 17th Birthday, but you can do what ever you desire

7. Tuck in and enjoy as much as you want! This cake went in one go!!