A Peppa Pig themed party wouldn’t be complete without a Peppa cake, would it?

To me, muddy puddles cues decadent chocolate cake that you can sink your teeth into and go Aaah! Maybe it’s just me but I would eat chocolate cake for breakfast if I could and if it didn’t set an example to my ‘ever eager to copy everything that he shouldn’t’ 3 year old.

My go-to recipe for chocolate cake is the Hummingbird Bakery’s classic chocolate cupcake recipe. I topped it with fondant icing and a large chocolate puddle for Peppa and George to wallow in.

I don’t much care for cake decorating. As you can tell, this one won’t win competitions. But it’s a simple and homely cake that even a cake decorating novice like me can manage. Take a look below.

I did, however, have a very happy 3 year old. That’s prize enough for me.

Ingredients:

400 grams flour

80 grams dark cocoa powder

560 grams caster sugar

6 tsp baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

160 grams salted butter, softened

480 mls whole milk

4 medium eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Other bits and pieces:

500 grams shop bought white fondant icing

200 grams green fondant icing

1 box Willie’s Cacao Chef’s Drops

20″ cake tin, greased

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to gas 4 (180 C or 350 F).

2. Sieve the flour, cocoa and baking powder together so that it’s light and airy.

3. Beat the butter and sugar together until it’s creamy.

4. Whisk the eggs well, add in the milk and vanilla extract.

5. Add the milk and eggs mixture to the butter and sugar mixture until well incorporated. You could use a stand or handheld mixer on a low speed.

6. Add in the flour mix a little at a time, folding it in but not really beating it. Once it is smooth and free of lumps, pour it into the greased cake pan.

7. Bake for about 30-35 minutes. To test, insert a knife into the cake. If the knife comes out clean, your cake is done.

8. Let cool overnight and cover with fondant the next morning or after 3-4 hours.

9. For the muddy puddle, melt chocolate buttons and smooth the melted chocolate onto the fondant with the back of a spoon.

10. Place the Peppa and George figurines in the centre of the cake and Voila! There it is, your Muddy Puddles Cake. Happy toddler, guaranteed.

PS: I did sneak in a slice for breakfast the next day. Shhh, don’t tell!

Notes:

1. Baking time may vary depending on your oven. Best to follow your own baking times, check for browning and follow the knife test.

2. For the green ‘hedges’ border, I simply grated some green icing and arranged it around the cake.

3. For the chocolate puddle I used Willie’s Cacao Chef drops. My new favourite ingredient!

4. I’ve multiplied the original recipe by 4 and used salted butter.

Filed under: Baking, Cakes Tagged: chocolate cake, epicurious, Hummingbird, Mumsnet, Mumsnet Blogging Network, peppa pig birthday cake, Peppa Pig cake, Willie's Cacao