Children's Party Cakes Recipes - Army Tank Cake

Ingredients

• 25cm square sponge cake

• 225g butter icing

• 45ml apricot jam, warmed and sieved

• 450g marzipan

• 450g sugar paste icing

• brown, green and black food coloring

• chocolate flake

• liquorices strips

• 60ml royal icing

• round biscuits

• sweets

• 25 x 35cm cake baord

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Method:

1. Split and fill the sponge cake with butter icing. Cut off a 10cm/4in strip from one side of the cake. Use the off-cut to make a 15 x 7.5cm/6 x 3in rectangle, and stick on the top.

2. Shape the sloping top and cut a 2.5cm/1in piece from both ends between the tracks. Shape the rounded ends for the wheels and tracks. Place on the cake board and brush with apricot jam. Cover with a layer of marzipan.

3. Tint a quarter of the sugar-paste icing brown and the rest green. Roll out the green to a 25cm/10in square. Break small pieces of brown icing and place all over the green. Flatten and roll out together to give a camouflage effect. Turn the icing over and repeat.

4. Continue to roll out until the icing is 3mm thick. Lay it over the cake and gently press to fit. Cut away the excess. Cut a piece into a 6cm disc and stick on the top with a little water. Cut a small hole in it for the gun and insert the chocolate flake. Stick liquorices on for the tracks, using a little black royal icing. Stick on biscuits for the wheels and sweets for the lights and portholes.