Children's Party Cakes Recipes - Cat-in-a-Basket Cake

Ingredients

• 800g marzipan

• red, green, yellow and brown food coloring

• 15cm round deep sponge cake

• 30ml apricot jam, warmed and sieved 50g butter icing

• 50g white sugar-paste icing

• 20cm round cake board

• fine paint-brush

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Method:

1. Tint 350g/12oz/2 cups of the marzipan pink. Divide the rest in half and tint one half green and the other yellow. Brush the cake with the apricot jam and place it on the board.

2. Roll out the pink marzipan to a rectangle measuring 15 x 25cm/6 x 10in. Cut five 1cm wide strips, about 24cm long, keeping them attached to the rectangle at one end. Roll out the green marzipan and cut it into 7.5cm lengths of the same width. Fold back alternate pink strips and lay a green strip across width ways. Bring the pink strips over the green strip to form the weave. Keep repeating the process until the entire length is woven. Press lightly to join. Repeat with the rest of the rectangle and more strips of green marzipan.

3. Press the two pieces of basket weave on to the side of cake, joining them neatly. Model a yellow marzipan cat about 7.5cm/3in across. Leave to dry overnight.

4. Roll out the sugar-paste  icing and place on the centre of the cake. Put the cat on top and arrange the icing in folds around it. Trim the edges neatly.

5. Make long ropes from any leftover pink and green marzipan. Twist together and press on to the top edge of the cake. Paint the cat's features in brown food coloring.