How to conjure up a birthday cake for a child?

There are as many recipes for the perfect sponge cake as there are home bakers. Everyone has their own secret formula for a cake that's light and fluffy. If you already have one, there's no need to change it. Otherwise, we're here to share the most universal recipe that always works – provided you follow our instructions to the letter.

Ingredients:

-  cup plain flour (cake flour is best),
-  cup potato flour (or cornflour/corn starch for an even lighter texture),
-  cup very fine caster sugar,
- 5 large eggs.

And that's all there is to it! No baking powder or bicarbonate of soda is needed. The sponge cake should rise thanks to the eggs alone. From these ingredients, you'll get a cake with a diameter of 25 centimetres and a height of approximately 5 centimetres.

Preparation:

1. Take the eggs out of the fridge approximately 2 hours before you start. All ingredients must be at room temperature.
2. Sieve the plain flour and potato flour into one bowl.
3. Separate the egg whites from the yolks. In a second, very large bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff, being careful not to overbeat them. Forget the electric mixer for this step – you'll get far better results using a whisk. You'll have more control over the mixture, and the air bubbles will be larger. Towards the very end, gradually add the sugar, continuing to whisk. Then, add the egg yolks, one by one.
4. Once the mixture is ready and very fluffy, slowly fold in the flour. You must be careful to mix all ingredients very gently. The air needs to stay in the batter. Silicone spatulas work a treat here.
5. When the whole thing is uniform, pour the mixture into a springform pan with its base lined with baking paper. You can also use a spatula to help. Do not grease or line the sides of the pan, as the cake won't have anything to 'climb' on as it rises.
6. Bake the sponge cake in an oven preheated to 160 degrees Celsius for approximately 35-40 minutes. Before removing, check if it's baked through using a wooden skewer or a special cake tester.
7. After taking it out, drop the springform pan from a height of about 30 centimetres onto the floor. This will prevent the cake from sinking.
8. Once cold, remove the sponge cake from the pan by carefully running a knife around the sides.
9. The next step is to divide the cake into 3 layers. It's best to use a piece of thread for this – especially if you're not a seasoned baker.

Preparing cream might seem straightforward, but you need to bear a few rules in mind to ensure the mixture is stable yet light and fluffy.

A delicious cake filling must be light and fluffy!

You have a lot of freedom when adding ingredients. Remember to be careful with any liquid products or fruit juices – they can prevent the mixture from setting as it should, making the cream runny. First, whip the cream on its own, and only then, at the very end, add any extra ingredients. Here, we apply the opposite rule to the sponge cake: all ingredients should be chilled. This might be tricky for chocolate or butter, but you should certainly allow them to come to at most room temperature. An electric mixer will prove invaluable. Once finished, the cream needs to chill in the fridge for at least a few hours.

Ingredients:

- 500 ml double cream (36% fat),
- 500 g mascarpone cheese,
- 1 vanilla pod or 1 sachet of vanilla sugar,
- 3 tablespoons icing sugar.

Preparation:

1. Place all ingredients into a bowl.
2. Mix, starting on the lowest speed and slowly increasing to maximum.
3. The cream is ready when the mixture resembles whipped cream in consistency – it's light, fluffy, and holds its shape.

Simply layering the sponge cake with cream shouldn't pose much of a challenge if you use a palette knife. Remember to soak the cake layers adequately with fruit juice or tea. The real challenge now will be making sure the decorations are spot on – for this, let's use cake and cookie decorating accessories from FormAdore.

• Cream rosettes

If you don't have the skills or time to shape modelling pastes and icings, artistic rosettes made with a piping bag and interesting nozzles might be just the ticket. Add some colourful M&M's or sprinkles to give the cake a vibrant and beautiful look. You can also dust the top of the sponge cake with cocoa or grated chocolate. A special sieve will make this task a breeze.

• Fondant icing

These types of cake decorations are very popular. Preparing modelling paste and sculpting with it doesn't have to be difficult at all. All you need is a large amount of icing sugar and a little water, glucose, and gelatine. You can colour the paste as you wish. It can be used to cover the entire surface of the cake, as well as to create small decorative elements. Thanks to icing modelling tools or cutters for interesting patterns from rolled-out paste, you'll quickly tackle even complex decorations. If you want to create a larger or unusual element, manual sculpting will be necessary. If you're feeling a bit unsure, reach for ready-made decoration templates that will make your work easier. Icing modelling tools will speed up the entire process, and you'll feel like a professional confectioner in no time.

• Marshmallow and rice crispy treat mixture

This is a really interesting option that allows you to sculpt any shape, and most importantly – very large elements that wouldn't be possible with fondant. The mixture is made from puffed rice, melted marshmallows, and a touch of margarine. It's very flexible and easy to shape when warm. Once cooled, it becomes very stable and durable. You can cover it with chocolate or coconut flakes.

• Wishes for the birthday boy or girl

An essential decorative element on any cake is a message for the birthday boy or girl. You have a few options – you can use pens that you fill with slightly runnier icing. However, you must be careful to apply such a message at the very end, just before serving. Otherwise, the letters will 'spread'. Other solutions include: preparing wishes by cutting out characters from fondant icing or creating them with sprinkles. A template of numbers and letters will certainly come in handy.