Elmo Cake and Elmo Cupcake

Elmo Cake! Elmo Cupcake!

I am very excited to write this post and can't wait to share with you all.  Since Winnie The Pooh's cake  I made last year, I thought that I gave myself another challenge. I asked my best friend whether she would like me to make a birthday cake for her son. She asked me whether I can make Elmo Cake? I thought I can give them a try!. I did lots of research on this. I also received lots of tips and advised from my other besties who made this Elmo cake before on her son's 1st birthday. It was an exciting process after all.

I baked Dark Chocolate Mudcake for the base cake of the elmo and used 3 milo muffins for eyes and the nose of the Elmo. I didn't want to waste the rest of milo batter, so I made the Elmo Cupcake and they were a big hit at the party! The smile and the excitement of the children eating Elmo Cake and Elmo Cupcake were absolutely priceless and that was exactly what I was looking for. Happy Children!

The whole process of making this cake took about 3   separate days of preparation. I do think that you could do all this work in one day. Although It would take very long hours. On the first day, I baked the mud cake and the muffins. On the second day, I prepared the buttercream as my friend advised me to achieve the very red colour of elmo, it was best to do the night before. On the third day, I did the ganache (used the same ganache recipe from Winnie the pooh cake) and piping the cake.

Thank you to my hubby for helping me ganaching the cake and shaping the face of the Elmo. It was a success party at the end. Last but not least, Happy Birthday, Dwayne!

Elmo Cake and Elmo Cupcake

Dark Chocolate Mud Cake

(For 22 cm or 9 inch round Cake)

Ingredients

220g Butter

220g Dark Chocolate, chopped

25g Coffee Granules

125g Self Raising Flour

125g Plain Flour

50g Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1/2 teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda

480g Caster Sugar

4 Eggs, lightly beaten

7 teaspoon Vegetable Oil

100ml Buttermilk

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160ºC. Grease the tin and line the base and sides with baking paper that extends 2cm above the top of the tin.

2. Put the butter, chocolate and coffee in a saucepan with 160ml water and stir over low heat until melted, then remove from the heat.

3. Stir the flours, cocoa, and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar and make well in the centre. Add the combined egg, oil and buttermilk and the chocolate mixture, stirring with a large spoon until completely combined.

4. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 1 hour 30 minutes or until skewer poked into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Leave the cake in the tin until cold.

Elmo Cupcake

(From Milo Cupcake recipe)

Ingredients

100g Plain Flour

20g Cocoa Powder

100g Milo

140g Caster Sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

Pinch of Salt

40g Unsalted Butter, at room temperature

120ml Whole Milk

1 Egg

1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Method

1. Preheat Oven to 170ºC. Put the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, milo, baking powder, salt and butter in a mixer with paddle attachment. Beat on slow speed until you get a sandy consistency and everything is combined.

2. Whisk the milk, egg and vanilla extract together then slowly pour about half into the flour mixture, beat to combine and turn the mixer up to high speed to get rid of any lumps.

3. Turn the mixer down to a slower speed and slowly pour in the remaining milk mixture. Continue mixing for a couple more minutes until the mixture is smooth. Do not overmix.

4. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two-thirds full and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean. Leave the cupcakes to cool slightly in the tray before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

5. When the cupcakes are cold, spread with chocolate ganache and decorate with butter cream. (I used Orange and White Wilton Candy Melts for the eyes and nose for the elmo cupcakes)

Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

500g Icing Sugar

160g Unsalted Butter, at room temperature

50ml Whole Milk

a Couple of Drops of Vanilla Extract

Food Colouring

Method

1  Beat the icing sugar and butter together in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment on medium slow speed until mixture comes together and is well mixed. Turn the mixer down to slow speed.

2. Combine the milk and vanilla extract in a separate bowl, then add to the butter mixture a couple of tablespoon at a time. Once the milk has been incorporated, add the food colouring and turn the mixer up to high speed. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy at least 5 minutes. The longer the frosting is beaten, the fluffier and lighter it becomes.

How to assemble

1. Once you have the cake and muffin ready, have the Elmo Template ready and start to cut the round cake and shaped an  Elmo's face. (I wish I had the Elmo tin, so I can skip this part and begins to ganache and pipe the cake). Placed 2 muffins with ganache on the bottom of muffin for the eyes of the Elmo and 1 muffin for the nose of Elmo.

2. Start ganache the cake and the cupcake. Once the ganache is set hard, spread the buttercream over the nose and the eyes of elmo cake and start the piping process.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Dwayne!



This is what I was aiming for! The red mustard on Dwayne's face while eating Elmo Cupcake



And I've also got some more fans at the party eating my Elmo Cake and Elmo Cupcake. Grace was one of them!