Annabel Karmel's Blog

Annabel Karmel's No Bake Train Cake

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This fantastic looking train cake is a wonderful centrepiece for your child’s party. And even better, it requires no baking – just some building! Your child will love helping you, and will be so proud of their fabulous result. It can be created in very less time if you buy basic ingredients from the supermarket.

Kids would enjoy assembling the train but watch out they might eat ingredients!

Serves: 12
Prep time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

No Bake Train Cake Ingredients

For the train

• 11 mini chocolate Swiss rolls
• 1 tub ready-to-spread buttercream
• 2 large Battenberg cakes
• 2 mini Battenberg cakes
• 1 French fancy (Mr Kipling)
• 1 mini meringue
• 1 licorice Catherine wheel
• 8 cream jam rings (Jammie Dodgers)
• 1 iced doughnut
• 1 oyster wafer shell
• 2 mini gingerbread men
• Mini chocolate eggs
• Licorice Allsorts
• White chocolate buttons with sprinkles
• Iced Gems and Haribo to decorate
• Sugar flowers

For the grass

• 2 x 250g/9oz bags dessicated coconut
• Green food colouring
• Cake board approx 70 x 40 cm (27 x 16in)
• 5 tbsp strawberry jam

For the track

• Wafer curls for the tracks
• Boudoir biscuits for the sleepers

Method

Step - 1: Making The Grass

1. Make the Grass

To make the grass, pour the coconut into a large freezer bag and mix with a little of the green food colouring and a few drops of water.

Warm the strawberry jam and brush it over the surface of the cake board.

Sprinkle over the green coconut and press down so the board is completely covered.

Lay Out The Track

2. Lay Out The Track

Lay out the track using the wafer curls in parallel lines and place the Boudoir biscuits across the tracks to form sleepers.

Cut Battenberg Cakes

3. Cut the Cakes

Cut about one quarter off the end of one of the large Battenberg cakes and cut the remaining length in half to form the carriages.

Cut the cake yourself as you’ll need to use a sharp knife

Spread Buttercream

4. Spread buttercream

Spread a little buttercream over one end of the whole cake and place the cut quarter on top to form the cab. Finish with an iced French Fancy on top.

Prepare the Engine

5. Prepare the Engine

Place a mini Battenberg cake upright at the front of the engine and secure using a little buttercream, then position a mini meringue on top.

Arrange Swiss Roll

6. Arrange Swiss Rolls

Arrange for our five mini Swiss rolls on top of the track, and spread with some of the buttercream.

Carefully position the whole large Battenberg cake on top.

Prepare the Wheel

7. Prepare the Wheel

Again using a little dab of buttercream, place the licorice Catherine wheel at the front of the train and Licorice Allsorts at the front of the train.

Arrange the Jammie Dodgers along either side of the engine for the wheels.

8. Place two mini Swiss rolls on the track behind the engine cover with a little buttercream and position one of the cut lengths of Battenberg cake on top. Place an oyster wafer on top of the cake and fill with mini chocolate eggs.

Train Cake Ready

9. Please two more mini Swiss rolls on the track behind the first carriage and put an iced doughnut on top. Stand a mini Gingerbreadman on top of the doughnut. Stick Licorice Allsorts onto the ends of the Swiss rolls for the wheels of the carriage.

10. Place another two mini Swiss rolls behind, with the remaining cut length of Battenberg cake on top. Put an oyster wafer on top of this filled with chocolate money. Add white chocolate buttons with sprinkles as wheels.

11. Decorate the train with Liquorice Allsorts, Haribo, Iced Gems, white chocolate buttons and sliced mini Battenberg cake. Linked the separate pieces of cake with wafer curls.

12. Stand the gingerbread man on the engine. Finally arrange a few sugar flowers on the cake board.

From the Complete Party Planner by Annabel Karmel