Nailed It! How to Make Epic Number and Letter Cakes for Any Occasion

Want to create a fancy pants number or letter cake for your next special celebration? Of course, YOU do. And YOU totally can. We’re here to share with you awesome tips on how to create these gorgeous cakes yourself in your own kitchen without any fancy tins in sight!

What’s not to love about these gorgeous cakes? Their neat edges and beautiful decorations ooze sweet sophistication, right? RIGHT.

The trend first swept over the cake decorating world years ago with an onslaught of ‘cookie cakes’. But, while the slabs of biscuit were pretty, they also shattered into squillions of pieces. The modern-day solution for the same look? USE ACTUAL CAKE.

If you’re not already following cake guru and icing temptress Cassie Watene of Cas’ Cakery on social media, you’re missing out! Cassie REALLY is your best friend and cake teacher, and her letter and number cakes are just a couple of her specialties.

When asked why these cakes are her faves, Cassie says:

They’re my favourite because the possibilities are endless, they’re the perfect frosting to cake ratio and you can be as creative as your imagination lets you with this style of cake!

There are five steps to creating these cakes: bake, cool, cut, ice and decorate. It really CAN be that easy – just remember practice makes perfect! Read on for loads of helpful cake-making tips.

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• Use a mud cake recipe. The dense texture of mud cake makes for a lot fewer crumbs! Cook the cakes low and slow until they’re just cooked through in the middle. And yes, you can totally use cake packet mix too. You do you, boo.
• Divide the cake mixture between two lined baking sheets for two thin, evenly baked slabs of cake. Let them cool in the tins.
• No one wants wonky numbers or letters so use a template to cut out the number or letter you require. (You can use Word on your computer to create a large A4 size letter and print it, or purchase an acrylic cake template from Cassie’s shop which you can use over and over again!).
• When cutting out the shape, make sure your cake is cold from the fridge and use a sharp, thin blade knife to move around curves. Something similar to a fish filleting knife is perfect!
• Cut the cakes one at a time. Don’t be tempted to stack them and cut them together. Patience not shortcuts on this step!

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• Buttercream or ermine buttercream is the best choice for decorating and holding the layers of cake together. It’s an icing built strong and holds its shape beautifully.
• If using different colours of icing, make one large batch and then divide into smaller bowls to colour. Use concentrated gel food colours for the best results.
• Use piping bags and a few different icing tips for a professional, fancy pants finish. Pipe around the edges of the cake and then the centre. You can find these at places like Big W and Spotlight for very little money.

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You can decorate the top of your cake any way you like. Create a bed of piped icing and then dot the top with whatever takes your fancy. Decorations can include:

• • • Figurines and cake toppers
    • Macaroons or wafer biscuits
    • Chocolates like Fererro Rocher, Darrell Lea balls, Ferrero Raffaello etc
    • Sprinkles
    • Marshmallows
    • Lollies
    • Meringue kisses
    • Fresh berries
    • Non-toxic flowers (stems wrapped in florist tape and food wrap)

That’s how to make a number cake (or letter cake, too) folks! Feeling inspired? We’d love to see your cake creations – and don’t forget, practice really does make perfect.

If you’d love to see some cake making and decorating in action, check out Cassie’s Instagram IGTV where she has plenty of helpful videos for you to watch. Thanks, Cas!

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