Perfect for any Swan Lake fans or those who just love the lure of a whimsy swan, this mum blew us away with her very first attempt at a cake hack! The results are stunning!
Mum shares her first cake hack, blows our minds.
There’s a lot to see and learn for any wannabe cake decorator in the popular Woolies/Coles Mudcake Hacks Facebook group. And mum Ashika is testament to that – watch and learn is the name of the cake hacker game.
Ashika posted her very first post a few days ago writing “Long time lurker first-time poster… So I thought I would share my first hack.. a swan cake for my daughter’s birthday.” Um, EXCUSE ME? First time? Lady, you’ve got talent!
In what could possibly be a mic-drop moment in the cake world, Ashika casually dropped a few snaps of her brilliant swan cake hack into the group, explaining that she used two supermarket white mud cakes, Candy Melts for the feathers, homemade buttercream and cake decorating modelling paste for the swan neck and crown. BLOWN. AWAY.
“I just watched the steps on YouTube and followed it. Very easy to make (the longest part was the homemade buttercream). You’ll be able to easily recreate this.”
Wait, you MADE feathers?!
You can bet your icing tip the comments of WOW came thick and fast, dotted with a few feather questions to which Ashika kindly answered.
When asked about creating the feathers: “Put a blob (of melted Candy Melts) on baking paper and use a brand new paintbrush (I tried a pastry brush as well but I got a better effect with a paintbrush) and drag it out in a curved shape. The excess on the brush will give you another feather.”
If you thought you could get away with using white chocolate for the feathers, perhaps think again. Ashika makes mention in one of her comments “I made the feathers with Candy Melts (you can buy them from Spotlight or Big W). I found white chocolate to be very brittle to work with and Candy Melts are better!”
For the making of the feathers “Put a blob (of melted Candy Melts) on baking paper and use a brand new paintbrush (I tried a pastry brush as well but I got a better effect with a paintbrush) and drag it out in a curved shape. The excess on the brush will give you another feather.”
And if you thought you could spot two-toned feathers, you’d be right. Once the cake was assembled, Ashika lightly sprayed it with Wilton Colour Mist Food Spray for a touch of bling.
The longest part of the cake hack? The buttercream!
Cake decorators will know the pain that comes with trying to achieve WHITE buttercream. Ashika’s secret is a fellow group member’s recipe.
“100g butter, 100g Copha, Beat on high for over 5 minutes. Slowly add 2 cups of icing sugar on low speed. Add ½ teaspoon of vanilla and 1 tablespoon of milk. Works every time! I usually double it and it’s enough for a crumb coat.”
A buttercream without butter. Genius.
Well Ashika, we think you absolutely nailed this swan cake hack. And for a first attempt, I can only imagine what awesome cakes lay in your future cake hacking adventures. Bring on the plate and spoons!
