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Learn how to make a campfire cake the easy way. Cake decorating doesn’t have to be hard, and this campfire cake can easily be made with the help of the kids.
With chocolate roaring flames as a topper, chocolate logs and boulders, this is the perfect birthday cake for the camping enthusiast.
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I love everything about birthday’s. Not just mine, but everyone else’s in the family. In fact I probably enjoy them more than my own.
I love the idea of creating special memories with those that I love, and surprising them with gifts and activities for the day.
One thing I also love to do is bake a special birthday cake. I envisage wonderful creations that will cause gasps when the cake is brought into the room, and I am standing there pleased as punch with my creation.
Then reality hits.
I can’t bake. And I am certainly no cake decorator!
I also have the added problem that my 4 year old want’s to help bake the cake. Whilst this is not technically a ‘problem’, it just adds to the difficulty of creating that masterpiece I have in my mind.
It was my husband’s 40th in July and once again those grand pictures entered my mind.
He was having a relaxed bonfire party and I wanted to create something that would complement the theme.
The great thing about a campfire cake?
It’s not supposed to look perfect! In fact, the messier it is the better.
Kid Friendly Cake Decorating
Whilst I am not the most patient person in the kitchen, I am certainly not going to stop my daughter from helping to bake special treats like birthday cakes.
Whatever I decided to make, it had to be easy for me to do, easy for my 4 year old to help with and most importantly not stress me out in the process!
We found a winner with this campfire cake.
Easy Preparation With A Cake Mix
There is no shame in using a cake mix for a birthday cake. I repeat…..NO shame!
Where did this awful notion come from that cakes have to be made from scratch otherwise they loose the love?
If you are like me, the mere thought of baking is enough to get you into a frenzy, save yourself the stress and grab your favorite cake mix.
The love is in the decorating (and the thought), not in the mixing of the ingredients!
If however you really want to make the camping cake yourself from scratch, I recommend this easy chocolate cake recipe. It’s fool proof!
How To Decorate A Campfire Themed Cake
First of all, make sure that you have all your supplies to hand. You will need the following;
- Chocolate & Vanilla Cake Packet Mix.
- Chocolate Waffy Wafer Rolls
- Red and Yellow Chocolate Melts
- Maltesers
- Round Cookie Cutter
- Cake Board
My daughter loves chocolate cake and my husband loves vanilla, so we made both!
Step 1: Place the cake on a cake board before you start to decorate.
Always use a larger cake board than the cake you have made. For instance if you have baked an 8″ cake, use a 10″ board. If a 10″ cake, use a 12″ board and so on.
Step 2: Slice off the top of the cake and make sure it’s nice and flat.
You can use a cake leveler, or if you have a steady hand just use a knife.
Fill the middle of the cake with buttercream.
Step 3: Completely cover the cake with chocolate butter cream and place a round cookie cutter in the middle of the cake.
Step 4: Following the line that the cookie cutter left, place the Maltesers.
It’s not essential to have the cutter line, but it certainly helps when a 4 year old is doing the decorating!
Step 5: Next place a line of maltesers all the way around the base of the cake.
This just helps hide any of that untidy buttercream that has spilled onto the cake board.
Step 6: Cut the wafer rolls to look like logs and place in the center of the cake.
Don’t place them too evenly as they are supposed to look like logs thrown onto the fire.
Step 7: Finally, it’s time to add the edible flames for the cake.
Read on to find out how to make these awesome chocolate flames.
How To Make Campfire Cake Flames
The easy way to make edible flames for a cake is by melting colored chocolate melts and mixing them together on some baking paper. I used yellow and red melts to create a beautiful orange glow.
Step 1: Start by melting one color and spread it out into a flame shape on the baking paper.
Step 2: Take your second color and mix it on top to the first.
You have to be quick to ensure that the first layer hasn’t set otherwise the chocolate won’t mix!
We made large thick flames and thin ones, but my daughter decided to use only the thin ones on the cake. Who was I to argue!
Step 3: Once the chocolate has been mixed together, leave on the baking sheet until cool.
If you would prefer to use candy instead of chocolate to make the flames then you will love this tutorial which shows you how it’s done.
There you have it.
Campfire cake decorating really doesn’t have to be hard and it will get those gasps that you have been waiting for (in a good way of course).
If you are planning an entire camping party, use these camping party printable’s to help with the decoration. They are easy to use and will make a huge difference to the party decor.
Really stuck for camping party ideas? These camping parties will really help with your inspiration.
Let’s stay in touch. Did you love this easy campfire cake? Sign up to the weekly newsletter to be kept up to date with other easy party ideas. You will also have access to a ton of free printable’s from the subscriber printable library.
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