Jacket Potato Cake

This Jacket Potato Cake from Laura Loukaides looks so much like the real thing, you'll be able to fool anyone!

Tools/Cake Required:

• Two 7 inch sandwich cakes (around 1.5 inches deep)
• Buttercream or ganache
• White fondant
• Pale yellow fondant
• Pale orange fondant
• Brown edible dusting colour
• Yellow edible dusting colour
• Piping gel
• Orange food gel colour
• 10 inch cake drum
• Various paintbrushes
• Sharp knife (for carving)
• Palette knife
• Kitchen foil
• Cheese grater

Method:

1. Begin with baking two 7 inch (around 1.5 inches deep) round cakes. Once completely cool, level onecake and keep the dome on the other. If your cakes have baked quite flat, you may need to bake a thin additional layer.
2. Layer the cake with your desired filling, making sure to keep the levelled cake on the bottom and the domed cake on top.
3. Begin carving the cake into a rounded oval shape by gradually cutting away the edges using a sharp knife.
4. Carefully cut away the thin layer of caramelisation on top, but try not to carve too deep as this will result in a flat shape.
5. Continue to carve until you achieve a rounded oval shape. Don’t worry if this isn’t perfect aspotatoes are all different shapes and sizes.
6. Carve a cross into the top of the cake as shown. This will help the beans sit deeper creating a much more realistic finish later on.
7. Coat the entire cake in your desired frosting
8. Cover the cake in a layer of white fondant making sure to smooth into the carved indents. Then, mix together some brown and yellow edible dusting colour and lightly shade the entire cake with a dry soft paintbrush. Add details with a smaller soft dry paintbrush. Once you’re happy with the colour, carefully transfer the cake to a fondant covered cake drum.
9. Take a small portion of pale orange fondant and form into baked bean shapes (slightly larger than in real life)
10. Once you have made enough beans, apply to the cake as shown using edible glue.
11. Heat a few heaped tablespoons of piping gel in the microwave until the consistency of runny honey (about 10 seconds at a time) Add orange food gel little by little until you achieve a deep orange. If the colour appears too bright, add a very tiny amount of red gel colour to balance. Using a teaspoon, add small amounts of the piping gel over the fondant beans guiding with a clean paintbrush. Be sure not to add too much or the piping gel will flood all over the cake. It’s best to take your time with this step.
12. Fold some kitchen foil and place around the base of the cake as shown.
13. Take a small portion of pale yellow fondant and place in the freezer in a sandwich bag or wrapped in cling film for about 20 minutes. Once taken out of the freezer, remove from the cling film or sandwich bag and immediately begin grating over the cake as shown. If you have never done this before, test a small amount on the counter first to make sure the fondant is holding shape and that you’re happy with the effect. If the fondant is still too soft, place back in the freezer until firm.
14. Your Jacket Potato cake is complete! - Don’t forget to add some additional fondant beans and cheese to the cake drum for added realism.

TIP: For the grated cheese to appear realistic it’s best to grate directly over the cake. If you grate the fondant on the counter first and try to pick it up to place onthe cake it could clump together resulting a messy texture.

To see more of her work follow Laura on Facebook or head to her YouTube channel for video tutorials.