How to... make a Giant Cupcake Cake

Now the cake is baked, let's move onto the decoration! You can use any colours or themes you like, but for this I’m going with a simple pink butterfly theme.

Firstly, I'm going to ice the board. I personally feel that iced boards turn a homemade cake into something a little more special. I've got a 15cm (6in) board which fits nicely under the giant cupcake, but you will need a bigger board if you wish to decorate it, or include a message. 

To ice this I'm using 250g (9oz) Renshaw ready-to-roll sugarpaste in fuchsia pink. 

Knead your sugarpaste until it is soft and pliable, then roll out between spacers on a surface dusted with cornflour. Paint your board with piping gel or edible glue and carefully lift the rolled sugarpaste onto the board. Cut off the excess with a sharp knife. I find the best way to do this is to hold it up like you are cutting pastry off a pie! Put this aside to set.

Next, I’m going to be making a candy shell for the giant cupcake to sit in. For this I’m using a bag of Candy Melts. You can also use any other ‘candy buttons’ or good quality Belgian chocolate. I use supermarket own chocolate for most of my baking, but I find it’s not strong enough to make a shell with and will usually crack when it’s being taken out of the mould and start to melt when you are handling it. The strongest thing I’ve found to use is Candy Melts.

I had white Candy Melts in, but I want it to be a nice baby pink so I’m melting it as per the packet instructions (30 second blasts in the microwave), then colouring it using a little Sugarflair Baby Pink on the end of a cocktail stick.

You need to be a little careful colouring any melted candy/melted chocolate so that it doesn’t split. The way to get around this is to use an oil-based colouring, like Sugarflair, or a powder dust colour. If you use a water-based colour, like those found in a supermarket for example, it can seize up the melted candy/ chocolate and ruin it.

Paint the inside of the bottom mould with a little cake release to help the candy come out easier! Once you have your melted candy, pour half of it into the base mould. With a silicone brush, paint the candy/Belgian chocolate up the sides of the case, being quite quick but firm. Pop it in the fridge to set for 20 minutes or so. 

Once it has set, take it out of the fridge and repeat this, giving it a second coat. (You may need to re-melt your candy/ chocolate if it has firmed up). Put the mould back in the fridge to set for a further 20 minutes. Once completely set, gently peel the top of the case away from the shell. Peel down the mould, then pull the sides of the base down away from the shell. Depending on the temperature of your kitchen, either leave this to one side or keep it in the fridge until you are ready to use it. Creating a candy base is optional and it is up to you how you want to decorate the base, but I really love the clean finish it gives and how it looks like a cupcake case. As an alternative, you can buttercream the base, cover it in a layer of sugarpaste, or leave it naked. It’s completely up to you!

Firstly, we need to level both cakes. Using a cake leveller, cut off the top of the cakes so they sit flat. Then, as the shell we’ve made is a little thicker than the mould of the cake thanks to the candy buttons, we will need to trim the base cake slightly.

Split the base cake in two using the cake leveller and fill with whatever filling you like! I’m using the same vanilla buttercream I will be topping the cake with.

Crumb-coat the base cake by spreading a thin layer of buttercream around the outside. Once set, gently lift your base cake into it’s chocolate shell. Spread a little buttercream on top of the base cake.

Gently place on the cupcake top. Press down gently, but firmly, to ensure it is stuck down. Crumb-coat the top of your cake by spreading on a thin layer of buttercream; this will help your piping decoration to stick and stop any cake from showing through. (If you aren’t going to pipe rosettes as I have, it’s at this point you can decorate the top as you wish! You could cover it in a layer of sugarpaste, spread on rustic buttercream or leave it naked; it’s up to you!)

Next, I’m going to decorate the top with buttercream swirls. Fit a large piping bag with a nozzle of your choice, I’m using a 2D rose nozzle, then fill the bag with buttercream.

Starting around the base of your cupcake top, pipe swirls starting on the inside and working your way out gently but firmly – make sure to allow a little room between your nozzle and the cake for the design to come out. Go around the base of your cupcake top, then in between these on a second layer. Repeat until you are at the top, then pipe one large swirl on the very top of your cupcake.

Pipe small stars in any gaps around the base and between the rosettes by squeezing firmly, stopping squeezing and then pulling away.

Once decorated, carefully fix the cake onto your iced board using a little buttercream.

I used glittery tape around the outside of the board and sugar butterflies to finish the look, but you can do whatever suits you.

Leave in a cool, dry room until you’re ready to serve! This cake will last about a week if decorated fully (so no air can get to the sponge!), or 3 days once cut into, if wrapped well in clingfilm. Make sure not to leave it in a room that gets too warm for too long or the buttercream and chocolate casing may start to melt!