Need an adorable monkey cake?
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This super cute Monkey Cake is a perfect 1st birthday cake for the little monkey in your life. And you don’t have to trek all the way to the Amazon to trap this great design for yourself.
Sporting a jungle full of fruit laden banana palms and a cheeky monkey as the star of the show, this is one birthday cake that's sure to please.
The chocolate bananas and palm leaves look impressive but they’re really quick and easy to make. I’ll walk you through it with step-by-step instructions and clear pictures to make it a snap.
Monkey cakes are so much fun to make! You’re gonna love this project.
And don't forget to pick up some cute, co-ordinating party supplies
ingredients
1st birthday cake - monkey cake
- Cake - Lemon Ginger Pound Cake is perfect
- Filling - Gingernut Crunch is a great choice
- 1 batch of buttercream
- brown and black gel food color
- ˝ cup Yellow candy melts
- ˝ cup White candy melts
- 1 cup Green candy melts
- Black candywriter
- Red candy color
- Blue candy color
- Brown sugar for the dirt
- disposable decorating bags
or gallon size Ziploc bags
- a #104 petal tip
- Plate or board to hold finished cake
baking
1st birthday cake - monkey cake
- bake the cakes and cool completely.
- level the cakes and split each into two layers horizontally.
- fill and assemble each cake on a separate cake circle
and secure with a dollop of frosting to stop it from sliding around.
- add a crumb coat - this is a very thin coat of un-tinted buttercream you apply to 'set' the crumbs.
- refrigerate the cake(s) while you make the Chocolate grass decorations.
making the chocolate monkey
1st birthday cake - monkey cake
- print out the monkey to about 3 ˝” high, using the picture below as a template, and tape the page to the back of a cookie sheet.
- cover the template with a piece of wax or parchment paper.
- melt the white candy melts in a microwave safe bowl for 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each interval, until completely melted and tint purple using your red and blue candy colors.
- pour into a mini squeeze bottle
and fill in the monkey shape.
- let set for about 30 minutes then carefully peel each one off the wax paper.
- turn the monkey over and using your black candywriter, outline the monkey and fill in the facial features and arms, hands and feet, as shown.
Chocolate Bananas
1st birthday cake - monkey cake
- melt the yellow candy melts in a microwave safe bowl for 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each interval, until completely melted.
- using the back of a spoon or a paintbrush, smear some 2" strips of melted chocolate about 1/8" thick on to a piece of wax paper, making sure that they curve into a slight ‘C’ shape, as shown (below, left).
- let set for about 30 minutes then carefully peel each one off the wax paper.
- turn the bananas over and using your black candywriter, draw some lines on the bananas for a little extra realistic detail, as shown (below, right).
Chocolate Grass
1st birthday cake - monkey cake
- melt half of the green candy melts in a microwave safe bowl for 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each interval, until completely melted.
- using the back of a spoon, smear some strips of melted chocolate about 1/8 inch thick on to a piece of wax paper, as shown (below left).
- let set for about 30 minutes then, using a large knife, cut randomly across the strip of chocolate to make small shards, as shown (below right). It’s that simple – now you have grass!
Chocolate Palm leaves
1st birthday cake - monkey cake
- melt the remaining half of the green candy melts.
- using the back of a spoon or a paintbrush, smear some 2 ˝ " strips of melted chocolate about 1/8" thick on to a piece of wax paper, making sure that they curve and have one wide end tapering to a narrower end, as shown.
- let set for about 30 minutes then carefully peel each frond off the wax paper.
Assembly
1st birthday cake - monkey cake
- divide the buttercream in to three bowls of around 1 cup, 1 cup and everything that's left.
- Leave the larger amount white and tint the others brown and black.
- frost your cake (s) all over with white buttercream.
- put your Monkey Cake on to a plate or board now and secure with double sided tape to stop the cake from sliding around.
- Using the brown frosting and a disposable decorating bag or a Ziploc bag fitted with #104 tip, pipe some palm tree trunks around the sides of the top tier.
- using your black candywriter, draw five horizontal stripes along the length of each tree trunk.
- make a 1/2” cut in the cake beside the top of each tree trunk and gently insert a palm frond into the cut. Repeat for each palm tree.
- attach some bananas at the top and bottom of each tree using frosting to secure.
- make a 2” wide cut in the center of the top tier and gently push the monkey into the cut a little to secure.
- randomly place the grass around the base of the cake, securing with white frosting.
- Using a spoon sprinkle the brown sugar around the bottom edge of the cake, to act as dirt.
You're done! Now go get a well deserved cup of coffee and sit back for a few minutes to admire your handiwork. Remember to take a picture while your masterpiece still looks perfect.
let's throw a monkey party
Got the perfect Monkey Cake? Check. Now all you need for a memorable party is some fun, co-ordinating party supplies.
You can find everything you need right here. Check it out:
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