Retro: The Piano Cake

Ongoing project resurrecting the awesome 80s retro birthday cakes from the now out-of-print Women's Weekly Children's Birthday Cake Book.

PIANO p.111


YOU WILL NEED

2 packets of butter cake mix
1 1/2 quantities chocolate Vienna Cream
2 x 150g blocks white chocolate
Liquorice
1 icecream wafer
Small piece of cardboard
25cm x 8cm (10in x 3in) bar cake tin
20cm (8in) square cake tin


DIRECTIONS

Bake
Make cakes according to directions on packet, spoon one quarter into greased 25 x 8 cm (10in x 3in) bar tin. Spoon remaining mixture into greased deep 20cm (8in) square cake tin. Bake in moderate oven 30-35 minutes for bar cake and 1hr 10 minutes for square, or until cooked when tested. Turn onto wire racks to cool.

Assemble
Cut 2.5cm (1in) slice off one side of square cake, stand cake on end to form back of piano. If necessary, trim sides of bar cake: cut one end off bar cake to make it the same length as back fo piano, position in front of other cakes as shown to form keyboard. Using a 4cm round cutter, cut a circle from cut-off piece of bar cake to make piano stool; cut a piece from base of stool so it is lower than keyboard. Place on board.

Decorate
Ice both piano and stool with the Vienna Cream. Cut chocolate into 5cm strips, place upside- down along keyboard, as shown, to represent white keys. Cut licorice strips 4cm long, place along keyboard as shown, to represent black keys. Trim icecream wafer into rectangle 5cm x 4cm, press into back of piano, to represent music stand. Sheet music can be cut out and pasted on to small piece of cardboard. Add candelabra or other small toy.