Once assembled, the cake is best eaten that same day as the biscuits will soak up moisture from the cake over time and become soft. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Dip fresh cranberries in the sugar syrup, shake off the excess then roll them in granulated sugar and transfer to a baking parchment lined tray to set. It is topped with cute vegan gingerbread animals and trees, with a scattering of sugared cranberries, nuts, seeds and rosemary sprigs to complete the woodland scene. It looks especially effective if you serve it on a wooden board! (Mine is from TK Maxx.) Trim the tops of the cake layers to level them then place one layer on a serving platter or board. Spread over a thin layer of the buttercream then pipe a wide ring of buttercream around the edge of the cake - make it twice as wide as pictured as my cake wasn't very sturdy! Next, I made a batch of cherry pie filling to put in the centre. Next time I think I would add a layer of ganache as well to give it that extra oomph of flavour (you can never have too much chocolate in my book!).

I managed to make time to bake this vegan woodland animal ginger cake however and it is a real showstopper! It also won the Christmas bake off at my bouldering gym! Spread a thin layer of buttercream over the TOP of the final cake layer and place it on the cake upside down to give you a flat surface. Start by making the gingerbread biscuits; place golden syrup, treacle, brown sugar, coconut oil or margarine* and some water in a pan.Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, then pour in the egg mixture and beat until just smooth. Woodland animal ginger cake - this impressive vegan ginger cake with lemon curd, cream cheese frosting and whimsical gingerbread woodland animals is a real festive showstopper for Christmas! The animal cutters I used are all from Ikea, apart from the leaping fox one which is from Rex London, though I don't think that they sell it any more. You will also need some tree shaped cutters.

I made all of these items the day before so that I only had to assemble on the day of the party. You’ll need to refrigerate the cherry pie filling, but the cake and frosting can just be covered in plastic wrap and left at room temperature. Tip: if you only have two pans, pre-measure the batter, splitting it into three. That way you know the third layer will bake up the same as the others. I made this woodland birthday cake a while ago for my daughter’s 7th birthday. She absolutely adores animals and nature so the forest theme suited her perfectly. I think this theme would suit kids of many ages, so I figured I’d share a bit of a tutorial on how I made it in case you’re interested. I posted the process on my insta stories, and thought I would share those photos with a bit more in-depth explanation here. Spread a layer of buttercream over the top and sides of the cake then top with the gingerbread animals and trees, some chopped nuts, sprigs of rosemary, pumpkin seeds and sugared cranberries. You will need to use some wooden skewers to prop the trees on top of the cake up.I have tested these biscuits with both coconut oil and dairy free margarine and both work well. The dough may feel a little oily if you use coconut oil but just make sure you use enough flour when you roll it out and it will be fine. I actually like them best made with half coconut oil and half margarine.) She loves planning and baking with me so the whole birthday planning process was a dream come true for her. I kept a few small surprises for her but I always let my kids plan with me because they come up with the most interesting ideas and in reality what I come up with always ends up being much more work. So why not keep it simple and let them plan? Divide the batter between three greased and lined 20cm/8in round cake tins and bake for about 25 minutes. Press icing into the mould (select your colour depending on the animal – use the main image on this blog as a guide) to create the features for each creature.

It consists of three layers of soft, moist vegan ginger cake which is filled with cream cheese frosting and a generous dollop of lemon curd for good measure. To make the vegan ginger cake layers, whisk together sifted plain flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, ginger, mixed spice, caster sugar and salt in a large bowl.It is a bit of a labour of love to make, but all of the elements are easy to do, it just takes a bit of time to make everything and assemble the cake. Allow to cool a little then bring the mixture together into a ball (it will still be very soft), wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for about an hour until it is firm enough to roll out.

Heat gently while stirring until the coconut oil/margarine has melted. Whisk in cinnamon, ginger, cloves and bicarbonate of soda then stir in plain flour. I can't believe how close to Christmas we are already - I am so not prepared! I've got a few more festive recipes that I want to post before the big day, as well as some work to finish up, so things are busy, busy, busy at the moment! Once they are set they can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about 4 days. First up: I chose to make a three layer cake rather than a two layer cake as this adds height, giving the cake a more dramatic and impressive look. This is the cake recipe I used.The lemon curd is really delicious and works wonderfully with the ginger cake, but it does make the cake a little less stable, so if it needs to travel then I recommend omitting the lemon curd. If you do decide to use it then you will need half a batch of this recipe. If you go down to the woods today, you’re in for a tasty surprise… A fox, badger, rabbit, owl, fawn, and racoon in delicious, almost too-cute-to-eat cake form. While they might look like they’ve been done by a professional, they’re actually incredibly easy to make thanks to our Animal Cake Mould Kit and step-by-step instructions. They’re perfect for children’s parties, and they make a great rainy day activity with the kids as they can have fun helping with the mixing and the decorating. And not to mention the eating!