For Vivienne’s 7th birthday, I decided to get a little creative and make a DIY flamingo cake—perfect for adding some fun to the party table. This project was not only a hit with the kids but also was great fun to make together! Here’s a step-by-step guide to create this flamingo-themed treat, with all the ingredients you’ll need.
Ingredients:
- 1 cake mix (or your favourite cake recipe)
- White chocolate (about 600g)
- Pink food colouring (dark to light shades)
- Butter (for the buttercream)
- Icing sugar
- Pink fondant
- Black fondant
- White fondant
- Wooden skewer (for the flamingo’s neck)
- Baking paper
- Pastry brush
DIY Flamingo Cake Preparation
The good news is you can do a fair bit of this cake ahead of time, making it nice and easy to assemble on the day.
Chocolate Feathers
- Melt your white chocolate in a Thermomix or over the stove in three separate batches. Each batch should be dyed a different shade of pink, from dark to light, using your food coloring.
- Lay out a sheet of baking paper. Using a pastry brush, dip into the melted chocolate and brush it onto the paper in feather shapes. You can make them as big or small as you like, depending on the look you’re going for.
- Repeat this process with all the different pink shades. Once done, let them dry completely. Store the chocolate feathers in an airtight container at room temperature. You can make them a few days ahead of time to save yourself some stress.
DIY Flamingo Cake Head
- Roll pink fondant into a long, thin shape for the neck. To ensure it stands up well, insert a wooden skewer into the fondant before placing it on the cake. This step is best done ahead of time so the fondant can dry and harden.
Step-by-Step Guide:
- Prepare the Flamingo’s Body: Start by baking your cake in a bread loaf pan. This helps shape it into the perfect base for your flamingo. Once baked, let the cake cool completely.
- Prepare the Buttercream Icing: Make a batch of buttercream icing, then dye it pink to blend in with your flamingo’s body. Set it aside until you’re ready to assemble the cake.
- Shape the Cake: Once your cake is fully cooled, trim both ends of the loaf into a triangle shape to form the flamingo’s body. Cover the entire cake with a smooth layer of pink buttercream icing.
- Assemble the Flamingo: Gently stick the fondant neck into the top of the cake. Now for the fun part—arranging the feathers! Start from the head of the flamingo and work your way back, overlapping the chocolate feathers to create a fanning effect. Add a little extra buttercream to the back of each feather as you stick it on to make sure they stay in place.
Tips for Success:
- You can make the chocolate feathers and fondant neck in advance, which will save you time on the day of the party.
- Feel free to experiment with different shades of pink to give your flamingo cake a more dynamic look.
- For an extra touch, you can add edible glitter or decorations to the feathers for some sparkle!
This cake was the highlight of Vivienne’s birthday, and I’m sure it’ll be a crowd-pleaser at your next party too!
