The Birthday Cake

[Diflower]

Went to the kitchen shop yesterday to buy a tin 12x9" but met the most brilliant assistant who was really interested in what I was doing and had trained as a pastry chef Just what I needed!

She advised me to use my grill pan (only used for cheese on toast so nice and clean) so that's what I've done, using Queen Mary's recipe for standard traybakes. She also agreed with making it today, decorating tomorrow, and Saturday for if it takes longer/things go wrong.
It's cooked and looks fine, and it's been brushed all over with sugar syrup, as advised, to keep it nice and moist.

I've made it vanilla; once cut into shape it has to have a 'crumb coat' of buttercream under the fondant, so I bought a jar of lemon curd thinking I'd flavour it with that, but what does anyone think? Will that be ok with a vanilla-flavoured cake?

[debih]

I can't take the handle off my grill pan so how would that work then?

And pray tell - what is Queen Mary's recipe for traybakes??

I think vanilla sounds fine.

Am looking forward to photos.

[Diflower]

Luckily my grill pan has an extremely annoying removeable handle A roasting tin would have been fine but mine are either smaller or bigger than the grill pan - one came with the cooker.

Mary Berry of course
Same as this but without the lemon and with 1/2 teasp vanilla extract
http://www.maryberry.co.uk/recipes/baki ... e-traybake

The grill pan's a bit bigger but it looks fine, by the time it has the icing on it will be plenty.
And I don't understand your answer to my question, do you mean vanilla cake will be fine with lemon curd buttercream, or that I should do vanilla buttercream?
I thought of lemon as it won't be filled and the fondant icing is so sweet

I've finally managed to get a print of the guitar at 75% size which looks right

[debih]

I meant vanilla with lemon curd butter cream should be fine.

That recipe looks rather lovely - I think I could be trying it out very soon.

[Diflower]

Ok thanks, lemon curd buttercream it is then

It is a lovely recipe, I've made it several times - I halve it and do it in my ordinary tin which is 10x7" I think - 'cos as you know I don't have a 12x9" one
All her traybakes use exactly the same recipe, with variations on flavourings etc. It's a bit more flour than for a normal sponge cake and works perfectly.
Also the recipe says softened butter as does my copy, but when she talks on TV she says she actually uses soft spread as it's easier to get the right texture

[Kaz]

Oooh you are clever Di, it all sounds lovely so far!!!

Lemon curd will be smashing

[JoM]

Love the sound of the lemon curd Di!

My grill pan has no handle and I use it every time for tray bakes. I actually have two, I kept one out of a broken down oven, so they come in useful when I'm baking brownies in bulk for John to take into the office

[Weka]

My grill pan is black, so I think it would heat up and burn thins too quickly based upon a brief stint with an oven that had black cookie trays.

Lemon curd with vanilla I image will taste Devine

[Diflower]

It does taste good, we had a tiny taster with a little bit of offcut this morning
I've been working on it more or less for about 4 hours so have stopped for a cuppa and a sit here for a while
Photos have been taken of what it started as, then the shapes cut out. If I remember I'll also take one of the main body bit with its buttercream layer.

The neck's done (white chocolate flavour fondant), with frets marked.
The head's cut out and buttercreamed as well, and the black bits all cut out ready.
Next is cutting out the main yellow part in fondant. I'm doing the top flat and separate strips to go round the sides, the shape's too tricky to do it as one piece.
And I still haven't quite decided what to do for the strings

[Lozzles]

Licorice boot laces
Or spaghetti