Panda / Ukulele Cake
Red Velvet Panda Cake
2 weeks ago a bride sent me an email asking if I would make her a wedding cake. She was having a small wedding and had only just decided to have a cake. Well maybe she was talked into having a cake. Regardless of how it came about she asked me if I would sculpt her a Panda playing a Ukulele. Of course I said no.
Panda cake
Her husband to be is a wonderful musician who plays drums and Ukulele and she just loves Pandas. I am not experienced enough to be sculpting Pandas playing Ukulele’s for a wedding and I didn’t want to see her cakeless, I just love an unusual notion, so I got cracking on an alternative.  I was busy on another project during the week so I asked her to send me a picture she liked and I had it made into a sugar image at Cake decorating Solutions in Roseberry.
This is a 6 layered red velvet cake because the colours of the flowers and the table decorations were a berry shade. We didn’t want it to be too sweet so I made quite an unusual recipe for a red velvet cake. The layers are separated with raspberry buttercream and then covered in a vanilla cream cheese icing, I wish I could show you the inside.
Red Velvet Panda cake
Ingredients
- 400 gram caster sugar 2 cups
- 310 ml vegetable oil 1 1/4 cups
- 4 whole eggs x large
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 teaspoons ginger powder
- 2 teaspoons of nutmeg
- 600 gram plain flour 4 cups
- 3 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 800 cups gm pie apples pureed or 3of unsweetened apple puree, 1 tin apple slices pureed
- 2 tablespoons red colouring (use a paste Queen brand is Not a liquid)
- 1 teaspoon blue colouring
Raspberry buttercream filling
- 500 gram butter
- 500 gram pure icing sugar 3 cups
- vanilla
- 85 gram raspberry jelly 1 packet
- 200 gram raspberries, frozen thawed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Cream cheese icing
- 250 gram cream cheese
- 200 gram unsalted butter
- 1 vanilla bean scrapped
- 260 gram pure icing sugar (2 cups 2 cups sifted
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest grated
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- This cake was made in a 30x30x30 cake tin in 3 layers cut in half. I made this recipe 3 x times for this cake. Oven preheated to 185 degrees / 350 F
- Beat the eggs and sugar till light and aerated. Add the oil and beat more until light in colour.
- Add the apple puree, vanilla, spices and sifted dry ingredients and mix well. Add the red colouring a spoon at a time until you get the colour you would like. It will be an orangey colour that will be corrected to brighter red with a little addition of blue.
- Pour into a greased and lined tin and bake for approximately 40-60 minutes.
Raspberry Buttercream
- Beat the softened butter till light and fluffy. Add the jelly crystals, vanilla, thawed raspberries and beat in 1 cup of sugar at a time.Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt at a time till you have a fluffy buttercream that isn't too sweet .
- Once the cake is baked and cooled slice and layer with the raspberry buttercream filling.
- Chill for 1 hour. While making the cream cheese icing.
- Beat the softened butter till light and aerated then add the cream cheese and vanilla bean and continue beating till well combined. Add the lemon zest and continue beating and adding icing sugar 1/2 cup at a time along with 1/4 teaspoon of salt till you have nice white icing. Yes beating is the secret ...
- Spread this onto the out side of the cake smoothing with a palette knife. Chill for several hours or over night before decorating any way you like.
Hi there down under,
great looking cake! Thanx for posting this.
One question only: in the ingredients baking powder is mentioned twice. Shouldn’t one of the two be baking soda?
Hi Emmy, yes you are right and I have changed it
WOW!
This is a special cake! I would love to see the inside, you have done and amazing job!
I did a double take reading that how totally random! So impressed you came up with a solution for the bride-to-be. Weren’t you just a little tempted to cut into it and then buttercream it all back together?
nancy@jamjnr recently posted..The Watermelon Man
You are one talented cake decorator, Tania. This is a beautiful cake and what a surprise to cut into it and find 7 layers! And you made it in 2 weeks? Well done!
ChgoJohn recently posted..This Recipe has Legs: Strangozzi Pasta with Octopus
Oh I love a good unconventional wedding cake and this one certainly takes the cake!! You did so well Tania! Love it xx
Lisa the Gourmet Wog recently posted..Pallet Vegetable Gardens by the handy husband…
I’d faint dead away if someone asked me to make a cake with a ukelele playing panda. Your cake is wonderful and I wish we could have peeked inside too!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef recently posted..Quick and Easy Cake Dessert
What a terrifying request to get 2 weeks out from the wedding! You did an amazing job on what you did create and I am sure they loved it.
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Oh yum, love the sound of that raspberry buttercream! And such a cute cake!
thelittleloaf recently posted..Apple Syrup Sweetened Pumpkin Spice Granola
That is the cutest thing but so unusual for a wedding cake. I wish I could see inside it but I guess that would ruin it.
Suzanne Perazzini recently posted..Carrot Cake – Gluten-Free & Low FODMAP
An unusual cake indeed Tania! I really like the sound of the apple puree in the mix too-yummo! It would certainly be moist. The bamboo looks great, and of course pandas are soooo cute 🙂 xox
Haha and here I was on the other side of Sydney also making a most unusual red velvet cake! You’ll see it on Saturday night 😉
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella recently posted..Red Rice Sushi
wow a masterpiece, Tania. The licorice bamboos are so vivid.
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The cake looks amazing, Tania. I wish you had a photo of the inside to see the 6 layers. Hopefully the bride was kind enough to get a photo for you!
You got asked to sculpt a panda playing a ukelele? I sometimes get asked to sculpt the most unusual things that are all way beyond my abilities but your request? That’s out of the ball park. Unbelievable. I think you came up with a terrific solution. This also solves the cutting and plating issues that come with sculpted cakes as well. It’s decorated beautifully xx
Hotly Spiced recently posted..Barrenjoey House, Palm Beach
I love the solution you came up with! What a fun project and I am sure the bride and groom were over the moon by this!
That cake is so damn cute, it’s got character and charisma. Don’t think I’ve ever said that about a cake before.
Unusual but pretty!
yummychunklet recently posted..Vanishing Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
I wish I could see inside too! I would have loved to have seen you attempt a panda playing a ukelele. That’s Cake Boss kind of stuff!
Claire @ Claire K Creations recently posted..Pulled pork sliders in the slow cooker
Tania, you really are so good at this! What a gorgeous and unusual cake! I’m sure she was thrilled! xx
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