Birthday bug cake
See this recipe step by step

Birthday bug cake

Children will love the butterfly and ladybird decorations on this colourful cake – and you'll love its simplicity

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 16

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 50 mins

Cook time

Cook 1 hr 20 mins

Method

  1. Bake the Easy vanilla cake in a greased, lined deep 20cm cake tin as in the basic recipe; drench with syrup and leave to cool. Leave the oven on.
  2. Break the white chocolate into cubes into a microwaveable bowl, and heat on High for 1 min (or melt over a pan of simmering water). Stir, then leave any remaining lumps to melt in the warm liquid chocolate. Once just-warm, beat the chocolate into the buttercream.
  3. Start the butterflies. Put the whole giant buttons on a flat baking tray on non-stick baking paper, then put into the oven for 20-30 secs or until the chocolate looks shiny. Take out, scatter with hundreds and thousands, then leave to set completely before cutting in half with a large non-serrated knife. For the ladybirds, pipe dots of icing all over the already cut giant button halves, then leave aside to dry.
  4. Spread the buttercream over the cake, then start to arrange the butterflies. Cut each Matchmaker into 3 - these will make the bodies. Press onto the cake, then stick four giant button halves around each body to make 'wings'. For the ladybirds, place two spotty button halves together, then use a small button for the head. Scatter more hundreds and thousands all over the cake, then poke in the candles.
Try

TIP

The decorated cake can be left, loosely covered, in a cool, dry place (not the fridge) for up to 24 hours before the party.

PER SERVING

536 kcalories, protein 7g, carbohydrate 64g, fat 30 g, saturated fat 18g, fibre 1g, sugar 47g, salt 0.28 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, June 2009.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 1-20

  • Binder photo Elaine

    03 July 2009

    Elaine rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Delicious cake, very easy. Fantastic homemade decorations, again really easy but look so clever and much nicer and cheaper than shop-bought ones.

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  • Binder photo tinad

    08 July 2009

    tinad rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Made this for my sister's birthday. Delicious and moist. The children loved the decoration. A cake to make again.

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  • Binder photo Maria

    12 July 2009

    Maria commented on this recipe

    I made this for my daughters 1st birthday and everyone absolutly loved it! I will be making it again for my son's birthday, but changing the ladybirds and butterflies for spiders. A delicious cake to make!

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  • Binder photo Maria

    12 July 2009

    Maria rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo jb5370

    10 August 2009

    jb5370 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    What a fabulous looking cake! I made this for my daughter's 8th birthday and it went down a storm! I would recommend putting the chocolate buttons in the fridge or freezer to set as it took longer than I thought.

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  • Binder photo jenniferbarnes

    22 August 2009

    jenniferbarnes rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    it looked wonderful but ended up burning it a bit!!!!

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  • Binder photo food

    30 August 2009

    food rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Made it in 2 sandwich tins and it cooked a lot quicker so didn't burn. Lovely cake went down really well!

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  • Binder photo Lucie Flint

    05 September 2009

    Lucie Flint commented on this recipe

    Having NEVER made a home-made birthday cake before I made this for my niece's 12th birthday. I really enjoyed doing it - not too difficult and I got to eat the leftover buttons and matchmakers! It went down a treat - if (like me) you've always just bought birthday cakes from the supermarket give this a go, it's easy and you get great satisfaction from doing it. Lucie Flint, Henlow Beds

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  • Binder photo janet

    06 September 2009

    janet rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Imade for my sister 50th birthday. I put white chocolate ganache on the cake to make it more grown up it was lovely and moist will make again for my daughters birthday soon i will use the butter icing for it

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  • Binder photo SANW47

    08 September 2009

    SANW47 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I have made this today for my daughter's 9th birthday. I've never attempted a home-made birthday cake before and am so impressed with myself (and the cake!) it looks fab and I can't wait to bring it out in front of a crowd tomorrow on her birthday. It was as you said easy and the smell is delicious - can't wait to eat it!

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  • Binder photo louise

    30 September 2009

    louise rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I made this for my daughter's 3rd birthday and I was very impressed with how it turned out. Not only did it look spectacular it also tasted absolutely delicious. All the guests said how lovely and moist the cake was and the children especially enjoyed the white chocolate buttercream. This cake will definately be making appearances on future birthdays.

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  • Binder photo mummybailey

    07 October 2009

    mummybailey commented on this recipe

    made this for my daughters 2nd birthday and she loved it, so did all the family! only problem i ran into was forgetting to buy vanilla pods so i just used some vanilla extract in its place and it still tasted yummy!

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  • Binder photo mummybailey

    07 October 2009

    mummybailey rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    forgot to rate!

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  • Binder photo Lara

    07 October 2009

    Lara commented on this recipe

    fabulous cake - so moist and really tasty - we covered it in sweets for my daughters 3rd birthday as well as the butterflies and ladybirds round teh side - great recipe - so easy too

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  • Binder photo yelliewilson

    22 October 2009

    yelliewilson commented on this recipe

    Great recipe! I made it without the sugar syrup to keep it a bit lighter and it worked brilliantly!

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  • Binder photo Yummymummy

    04 January 2010

    Yummymummy rated this recipe

    3 stars

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  • Binder photo sarah28

    26 January 2010

    sarah28 rated this recipe

    4 stars

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  • Binder photo madchef

    15 April 2010

    madchef rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    very easy, looked stunning! Made it for easter with easter eggs on top.

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  • Binder photo Rachy606

    26 April 2010

    Rachy606 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    yummy yummy! :) made it for a team member for her birthday, the whole team enjoyed it and thought it was delicious! My first ever time making a cake! I'm making it again for my dad, might change the decoration though, Thanks! :) ♥

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  • Binder photo Rachy606

    26 April 2010

    Rachy606 commented on this recipe

    Just wanted to add... My cooking time was not 1 hour 20, it was in fact 1 hour 50, or thereabouts (on GM3), but still good result! :)

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 16

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 50 mins

Cook time

Cook 1 hr 20 mins

Ingredients

  • Easy vanilla cake and syrup mix (see recipe below)
  • 100g white chocolate (I used Milkybar)
  • Basic vanilla buttercream mix (see Easy vanilla cake recipe below)
  • 12 giant chocolate buttons , 6 cut in half
  • treat-size pack chocolate buttons
  • 2 chocolate sticks (I used Matchmakers)
  • hundreds and thousands
  • multicoloured candles
  • red (or whatever colour you like) writing icing tubes (I used Asda)
  • multicoloured candles
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PER SERVING

536 kcalories, protein 7g, carbohydrate 64g, fat 30 g, saturated fat 18g, fibre 1g, sugar 47g, salt 0.28 g

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