Retro: Piano Birthday Cake

Another retro birthday cake from the out-of-print Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book, circa 1980. Being a musical kid, I just loved this cake, although the sugariffic Butterfly Cake and Ballerina Cake appealed to the cake-hole in me as a child.

I hope to keep posting more recipes from this book, if not for baking at least for childhood nostalgia. How many of you were made cakes from this book when you were a kid?

YOU WILL NEED

2 packets of butter cake mix
1 1/2 quantities chocolate Vienna Cream*
2 x 150g blocks white chocolate
Liquorice
1 icecream wafer
Small piece of cardboard
25cm x 8cm (10in x 3in) bar cake tin
20cm (8in) square cake tin

Optional:

Toy candelabra
Sheet music

DIRECTIONS

Bake

1. Make cakes according to directions on packet, spoon one quarter into greased 25 x 8 cm (10in x 3in) bar tin. Spoon remaining mixture into greased deep 20cm (8in) square cake tin.
2. Bake in moderate oven 30-35 minutes for bar cake and 1hr 10 minutes for square, or until cooked when tested. Turn onto wire racks to cool.

Assemble

1. Cut 2.5cm (1in) slice off one side of square cake, stand cake on end to form back of piano. If necessary, trim sides of bar cake: cut one end off bar cake to make it the same length as back of piano, position in front of other cakes as shown to form keyboard.
2. Using a 4cm round cutter, cut a circle from cut-off piece of bar cake to make piano stool; cut a piece from base of stool so it is lower than keyboard. Place on board.

Decorate

1. Ice both piano and stool with the Vienna Cream.
2. Cut chocolate into 5cm strips, place upside- down along keyboard, as shown, to represent white keys.
3. Cut licorice strips 4cm long, place along keyboard as shown, to represent black keys. Trim icecream wafer into rectangle 5cm x 4cm, press into back of piano, to represent music stand.
4. Sheet music can be cut out and pasted on to small piece of cardboard. Add candelabra or other small toy.

* VIENNA CREAM FROSTING

You Will Need:
125g butter
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
2 tablespoons milk

Directions:
Have butter and milk at room temperature. Place butter in small bowl of electric mixer, beat until butter is as white as possible. Gradually add about half the sifted icing sugar, beating constantly. Add milk gradually then gradually beat in the remaining icing sugar, mixture should be smooth and easy to spread with a spatula.

Chocolate Vienna Cream
Make up the basic recipe as above and add 2 tablespoons sifted cocoa to the icing sugar.

Coloured Vienna Cream
A large variety of food coloring is available from supermarkets… Start to tint Vienna Cream by dipping a skewer into the bottle of colouring, shaking off the excess, then dipping the skewer into the icing, beating well with a wooden spoon.

Notes
Pure icing sugar or icing sugar mixture can be used in Vienna Cream. Sift icing sugar through a fine sieve for best results.
Make Vienna Cream on the day it is to be used; keep covered during use as a crust will develop if it is left uncovered.
Do not refrigerate cream as this will cause the butter to harden and it may separate. For best results Vienna Cream should be applied to a cake on the day it is to be served. You can apply it the day before serving but, if you do, the cream will become slightly darker and crust in appearance.
When applying the Vienna Cream, make sure it covers the cake around the base near the board to form a seal and help keep the cake fresh.
Use a small spatula when applying Vienna Cream as this will give a smooth surface to the cake. Cream will spread easily, but if you do want a particularly smooth surface, dip the spatula in hot water, dry quickly, and use heat to spread the cream.