Ingredients
4 x 440 g packs golden butter cake mix
½ x 240 g packet licorice straps
150 g packet miniature Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
2 x 100 g packets ready-to-roll green icing
toy animals, to decorate
Frosting
400 g unsalted butter, chopped, room temperature
4 cups icing sugar mixture
yellow food colouring gel
Method
- Grease a 22cm and two x 18cm round cake pans. Line bases and sides of pans with baking paper, extending paper 3cm above pan edges.
- Prepare cake mixes, one at a time, according to packet directions, reserving icing sachets for another use. Spoon two mixes into large pan and two mixes into smaller pans. Smooth tops.
- Place all cakes in a moderately slow oven (160C). Cook large cake for about 1 hour, 25 minutes and small cakes for 55 minutes, or until cooked when tested. Remove. Stand for in pans for 20 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool.
- To make frosting, beat butter in a large bowl of an electric mixer until pale. Beat in sugar, 1⁄2 cup at a time, until smooth. Transfer half to a separate bowl and tint yellow with gel.
- Trim top of cakes to sit flat. Invert large cake onto a cake board. Spread top and side with white frosting. Invert one small cake on top. Spread with 1⁄4 cup yellow frosting. Invert remaining cake on top. Spread remaining yellow frosting over top and side of small cakes.
- Using kitchen scissors, cut licorice into zebra-pattern lengths, as pictured. Arrange on white frosting. Cut peanut butter cups in half horizontally. Gently press into yellow frosting, cut side facing out.
- Reserve 50g icing. Knead remaining icing on a clean bench until smooth. Roll out between two sheets of baking paper until 5mm thick. Using a 5cm leaf cutter and 4cm leaf cutter, cut out shapes. Mark veins on leaves.
- To make grass, use a garlic press to squeeze out pieces of reserved icing. Run a knife along press to remove. Arrange grass, leaves and figurines on cake.
