Party piñata cake

Ingredients

Cake

340g packet buttercake mix (see below)

30cm-round cake board or big plastic plate.

Butter Cream Icing

125g butter, softened

1½ cups (240g) icing sugar mixture

1/3 cup (35g) cocoa powder

2 tablespoons milk

Decorations

23 large chocolate coins

19 medium chocolate coins

13 small chocolate coins

150g rainbow choc-chips

½ teaspoon vegetable oil

450g milk chocolate Melts, melted

50g milk chocolate, melted

50g packet Smarties

200g packet giant Smarties

toy hammer

Method

Cream butter, vanilla and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour and baking powder together. Fold into creamed mixture. Add sufficient milk to give a soft dropping consistency. Spoon mixture into a deep 20cm round cake tin. Bake 180*C for 35-40 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Leave for 10 minutes before turning out onto wire rack. Using serrated knife, level cake top.

Cover cake board with greaseproof decorative paper, contact, or any type of patterned foil-like gift-wrapping. Position cake on board, cut-side down. Using ruler and toothpicks, mark 11cm circle in centre of cake. Using markings as a guide and small-serrated knife, cut deep hollow into cake.

To make chocolate butter cream: Beat butter in small bowl with electric mixer until as white as possible. Sift cocoa powder in with half the icing sugar. Gradually beat into bowl, then beat in milk and remaining icing sugar.

Spread chocolate butter cream all over cake; fill hollow with coins and ½ of the rainbow choc-chips.

To make chocolate shell: grease 2.25-litre (9 cup)(place the stainless steal bowl over the cooled cake just to make sure it is the right size) stainless steal bowl with oil; place bowl in freezer 10 minutes. Place melted chocolate Melts in the bowl swirl chocolate to coat inside of the bowl evenly. Continue swirling until chocolate begins to set and stops flowing around the bowl try to keep the chocolate a uniform thickness, particularly at the edge. Stand until chocolate is almost set. Freeze until chocolate sets completely.

Carefully place stainless steal bowl with set chocolate shell over cake; using hot cloth, briefly rub outside of bowl. Chocolate shell will slip from bowl to completely cover cake.

Using melted milk chocolate, secure remaining rainbow choc-chips, Smarties and giant Smarties to chocolate shell.

Allow birthday child to break chocolate shell open with toy hammer.

Tip: Make patty cakes from any leftover cake mixture.