Ladybird Cake

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/340°F. Grease and flour an Individual and Large Hemisphere Cake Pan.
2. Make the cakes: mix the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in 4 eggs and half of the flour, then beat in the last 2 eggs, vanilla extract and remaining flour and transfer the mixture to the tins. Bake the individual cake for 15-20 minutes and the large for 45-60 minutes. Leave in the tins until completely cool.
3. Fill the cakes: beat the butter until light and fluffy then gradually stir in the icing sugar, vanilla extract and enough water or milk until the buttercream is a spreadable consistency. Set aside.
4. Cut the cakes in half widthways, spread with the jam and a little of the buttercream, set the rest aside. Put the cake halves back together and place the cakes onto the cake board.
5. Cover the cakes with the buttercream. Cut off 100g of the red icing and roll out to about 15cm Dia. Place onto the individual cake, gently smooth from the top downwards and trim away any excess. Roll out the remaining red icing to about 35cm Dia. Place onto the large cake, gently smooth from the top downwards and trim away any excess.
6. Roll out the black icing and use small round cutters to create the dots, brush the backs with a little water then stick on the cake. Use your hands to mould 1 large and 1 small oval shape for the faces, brush the back with a little water, and press into place.
7. Cut some eyes from a little white icing, brush the backs with a little water, place onto the face and finish with small black dots for pupils. Colour a little of the white icing pink to create the cheeks. Pipe the mouth on with a little white royal icing.
8. Mix together the desiccated coconut and green colouring, leave to dry slightly, then spread onto the cake board.
9. Roll up the remaining black icing, shape some sausages for the legs and put into position. Roll some little balls, push onto short pieces of florists wire and tuck behind the faces to make antennae.