Jellycat Birthday Cake
Recipe: https://recipestripper.com/recipes/05ead095-b08e-45fb-969f-4e9161004748
Original source: https://teakandthyme.com/jellycat-birthday-cake/
Recipe image: https://teakandthyme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/jellycat-birthday-cake-DSC_9332-1x1-1200.jpg

Your favourite jellycat birthday cake in edible cake form! Vanilla cake layers with strawberry jam, whipped cream, and fresh strawberries.
Yield: 8
Prep time: PT50M
Cook time: PT40M
Total time: PT150M

Ingredients
- 225 g all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs (room temperature)
- 225 g granulated sugar
- 85 g unsalted butter
- 190 g milk (dairy or non-dairy)
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 300 g whipping cream or heavy cream (cold)
- 30 g powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 teaspoons cocoa powder
- 4 tablespoons strawberry jam (store-bought or homemade)
- 2-3 fresh strawberries (halved)
- 1 birthday candle (with white and red stripes if possible)
- 20 g dark chocolate (roughly chopped)

Instructions
1. [Cake Layers] Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two 6" round cake pans with a round of parchment paper on the bottom of each pan. Set aside.
2. [Cake Layers] Dry mixture: In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. [Cake Layers] Hot milk mixture: In a small pot or microwave-safe bowl, add the butter, milk, oil, and vanilla extract. Heat it on the stovetop or in the microwave until the butter has melted. Don't let it boil. Remove it from the heat and cover to keep it warm while you start making the batter.
4. [Cake Layers] Beat eggs and sugar: In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and sugar. Use an electric hand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment to beat the mixture for a full 6 minutes at medium speed or until the mixture has tripled in size and becomes very pale (almost white) in colour.
5. [Cake Layers] Combine dry and wet mixtures: Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just barely combined. Add the rest of the flour and mix until mostly combined. Some flour patches are fine because you'll continue mixing some more in the next step and we don't want to overmix.
6. [Cake Layers] Add hot milk mixture: With the mixer on low speed, slowly stream in the hot milk mixture until you have a smooth and fluid batter.
7. [Cake Layers] Fill pans: Divide the batter into your lined cake pans until about halfway full.
8. [Cake Layers] Bake: Bake cakes for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs.
9. [Cake Layers] Let cool: Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 15 minutes before running an offset spatula around the edges of the pan. Release the cakes onto a wire rack to cool completely.
10. [Filling] Whip cream: In a large mixing bowl, add the whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Use an electric hand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment to beat the cream until it becomes soft peaks. Scoop out a small amount of whipped cream into a small bowl and set aside. Finish beating the cream to firm peaks.
11. [Filling] Chocolate whipped cream: To the portion of cream you scooped out, add the cocoa powder and mix until the cream is tinted brown. Transfer this cream to a small piping bag and snip off the tip. Set aside.
12. [Filling] Fill piping bags: Transfer both the whipped cream and the chocolate whipped cream to separate piping bags and cut the tips off.
13. [Assemble and decorate the cake] Pipe cream: On a large serving plate or cake board, place down the first cake layer. Pipe dollops of whipped cream along the edge of the cake, ending towards the middle of the cake. Use a spatula to smear the tail ends of the dollops towards the middle of the cake.
14. [Assemble and decorate the cake] Add strawberry jam: To the middle of the cake, add the strawberry jam. Smooth it into an even layer with an offset spatula without disturbing the whipped cream.
15. [Assemble and decorate the cake] Decorate the top: Place the second cake layer on top. Pipe more dollops of whipped cream on top of the cake. Arrange halved strawberries on top of the cream. Insert a candle in the middle.
16. [Assemble and decorate the cake] Pipe legs: With the brown whipped cream, pipe little legs on top of the plate, extending out from the bottom cake layer.
17. [Assemble and decorate the cake] Draw the face: Melt the chopped dark chocolate in the microwave or on the stovetop, transfer the melted chocolate to a small piping bag, and snip the tip off.  Pipe eyes and a smile on the bottom cake layer in between the legs.