Happy Hippo Cake

For anyone who has had Kinder Happy Hippos before then you will know what I am talking about when I say they are the best things to grace this Earth. For a start, they look adorable and most importantly they taste amazing. If you love Nutella and Kinder as a whole, then this show stopper is right up your street, and for those who have never tried Happy Hippos, get to the shops... NOW. Lately, I have become rather ambitious in the old baking game, taking my love of decorating cupcakes to a new level - decorating big cakes. Let me just say this, it takes time and patience and a lot of practice. I still haven't mastered how to create really smooth buttercream around the cake, despite watching YouTube day and night, nevertheless I am getting there slowly. The cake is simple, with three layers of vanilla sponge sandwiched together with Nutella and vanilla frosting.

Happy Hippo Cake
235g Butter
235g Caster Sugar
6 Eggs
235g Self- Raising Flour
1 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract

1 Small Jar of Nutella, or any hazelnut spread

300g Butter, room temperature
700g Icing Sugar
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

150g Milk Chocolate, melted
4 Happy Hippos

Preheat the oven to 160C, gas mark 3. Line and grease 3 20cm sandwich tins. 

The basic cake recipe is really simple and easy, place all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whisk together using an electric mixer for five minutes until all the ingredients are well combined.  

Place the mixture equally into the prepared tins and place in the oven for 25 minutes, until just starting to come away from the sides or when a skewer comes out clean. Once cooked, leave in the tins to cool down before transferring onto a cooling rack. 

Once cooled, use a cake leveller or a sharp knife and level out the top of each sponge to make a straight flat surface. 

To make the frosting, place the butter into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric stand mixer and whisk until the butter is pale, this will take around five minutes. Add in half of the sugar and whisk until combined. Add in the remaining icing sugar and vanilla extract and whisk on a high speed until it is very light and fluffy, it will look white. This should take around five - 10 minutes. 

Place one layer of sponge on a cake board on a turn table and then spread a 1/2 inch layer of vanilla frosting around the sponge, using a small pallet knife level and smooth the frosting. Then place a dollop of Nutella on top and level out making it as equal and straight as possible. Place the second layer of sponge on top making sure it is level with the first sponge and repeat the process. 

Place the last layer of sponge on top and then using a straight pallet knife, place the vanilla frosting around the side of the cake to create a crumb coat. You do not want this to be thick, just enough to lock in the crumbs. Glide the turn table through your hands, letting it do all the work as you place the frosting around. Place in the fridge for one hour to set. 

Take the cake out of the fridge and place back on the turn table. Using the same process as before place the frosting around the cake using a straight pallet knife, only this time you want more frosting around the cake, about half an inch thick. Then using a cake scraper go around the sides of the cake to make the frosting straight and smooth with no bumps. You will have excess frosting so just scrap onto the side of the bowl. When it comes to the top, use a smaller pallet knife and level out on top of the cake. You will notice where the top and sides meet it will need knocking in to create a smooth edge, just use the scraper to knock the frosting in and level out. Place a little Nutella on the cake scraper and smooth it around the cake to create patches of Nutella on the frosting.

Place back in the fridge for 10 minutes to firm. You should have some remaining frosting, with this add in a tablespoon of Nutella and whisk until well combined. Place in a disposable piping with a large star nozzle attached. 

Take the cake out of the fridge and then pour over the melted chocolate, guide it to the edges and let it drip down the sides of the cake. Once the whole cake is covered, take the piping bag and pipe four medium sized stars around the cake, then take the Happy Hippos and place them on top.