Annabel Karmel's Swimming Pool cake

Method

• step 1

  Brush a 12” X 8” cake board (or use a slightly larger cake board if you wish) with some warmed apricot jam and position one of the cakes on the board. Cut out a 5” X 8” rectangle from the centre of the second cake.

• step 2

  To make the buttercream, beat the butter, sifted icing sugar, orange juice and orange zest together until smooth.

• step 3

  Spread a thin layer of buttercream over the top of the first cake and place the cake ‘frame’ on top. Reserve a little of the buttercream and using a palette knife, cover the sides and top of the cake with the remainder.

• step 4

  Cut the chocolate with a long serrated knife in a see-saw action where necessary to fit the swimming pool surround.

• step 5

  Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and beat together with the egg whites or use water until thick and colour blue.

• step 6

  Reserve a little of the blue icing and spoon or pipe the remainder into the centre of the pool but don’t cover right to the edge. Leave about 1” of the inside edge of the pool above the water line and spread this with a thin layer of buttercream.

• step 7

  Halve 5 pink wafers by prising them apart lengthways with a knife and stick these around the inside edge of the pool. Arrange a layer of coloured sweets above. Use a teaspoon pull the blue icing to the sides of the pool to look like ripples and make little waves on the surface of the water.

• step 8

  Use a teaspoon pull the blue icing to the sides of the pool to look like ripples and make little waves on the surface of the water.

• step 9

  Use the reserved blue icing to make little puddles on the swimming pool surround, these are great for hiding any joins or cracks in the chocolate.

• step 10

  Make a diving board by using a small square off-cut from the left-over cake for the base. Stick this to the side of the pool with a little buttercream and cover the top and sides with a thin layer of buttercream.

• step 11

  Cover the three sides with halved wafers cut to fit and put two whole pink wafers on top to form the diving board. Arrange the liquorice laces to form the handles of the steps down to the pool.

• step 12

  Cut the ready to roll icing in half and colour one half a pinky flesh colour. Form into the faces, bodies and limbs of the swimmers.

• step 13

  Colour a little of the icing blue and roll on a lightly floured surface and cut to form bathing trunks and a bathing costume, colour a little red and form into a bathing suit, arm bands and a towel.

• step 14

  Colour a little brown and push through a garlic press to make hair. Stick this onto the heads of the bathers and draw their features with icing pens.

• step 15

  Colour a little yellow and form into the rubber rings.

• step 16

  Assemble the bathers and position one relaxing in the pool, one diving into the pool and the third sitting on top of the diving board.

• step 17

  Decorate the rubber ring with red spots using a writing icing pen and place on top of the towel by the side of the pool.