Australian Frog Cakes Recipe
A beloved Australian treat, Frog Cakes were first created by Balfours Bakery in Adelaide. These whimsical cakes feature a soft sponge filled with jam and buttercream, all wrapped in colorful fondant. Perfect for parties or as a delightful surprise for kids, these frog cakes are as fun to make as they are to eat!
Equipment
- 20cm square baking tin
- Baking parchment
- Mixing bowls
- Piping bag with a 1cm plain nozzle
- Small cutter
- Tupperware box (for storage)
Ingredients
- For the Sponge Cake:
- 200 g unsalted butter softened
- 200 g caster sugar
- 4 medium eggs
- 200 g self-raising flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon milk
- For the Filling:
- 150 g unsalted butter softened
- 210 g icing sugar sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 150-160 g strawberry jam
- To Decorate:
- Icing sugar for dusting
- 500 g green ready-to-roll icing
- 1 tube of royal icing
- 1 tube of black writing icing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170°C (Gas Mark 3).
- Grease a 20cm square baking tin and line it with baking parchment.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter, caster sugar, eggs, self-raising flour, baking powder, and milk with an electric mixer until smooth and soft.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and level the top.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and springs back when gently pressed.
- Allow the cake to cool completely in the tin.
- For the filling, beat the softened butter with an electric mixer until creamy, then gradually mix in the sifted icing sugar.
- Continue beating for 5 minutes on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Mix in the vanilla extract.
- Slice the cake horizontally in half and spread the strawberry jam evenly over one half.
- Sandwich the two halves together and cut the cake into 4cm squares.
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a 1cm plain nozzle with buttercream.
- Pipe a small bulb of buttercream (about 2.
- 5cm in diameter) on top of each sponge square.
- Place the cakes in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up the buttercream.
- Coat the sides of each cake with the remaining buttercream, using a palette knife to smooth it on.
- On a surface dusted with icing sugar, roll out the green ready-to-roll icing to about 6mm thick.
- Cut the icing into squares large enough to cover each cake.
- Lay a square of icing over each cake, tucking it in around the sides and trimming any excess.
- Roll small bead-like pieces of green icing for the bases of the eyes and attach them to the cakes using a little royal icing.
- Pipe two dots of royal icing on top of each green base to create the whites of the eyes.
- Finish by piping pupils onto the eyes with black writing icing and use a small cutter edge to press an indentation for the mouth under the eyes.
- Get creative and give each frog cake a unique, expressive face!
Notes / Tips / Wine Advice:
Serve with a glass of light, sparkling wine like Prosecco or a sweet dessert wine such as Muscat.
Nutritional Information
Calories: 320 kcal | Carbohydrates: 45 g | Protein: 3 g | Fat: 15 g | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 32 g | Salt: 150 mg
