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!
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.