Is this Leo the lion, or the great Aslan from the C.S. Lewis Narnia collection or Disney’s Simba? I think my nephew Jack will be happy with his birthday cake whatever the name. I had so much fun creating this cake for adorable Jack who has just turned two and is a huge fan of African animals, especially the big cats. 

Now I’ve never made a lion themed cake before, surprising actually considering amongst my six children and various nieces and nephews I’ve crafted all sorts of edible goodies. From pirate ships and bandana clad pirates, to three tired pastel hued cake towers, upright pianos, decorated numerals, pretty floral hearts and oval shaped layer cakes, a variety of themed cupcakes galore, fire engines and farm animals, sporting equipment, teddy bears and even a poodle! But never a lion…until now. 

The secret to a successfully decorated theme cake is ORGANISATION. Make sure you have a good supply of handy cake decorating tools, neatly stored and accessible for when you need them. Write a list of all the ingredients you need to first bake the cake and then adorn it appropriately. Sketch out a visual plan of what the cake should look like. Refer to cake books and images via the internet for inspiration and advice. Leave plenty of time to do the job properly, so that you can actually enjoy the task. Use a reliable, moist and flavoursome cake recipe that you are familiar with. I find home baked chocolate fudge, vanilla buttermilk or dense banana cakes hold their shape well, complement the fondant flavour, are easy to slice and appealing to pretty much most party guests. 

I like to hand tint white vanilla flavoured fondant because it means I can custom colour the icing. Yes it does require a little more kneading than buying a ready coloured roll, but the texture, flavour and overall result is far better. 

To create a firm, stable cake foundation over which the fondant will be applied, first ganache the completely cooled cake and then refrigerate for an hour. Sometimes extra ganache is needed to create a smooth finish and this can be added once the initial layer has set. 

I like to dust my bench top with cornflour rather than icing sugar because it has a consistency that is super fine and dry. Icing sugar can become sticky in warm, humid  weather. 

My favourite cake decorating gadget of the moment is the humble garlic crusher. I keep one in my decorating box for the sole purpose of creating fine spaghetti-like strands of fondant. Simply push the soft fondant through and slice off and use as needed. Perfect for hair, moustaches, bushy eyebrows and the like. That’s how this edible creature ended up with his magnificent orange tinted mane. My mum’s strong hands were indispensable in pushing through ball after ball of fondant which she carefully handed to me to place around “Leo’s” head. 

I look forward to seeing Jack’s reaction when he opens the cake box…Happy birthday cutie!