7 Steps to a Fun Dinosaur Fondant Cake

Heat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan) / 325°F and grease and line a 20cm (8 in) round tin at least 7.5cm (3 in) deep. Cream 250g softened butter with the caster sugar for 3-4 minutes until pale and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a spoonful of the flour with each to stop the mix curdling. Fold in the remaining self-raising and plain flour with the milk and vanilla until smooth. Bake for 75-85 minutes, until a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean, then cool in the tin for 15 minutes before turning onto a wire rack. Madeira is deliberately dense — it carries the weight of fondant without bulging, where a light sponge would collapse.

Beat 200g softened butter for 3 minutes, then gradually add the 400g icing sugar with 1-2 tablespoons of milk to make a spreadable buttercream. Once the cake is completely cold, slice off the domed top with a serrated knife so it sits flat, then split it into two even layers. Sandwich the layers with about a third of the buttercream, then spread a thin, even crumb coat over the top and sides — just enough that you can still see the cake through it. Chill for 30 minutes until the surface is firm to the touch; this gives the fondant a smooth, grippy base.

Knead the 750g of green fondant until pliable, then roll it out to 5mm thick on a surface dusted with icing sugar, into a circle roughly 36cm (14 in) across — wide enough for the top plus both sides. Drape it over your rolling pin, lift it centred onto the cake, and smooth the top first with your palm, working outwards. Ease the fondant onto the sides in stages, lifting the skirt out and smoothing downwards so it never pleats, then trim the excess at the base with a pizza wheel or sharp knife. Finish by polishing the whole cake with a cake smoother for sharp, professional edges.

Knead 1/2 teaspoon of CMC powder into about 150g of dark green fondant so it firms as it dries. Roll a fat sausage around 10cm (4 in) long, taper one end to a point for the tail, and curve the other end upwards into a neck. Roll a walnut-sized ball for the head, pinch a gentle snout, and fix it to the neck with a dab of water and a short strand of dry spaghetti for support. Shape four small balls into stumpy legs, press them onto the body, and stand the dinosaur on baking paper to firm up for 1-2 hours — or make it days ahead so it is completely sturdy.

Roll orange fondant to 3mm thick and cut a row of small triangles, from about 2cm down to 5mm, with a sharp knife. Let them firm for 20-30 minutes, then glue them with water in a line down the dinosaur's neck, back and tail, largest in the middle. Roll pea-sized orange balls, flatten them, and stick them along the body as spots. For the face, press on two small white fondant balls, dot the pupils with a black edible food pen, and drag a toothpick tip in a short curve under the snout for a smile.

Crush two digestive biscuits and scatter the crumbs in a crescent across the top of the cake as a sandy path. Add two or three rocks rolled from leftover white and grey-tinted fondant, and make a quick palm tree by pushing four leaf shapes of dark green fondant onto the top of a pretzel rod. Sit the dinosaur slightly off-centre on a small dab of buttercream so it holds firm in transit. Keep at least a third of the top clear — empty green space makes the scene read cleaner and leaves room for candles.

Stamp dinosaur footprints around the sides: press one flattened oval of orange fondant for each pad and three tiny balls above it for toes, spacing prints about 5cm (2 in) apart in a walking line. Cut the birthday name from rolled white fondant with letter cutters and fix it to the front, or write it with the food pen on a white plaque. Run a ribbon around the base board and secure it with a glue dot at the back. Let the finished dinosaur fondant cake settle at room temperature for an hour before moving it — the fondant skin firms and travels far better.