After making my Nan’s birthday cake, which was a hit, I was asked to make my Granddad’s birthday cake. With free rein on the design, I chose a fish theme since my Granddad loves fishing. I baked a classic Victoria sponge, covered it in rolled fondant (Regal Icing), and decorated it with seaweed, bubbles and two little fish. The Victoria sponge turned out beautifully — light, moist and full of gentle vanilla flavour, honestly the best version I’ve found for a sandwich cake.
I’ve also been reading about Swiss meringue buttercream and I’m eager to try it on another celebration cake soon, but for this one I kept the filling simple and reliable.
Tools and materials you will need:
> Two 7″ sandwich tins
> Cake leveller or serrated knife
> Piping bag and a small plain nozzle
> Pastry brush
> 1 tbsp apricot jam + 1 tbsp water (to brush the cake before icing)
> Royal icing for attaching decorations and piping details
> About 750 g rolled fondant (Regal Icing) — white, which you can colour yourself
> Gel food colours for tinting fondant and royal icing
> Icing sugar for dusting your work surface
> Rolling pin and fondant smoother
> Cake board and optional ribbon for finishing
> Cookie cutters (optional) for shapes and decorations
> Pizza cutter or sharp knife to trim excess fondant
Makes two 7″ layers.
Ingredients for the Victoria sponge:
> 175 g butter or margarine
> 175 g caster sugar
> 3 medium eggs
> 1 tsp vanilla extract
> 175 g self-raising flour
> 1 tsp baking powder
> Jam for filling (I used strawberry)
> Ready-to-spread buttercream to fill (optional) — I used ready-to-spread because the cake had to travel; homemade buttercream is fine if serving immediately.
If you prefer to make a simple buttercream yourself:
> 50 g butter
> 100 g icing sugar
> 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Method for the Victoria sponge and assembly:
> Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease two 7″ sandwich tins.
> Beat the butter and caster sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
> Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition to keep the batter smooth and avoid curdling.
> Stir in the vanilla extract briefly.
> Sift the self-raising flour and baking powder into the mixture and fold until evenly combined; the batter should be light and smooth.
> Divide the batter evenly between the two tins — a spatula application method (small dollops alternating between tins) helps to ensure equal amounts.
> Smooth the tops lightly; the batter will level in the oven.
> Bake for 20–25 minutes until the cakes are golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
> Cool in the tins for about 20 minutes, then turn out on a wire rack to cool completely. You can wrap the layers and chill overnight if needed, but decorating the same day also works well.
> Level the cakes with a cake leveller or serrated knife for neat layers. Place one layer, bottom down, on the cake board. Spread a layer of buttercream across the top, then spread the jam over the buttercream. Place the second layer on top, bottom side up (the bottom is usually the most level).
Covering and decorating with rolled fondant:
> Knead the rolled fondant until soft and pliable. I tinted mine a pale blue with gel colour by kneading the colour in thoroughly.
> Dust your work surface lightly with icing sugar and roll the fondant out thinly — a few millimetres is plenty; a thinner cover leaves more fondant for decorations.
> Heat 1 tbsp apricot jam with 1 tbsp water until bubbling, then brush this glaze over the entire cake (top and sides). The glaze helps the fondant adhere and adds a subtle shine.
> Lightly dust the fondant surface and loosely roll the fondant around your rolling pin, then unroll it over the cake, smoothing from the centre outward. Leave a good overhang to cover the sides. Use a fondant smoother to eliminate folds and stretch the fondant into a smooth finish around the cake.
> Trim the excess fondant around the base with a pizza cutter or sharp knife and reserve the trimmings for making decorations.
Adding ribbon and decorations:
> Attach a ribbon around the base using small dots of royal icing. Mix royal icing to a pipeable consistency by adding a small amount of water to a few tablespoons of royal icing until smooth and slightly thick. Pipe a little royal icing onto the ribbon ends and press in place, overlapping slightly for a neat finish.
> Plan your decoration layout before sticking pieces down. For the fish theme I created two fish, a few bubbles and strands of seaweed from the reserved fondant scraps and cookie-cutter shapes.
> Use royal icing to glue the decorations to the fondant-covered cake. Colour a small amount of royal icing green to pipe details on the fish, and tint a little fondant black to make small eyes.
> Finish any piped details and smooth any rough edges. Once decorated, the cake presents a clean, themed look ideal for a fisherman’s birthday.
This simple Victoria sponge filled with buttercream and jam, covered in fondant and finished with handmade decorations, makes a charming birthday cake that’s both attractive and delicious — perfect for anyone who loves fishing and the sea.