Serves 8
Preparation time 20 minutes, plus cooling
Cooking time 20–25 minutes
175 g (6 oz) unsalted butter, softened
175 g (6 oz) caster sugar
175 g (6 oz) self-raising flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs
4 tablespoons sugar strands
500 g (1 lb) yellow ready-to-roll icing
16 black jelly beans
1 tube yellow writing icing
9 clear fruit sweets
Kids’ orange butter icing
75 g (3 oz) unsalted butter, softened
200 g (7 oz) icing sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon orange juice
2 teaspoons grated orange rind
Beat the butter, caster sugar, self-raising flour, baking powder and eggs together until smooth. Grease 2 x 18 cm (7 inch) sandwich tins and line the bases with greased greaseproof paper. Spoon in the mixture and level the tops. Bake in a preheated oven, 180°C (350°F), Gas Mark 4, for 20–25 minutes. Turn out the cakes on to a wire rack and leave to cool.
Beat the butter, sugar and orange juice for the icing gradually together until light and fluffy, then stir in the rind. Use some of the icing to sandwich the cakes. Place on a cake board and spread butter icing thinly around the sides and thickly over the top. Sprinkle sugar strands over the top.
Knead the ready-to-roll icing until softened, then roll out on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar. Trim to a 60 x 8 cm (24 x 3½ inch) rectangle. Scallop the top edge, using a plain 6 cm (2½ inch) biscuit cutter to cut semicircles out of the icing. Carefully press the strip of icing around the edge of the cake.
Knead the trimmings, shape into a 60 cm (24 inch) rope and stick around the base of the cake with a little butter icing. Trim the ends, if necessary. Spread the remaining butter icing over the icing rope to resemble a fur trim. Decorate with the jelly beans. Use plenty of writing icing to stick the fruit sweets on to the crown.
For kids’ lemon crown cake, add the grated rind of 1 large lemon to the sponge ingredients. Omit the orange juice and rind from the butter icing and instead use 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind. Otherwise, prepare and bake as above.