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Lucy Lean

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in A Thousand Things· Baking· Birthday· birthday cake· cake· Holidays· Movie Night· RECIPES

Jurassic World Dinosaur Cake

This weekend, with the release of Jurassic World, I am revisiting my favorite dinosaur cake as part of our Thousand Things to Do.  On Saturday we all went off to the Arclight in Hollywood for a fun family movie night. We all loved the movie – the kids did a funny impression of me with my hands to my face squealing as the dinosaurs ate their way through the theme park.  [Mini-spoiler alert: I’m still wondering why the poor British assistant had to suffer the most gruesome drawn-out demise – the kids say it was because she didn’t take care of the boys well enough!]

This fossil of a velociraptor with those talons and skinny arms never fails to please and is not that difficult to make. As a Thousand Things To Do why not make a cake based on a movie that you love – we did a fossil cake for Jurassic World but I can think of so many other great movies to inspire a cake…

A few days in advance make the bones out of white fondant.  Print out a picture of a fossilized raptor to copy and lay parchment on top as you create the bones. Make some stones and boulders out of grey and black fondant.

Bake two flourless chocolate cakes (recipe below) and sandwich together with whipped cream and fresh berries.

Cover the cake with a thin layer of chocolate buttercream frosting and embed the bones into this. Cover this with a layer of sprinkles and soft brown sugar to look like rocks, sand and dirt. Finally, surround the cake with all the very realistic looking fondant pebbles.

Flourless Chocolate Dinosaur Fossil Cake Recipe

I made up two cakes, one after the other – I find this is always much easier for the homecook than doubling the recipe up and getting into trouble with overfilled bowls and worse still an overflowing electric stand mixer!

8 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate melted and then cooled to room temperature.
8 eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 cup sugar, divided

[Makes one slab cake – you need two]

1. Preheat the over to 350 F. Line a large shallow baking sheet with parchment paper, let paper hang over the ends.
2. Whisk the egg whites until you get soft peaks. Add half the sugar (1/2 cup) and beat until you get stiff silky peaks. Set aside.
3. Beat the egg yolks with remaining half of the sugar until thick and pale, about 5 minutes.
4.  Add the melted chocolate and stir until incorporated.
5. Fold in one third of the beaten egg whites to lighten mixture then fold in the remaining two thirds being extremely gentle.
6. Spread cake batter into the baking pan and bake in the middle of the oven for 15 – 20 minutes, until the cake has puffed up and the top is dry.
7. Transfer to a rack and cool completely. [I keep the paper on to help move cake]

For the filling

3 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
3 teaspoons vanilla essence or paste
Fresh strawberries and raspberries

1. Whisk cream with confectioners sugar and vanilla until it holds stiff peaks. Spread half of the whipped cream over the first cake.
2. Spread the berries out over the cream and then carefully place the second cake on top of the first – I found using a wooden board helped and then I slid the cake off it.

For the frosting and decorations

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
4 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

1 pack black ready made fondant
1 pack white ready made fondant
1 pack brown ready made fondant
sprinkles and soft brown sugar that looks like sand/dirt

1. Cream the butter until white and fluffy in the electric mixer.
2. Sift together the powdered sugar and the cocoa powder and slowly add to the butter.
3. Add the cream and the vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.
4. Spread across the top of the cake in a thin layer and carefully work to the edges and down the sides.
5. Place the fondant bones of the skeleton into the frosting, scatter with the sprinkles and then arrange the fondant stones around the edges

Filed Under: A Thousand Things, Baking, Birthday, birthday cake, cake, Holidays, Movie Night, RECIPES Tagged With: A thousand things to do, berries, Birthday cake, bones, cream, dinosaur, Dinosaur Cake, fondant, Fossil Cake, Jurassic World, Movie inspired cake, palentologist, pebbles, raptor cake, stones, strawberries

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Anxiety levels have been high these last few weeks Anxiety levels have been high these last few weeks and just when you think it can’t get any worse it does - Covid levels rising and hospitals dealing with record numbers of very unwell patients, a third lockdown and schools going online and exams cancelled, then there was the runoff in Georgia 💙 overshadowed by the insurrection in D.C. which led to the swift impeachment (again), there’s the excitement of Joe Biden’s inauguration that is being sucked away by the pandemic, the rise of white supremacy with troops guarding the Capitol and ever present fear.  But through it all we have to have hope - for the vaccine, for the teachers helping our kids learn online, for the nurses and doctors working against the odds, for M&S and Ocado deliveries,for a new administration, for arrests of violent rioters, for congress doing its job and for decency to be about to be sworn in.  It’s a lot and we all struggle daily to keep our heads above water.  On a personal level I find painting helps, as do walks in nature and family suppers, I’m wearing pretty dresses, silk underwear and wrapping myself in soft cashmere and yes I’m consuming more champagne than I usually do - if not now then when?  #Lockdown #Stayhome #staysafe #EnglishCountryHouse #EnglishCountryside
#snowdrops went for a walk to search for snowdrops #snowdrops went for a walk to search for snowdrops today - last year the lawn was carpeted in white, this year nothing.  Maybe they are late? Painted a small bunch #oilpaint #flowerpainting #snowdroppainting a sign of #spring I chickened out of painting the tiny glass jug that was a Christmas present - not sure I know how to paint that aqua colour - help!  #EnglishCountryhouse #EnglishCountryGarden #englishcountryside #Lockdown #Staysafe #stayhome
Frosted primroses #oilpainting sketch #sundaysketc Frosted primroses #oilpainting sketch #sundaysketch - we haven’t had snow but this magical frozen landscape is a beautiful alternative - painting again because that’s what got me through the last lockdown #painting #Englishcountryhouse #Englishcountryside #frost #ice #lockdown #staysafe #stayhome
#Lockdown weekend post a crazy time in the world o #Lockdown weekend post a crazy time in the world of #covid #brexit #onlineschool  #Georgia and then the #insurrection in D.C. I took it easy today - I tidied and cleaned #declutter #springcleaning I even cleaned out the #snack cupboard and found the plates I bought and had put in a safe place @jimbobart and made a couple of loaves of @richardbertinet #sourdough ready to wake up and bake tomorrow xxx #stayhome #staysafe #EnglishCountryHouse #Englishinteriors #Georgian #architecture
I love peaches 🍑 Thank you @staceyabrams for tr I love peaches 🍑 Thank you @staceyabrams for truly making America great again - Midnight snack - someone ate the whole pumpkin pie but was thoughtful enough to leave me a slice for breakfast... time to make more! Peach pie 🥧 for everyone x #Epiphany
#Lockdown #Day1 - climbed to the top of #CleyHill #Lockdown #Day1 - climbed to the top of #CleyHill with @chloescotland #walkingandtalking made a pumpkin pie #crimping needs practice - enjoyed the early evening light across the lawn #EnglishCountryHouse #englishcountryside and then came in and made a cozy #fire and made myself a #champagnecocktail - #dontjudge it’s been that kind of day after yesterday’s news came thick and fast crashing over us from morning until night x #staysafe #stayhome #thankyouNHS 🌈
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