Nando's Cake

I’ve never made a cake version of savoury food before, so this was a bit of a challenge. This was a 21^st cake for one of my housemates who is quite partial to the occasional Nando’s meal! I’d like to thank Brighton Nando’s for donating the chip holder, napkins, takeaway wrapping paper and the famous Nando’s “medium” stick.

In order to make this authentic looking, I took a few shortcuts, such as using a shop bought jam roly-poly for the corn on the cob.

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Nando's Cake 

You will need:

For the decoration

• 10” cake board
• Nando’s greaseproof paper
• Nando’s napkins
• Nando’s chip holder
• Nando’s cocktail stick

For the sponge

In order to make the chicken shape, you need both a sandwich cake and a loaf cake. The amounts stated here are divided into equal amounts – one for each tin.

• 2 x 3 eggs
• 2 x 250g self-raising flour
• 2 x 500g caster sugar
• 2 x 500g margarine
• 2lb loaf tin, greased and lined
• 18in round tin, greased and lined

For the buttercream

• 140g butter, softened
• 280g icing sugar
• 1-2 tbsp milk

For the corn on the cob

• Jam roly-poly
• Yellow fondant
• Very small amount of white fondant
• Brown gel food colouring
• Small sponge brush (I used the one on the far left from an Asda paintbrush selection)
  
• Cocktail stick
• Shine spray (I used PME glaze spray, bought on Amazon)
  

For the chips

• 12 Cadbury’s Fudge bars
  
• Golden yellow fondant
• Edible glue
• Red sugar (to be peri peri salt)
  

For the chicken

• 300g pale brown fondant
• Brown gel food colouring
• Golden yellow/orange food gel food colouring 

Method: 

For the sponges

1. Heat the oven to gas 4.
2. Cream the butter and the sugar together until pale with a wooden spoon.
3. Beat in the eggs.
4. Sift over the flour and fold in using a large metal spoon.
5. The mixture should be of a dropping consistency; if it is not, add a little milk.
6. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and gently spread out with a spatula.
7. Bake for 35-40 minutes until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
8. Allow to stand until completely cool.

Repeat these steps with the second lot of ingredients and cook in the round tin.

For the buttercream

1. Beat the butter in a large bowl until soft.
2. Add half of the icing sugar and beat until smooth.
3. Add the remaining icing sugar and one tablespoon of the milk and beat the mixture until creamy and smooth.
4. Beat in the milk, if necessary, to loosen the mixture.
   

For the corn on the cob

1. Unroll the jam roly-poly until it is about the width of a corn on the cob and discard the other layer.
   
2. Cut a slice about 10cm long.
3. Roll out the yellow fondant to about 1cm thickness.
4. Spread the sponge with a small amount of the buttercream and cover it with the fondant.
5. Scratch the shape of the individual sweetcorn into the fondant with the cocktail stick.
6. Roll out a small amount of white fondant, and cut out two round shapes (about the size of a £2 coin) and stick these onto the ends of the cake with buttercream.
7. Spray the “corn” with shine spray and sponge a small amount of brown gel food colouring onto the cake to look like charring.
   

For the chips

1. Slice the fudge bars into three slices lengthways.
   
2. Roll out the golden yellow fondant.
3. Spread a very small amount of buttercream across the fudge bars, and cover them with a fondant.
4. Repeat this over all the slices.
5. Leave the “chips” to set in the fridge.
6. When set, place the chips into the cardboard chip holder.
7. Brush the top level of chips with edible glue, and sprinkle with red sugar to replicate the “peri peri” salt.
   
    

For the chicken

1. The shape of the cake is created according to the following template.
   
2. Cut the round cake to form the body of the chicken.
3. The two edges cut off should be placed on either side of the top of the cake to build up the chicken “breast.”
4. Cut out a triangle from between these two added bits. (Shown by the black area).
5. Cut the loaf cake into the two thigh shapes, as shown by the template.
6. Roll out the pale brown icing.
7. Spread the entire cake with buttercream.
   
8. Cover the cake with icing, pressing the fondant into all of the crevices and cut away the excess.
9. Using the remainder of the fondant, make two "wings" by rolling out two thick sausage-shapes (about 10cm in length with the diameter of a penny). 
10. Fold these sausages in half, and attach with cocktail sticks to either side of the "chicken."
11. Using the sponge brush, press a mixture of brown and golden yellow gel food colouring over the whole chicken.
12. Press the cocktail stick into the chicken
    

To finish the cake

1. Assemble the constituent parts on the cake board, covered by the greaseproof paper.
2. Add the napkins at one side. 

Now grab a knife and fork and tuck in! 

Love, Chloe xx 

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