How to make an Animal Crossing leaf cake – Better than Toast Extra

Picture: Antonia Landi

Hello my dears! How long has it been since my last video? Too long!

 

Here in Europe it’s still another long week until we can get our hands onto the new Animal Crossing game, so I thought I’d make a video to pass the time. And what would be better than an AC inspired leaf cake? An AC inspired toffee leaf cake!

 

The cake recipe I’m about to share with you is one of my favourites. It’s so easy to make, and so delicious. As you’ll see I use carnation caramel in my cake, which seems to pop up in my local supermarket at random intervals. I’m not sure how readily available this little tin of magic is, but fret not. Whenever I can’t find it, I simply get a tin of condensed milk, put its contents into an oven safe glass dish, and let it sit on a low to medium heat for about half an hour. Do check it quite often, as the condensed milk is prone to burning. If you’re unsure, simply cover the dish with some aluminium foil. You’ll know your oven best!

When the milk is a lovely light golden brown colour, take it out of the oven, let it cool completely (believe me, you do not want to burn yourself on this stuff) and remove any burnt bits you might find. Give it a stir and voilà: Your very own dulce de leche.

If you can’t find pre-coloured icing, you can get a white icing block and some green food colouring and make your own, like I’ve done in my previous recipes. Just be advised that it takes time and effort, usually makes a mess and is fiddly to work with. Since you’re adding extra liquid to the icing in the form of the food colouring, the icing will get softer. This means that you’ll have to store it in the fridge after dying it and rolling it out, so that it has time to firm up again. Work quickly and neatly, and you’ll be totally fine.

You can get the leaf template I used here. For reference, my cake tin is 8 inches in diameter and about 3.5 inches deep, and it works perfectly with the leaf I’ve included. If you have a smaller cake tin, simply re-size the image.

And now without further ado, here it is in all its glory: My delicious toffee cake recipe!

 

For the cake:

200g self-raising flour

200g soft brown sugar

200g unsalted butter

4 eggs

About 75g mini fudge pieces

3/4 can carnation caramel / dulce de leche (see above) (1 can is 397g)

 

For the crumb coat:

100g soft cheese

Rest of caramel

Icing sugar to taste

 

For the coating:

500g green icing

Patience!

 

Combine the flour and sugar in a bowl. Add the eggs and the caramel, melt the butter and add it in small amounts while stirring constantly until everything is combined. Transfer to cake tin, sprinkle on the fudge pieces and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes (or until knife comes out clear) on a medium heat. Cool, trim, coat and put on the icing.

Watch the video for instructions, and do get in touch if you have any questions, as silly as you think they might be!

 

And finally, have a look at these great links for inspiration and information.

If this is your first time baking a cake, have a look at my cake baking strategy guide. It contains useful tips and tricks for first-time bakers.

For some more information on dulce de leche and alternative ways to make it at home, check out this blog!

And finally, if you’re not yet excited about the latest Animal Crossing, have a look at the official website. I can’t wait!