So this week I've made two birthday cakes. And we're not talking about round sponges with some chocolate and sprinkles on top, we're talking themed cakes.

This week, I've made a sandcastle cake for The Boy's actual birthday on Tuesday, and for his birthday party day today he had a Peppa Pig car cake.

Thank God for cake moulds hey? I've used one for both cakes: one was a silicon mould from Aldi; the other was a metal, Wilton mould borrowed from the cake-loving Mummy Mishaps. They seem to make everything so much easier and as a result, even the most artistically-lacking parent can whip up an extravaganza for their little ones with the aid of some dolly mixtures and a liquorice allsort or two.

Having made a madeira sponge for the Sandcastle cake, I discovered that it was a little dry and so I decided to add in some natural yoghurt (which is a trick I've learnt from the aforementioned Mummy Mishaps) which makes the cake lighter and more fluffy. I used this gem from Seasider Clare again, and despite the minor realisation that I hadn't made enough and needed to whip another 2 egg mixture. Two hours in the oven and an overnight cooling, saw me decorating it this morning.

After carving out the area for Peppa and family to sit in, I covered it in the appropriate icing sourced from a local cake suppliers using this image as my reference point. I used some wafer flowers on the grass and ended up with this cake which I am really rather proud of. It also tasted a damn sight nicer than the other day, the yoghurt worked a treat.

I have had great fun planning The Boy's cakes over the past few weeks, it's one of those mummy things that I've looked forward to and relish every stressful, floury moment of it. I haven't quite decided on next year's cake yet, but there is a pirate ship mould on top of the fridge that's been sending me distress signals for the past two years.

If you've got a novelty birthday cake that you'd like to share, please add it to the linky below.