How To Make A Laptop Cake For Teens

Image © freepik, under a Creative Commons license.

A laptop cake for a tech-loving teen is as fitting as a crown for a royal.

Clever, creative and impressive, this technology cake is guaranteed to impress your teen celebrating their birthday. Far from the typical cake, teenagers will love this laptop cake recipe because it reflects their personality and is absolutely delicious!

How To Make A Laptop Birthday Cake

This epic computer birthday cake will have a fondant laptop centrepiece on a rectangular vanilla cake, with a colourful striped base.

Time Needed: 20 minutes for mixing, 50 minutes in the oven and 40 minutes for decorating, plus time for the computer cake to cool.

Serves: 15.

Image © senivpetro, under a Creative Commons license.

You Will Need

For The Laptop Cake:

Butter or margarine (360g).

Caster sugar (360g).

Eggs (6).

Self-raising flour (360g).

Salt (1/4 teaspoon).

Baking powder (3/4 of a teaspoon).

Vanilla extract (1 teaspoon).

Milk (90ml).
 

For The Laptop Cake Buttercream:

Butter (100g).

Icing sugar (200g).

Vanilla extract (1/2 a teaspoon).
 

For Decorating The Laptop Cake:

Fondant (white and black).

Gel food colouring (any three colours - these can be mixed with white fondant to create coloured fondant).

Edible image of a laptop keyboard (these can be made professionally and then bought, alternatively why not have a go at making a keyboard yourself out of fondant?).

Gumpaste (or more fondant) for the lettering.

Glitter dust in gold or silver (for the lettering).
 

Equipment For The Laptop Cake:

Two rectangular cake tins (25cm x 15cm).

Greaseproof paper to line the tins (or grease with extra butter).

Styrofoam sheet (25cm x 15cm).

A small, clean paintbrush.

Water (100ml).

Skewers for attaching the laptop (4).

Alphabet cutters.

A cake board covered with foil (30cm x 30cm).

Image © prostooleh, under a Creative Commons license.

Method

For The Laptop Cake:

1) Preheat the oven to 170C.

2) Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy.

3) Mix the eggs in, one at a time, then sift in the flour, salt and baking powder.

4) Slowly add the milk and vanilla extract, then stir and transfer equal amounts to the lined (or greased) baking trays.

5) Bake for 50 minutes, or until light brown and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Then allow to cool completely.
 

For The Laptop Cake Buttercream:

1) Gently whisk the butter, vanilla and icing sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
 

Get Decorating!

1) Cut a 25cm x 15cm rectangle out of the styrofoam sheet for the laptop screen. Then, roll a thin layer of white fondant (half a centimetre thick) and cover the entire screen with it, smoothly.

2) On a sheet of black fondant, cut a 25cm x 15cm rectangle out and use a wet paintbrush to lightly apply water to one side of the rectangle. The water will enable the black rectangle (the screen) to stick to the white fondant. Once applied, stick the black rectangle onto the white fondant.

3) To create a border, cut out four long strips of black fondant (2cm wide) and use a wet paintbrush to stick them around the edges of the black rectangle, trimming them to the right length. Use a wet paintbrush to blend the edges for a smooth frame.

4) Use the alphabet cutters to cut out the birthday message from gumpaste. Then go over the front of each letter with a wet paintbrush, and sprinkle some edible glitter on for a sparkly finish.

5) Use a wet paintbrush to put the letters in place on the black screen. Then set aside.

6) Use a large knife to level the top of each cake.

7) Spread a generous amount of buttercream on top of one of the cake layers, then put the other on top and press gently. Spread any excess filling around the edges, then use more buttercream to smoothly cover all visible sides of the cake.

8) Roll out a sheet of black fondant (half a centimetre thick) and smoothly spread it over the whole cake, trimming off any excess.

9) Use a skewer or the end of the paintbrush to mark a horizontal line all around the cake, 2cm down from the top of the cake.

10) Roll a sheet of white fondant and lightly brush with a wet paintbrush before covering the top of the cake, trimming it on the horizontal line marked in the last step.

11) Roll two long, thin sausages of coloured fondant, then use a wet paintbrush to stick one around the cake on the horizontal border between the white laptop and the black base, and the other around the bottom edges of the cake.

Image © coffeekai, under a Creative Commons license.

12) Insert four skewers halfway into the bottom of the laptop screen (evenly spaced) then attach to the laptop base by inserting the skewers into it.

13) Use a wet paintbrush to put the edible keyboard on, then roll out a small white rectangle for the trackpad before sticking that on too.

14) Use the end of a paintbrush to add extra details, then use strips of coloured fondant to decorate the cake base and you're done!

Top Tips

To make a Mac laptop cake, use an edible printout of a Mac keyboard, then create a fondant Apple logo to go on the front of the cake. Alternatively, bake just one rectangular cake and cover it in light grey frosting, then decorate to look like a closed laptop, with an Apple logo in the middle!

Allergies? No problem! For an easy eggless or vegan computer cake, use 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseeds mixed with 3 tablespoons water as a substitute for one egg (scaling up for this recipe).

Feel free to use gluten free self raising flour, dairy free butter and dairy free milk as allergy-safe ingredients.

The lettering can go on the side of the cake if you prefer, and the screen could have an edible picture of your teen's face or a family photo on instead!

This cake is best enjoyed within the first three days of making and should be stored airtight at room temperature, or airtight in the fridge for up to five days. Do not freeze though!

Kids aged two and above are free to enjoy this cake, and kids aged four and above can help in the baking process by mixing ingredients, sticking the fondant pieces on and cutting the lettering out.