Make Your Own Colin The Caterpillar

Sponge

• 3 eggs
• 135g caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 50g cocoa powder
• 85g plain flour

Buttercream

• 200g unsalted butter
• 350g icing sugar
• 150g milk chocolate

Ganache

• 150g dark chocolate
• 180ml double cream

Decoration

• 60g white chocolate
• Smarties®

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.

To make the sponge, beat the egg, vanilla and sugar together until thick, fluffy and pale – about 10 minutes. Sift in the flour and cocoa and fold gently until fully incorporated using a metal spoon or spatula to avoid knocking out too much air.

Pour into a lined swiss roll tin, level the batter and bake in the oven for 10 minutes (or until springy to touch).

Whilst warm, tip it onto a large sheet of greaseproof that’s been dusted with icing sugar. Cut lines from the shortest side to a third of the way up your sponge at 2cm intervals to create several strips. Remove every other strip – this will create the ridges on his back when it’s rolled up. Cut out small semi-circles from the excess sponge to create your feet.

Gently roll your sponge from the uncut side to the cut side and leave to cool. Don’t worry if your sponge breaks or cracks, we’ll be crumb coating it all in buttercream that will reattach any faults.

To make your buttercream, beat together the butter and icing sugar until pale and fluffy. Melt your milk chocolate in a bain marie or in 30 second blasts in the microwave. Allow to cool before drizzling into your buttercream and continue to beat until well combined.

Unroll your cooled sponge and spread on a decent layer of buttercream, being sure to paint the strips, too. Gently roll the sponge back up and cover your whole caterpillar in buttercream. Take your time as the smoother you get him at this stage, the better the ganache will sit and the more professional your cake will appear. Pop in the fridge for an hour to set.

To make your face, melt white chocolate and pipe into the signature face shape of ‘Colin’ on a non-stick surface – I like to pull clingfilm taut across a plate. Finish with spots of milk chocolate for the eyes (or use Cadbury’s Buttons). Dip the sponge feet into the white chocolate using cocktail sticks to avoid messy fingers and pop onto the non-stick surface, too. Refrigerate until set.

Just before your cake and decorations are set, make your ganache. Warm the cream in a pan until steaming and pour over your dark chocolate. Give it a minute to start melting before mixing together to form a glossy ganache.

Line your set sponge onto a wire wrack. Evenly pour over the ganache to create a beautiful chocolate finish. Transfer to your serving board and add your face and feet. Top with Smarties and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!