If you’re an Aussie and under the age of 45 you most probably had this cake made for a birthday cake at some point in your life. I did ad I loved it. And in true keeping-it-in-the-family-style, Miss9 has also had it made for her.
I must confess that I made this cake for her a loooong time ago – I believe she was turning 7 at the time! That’s what happens when you’re a food blogger – you make so much stuff and take so many photos that things somehow get forgotten! When I saw these photos recently on my laptop I was so excited as it meant I could share this cute birthday cake recipe with you.
In true AWW style it doesn’t matter if the cake is a bit wonky – the main thing to remember is your child will love it. I made my cake from scratch, using the Weekly’s basic butter cake. Don’t be put off by the long list below, you can do it! Trust me – once you have made the cake the fun part is the assembly.
GATHER:
CAKE:
125 grams butter, diced, at room temperature
¾ cup caster sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 ½ cups self-raising flour
½ cup milk
JELLY:
1 pack light blue jelly crystals
CHOCOLATE BTTERCREAM ICING:
125 grams butter, softened, diced
1 ½ cups sifted icing sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted
Beat butter in bowl of electric mixer for around 7 minutes – you want it pale. Gradually beat in half the sifted icing sugar and all the cocoa, then milk, then remaining icing sugar.
Beat until combined.
DECORATIONS:
300 grams chocolate finger biscuits
2 pink musk sticks
liquorice straps
6 plastic baby dolls – these were very hard to find! Try old-fashioned craft or toy stores
1 cocktail paper umbrella
round lollies to act like floaties for the dolls.
1 sour rainbow strap, cut into thirds
1 30cm round cake board
LET’S GET TO IT:
Preheat oven to 180C and line and grease a20cm round pan with non stick paper. Allow paper to extend 5cm over the pan.
Beat butter, vanilla and sugar in bowl of eclectic mixer until pale and not-gritty.
Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down bowl each time.
Sift in flour and milk, in two batches and mix until just combined – do not over-beat.
Scrape into tin and bake for about 40-50 minutes.
Stand in tin five minutes before turning, top-side up, onto wire rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, make jelly according to packet instructions and pour into a shallow container then place in the fridge. You don’t want it completely set but it does need to be mostly set – if that makes sense.
Meanwhile, make butter cream.
Level the top of the cake so it is even and place a dollop of butter cream in the centre of cake board and place bottom of cake on dollop, gently press down. This will secure it.
Cut into the centre of the cake, 2cm from the edge, a section 2.5cm deep. Remove and discard this section and use a small sharp knife to even this out.
Use a pastry brush to remove crumbs then spread butter cream all over the edge and side of cake but NOT the hollowed-out area.
Stick the chocolate finger biscuits around the sides of the cake and leave a gap of about 5cm for the ladder.
Make a ladder using the musk sticks, liquorice, toothpicks and a dab of butter cream – see photos. Then position this in the gap.
Remove jelly from fridge, mash with a fork and spoon into the hollowed out area. Place dollies in round rings or on the rainbow strap lilos, then place umbrella on side.
the hungry mum 
What fun! I have seen a version of the decorations… but with pigs playing in the mud. (My daughter LOVES pigs- we have a giant stuffed collection- so it caught my eye!)
Ooh, the pig version sounds v cute.
Great Fun!
thanks so much x
What a cute cake!
Thanks Antonia 🙂
I made this cake for one of my kids at least thirty years ago! My copy of the original book is still used to make birthdays cakes from!
This book is a classic! So many cakes, so many memories x
I love these Women’s Weekly cakes. And I agree, the fun part is in the assembly. It is like art!
Thanks so much! It was fun to make 😉
What a fun looking cake and it sounds delicious too.
Thanks so much! jelly and cake – together at last!
How adorable is this cake! Wonderful job!
Awww, ta! Daughter number one was very happy with it x
Hehe I specialise in wonky cakes so I’m glad that wonkiness is fine. This is super cute! 😀
I prefer ‘rustic’ 😉 I have no idea how some people get their cakes so perfect – I have neither the skills nor the patience.
I’ve made this cake before too. And I remember it well. I remember it from so long ago that the water had to be made with green jelly because you couldn’t buy blue! You did well to find the little dolls to float in the pool – that to me has always been the most difficult part – finding all those finishing touches! xx
A cake with many memories! The original recipe specified green jelly – which I had in my cake as a kid – but I thought blue was more sparkling! I can;t remember where I bought the dollies but I know it was years ago.
This made me laugh – 8 years in Oz this week and I’ve never seen a swimming pool cake – until now. I want one!
Really?! Wow, you are missing out! I will have to make you one 🙂
Well I wouldn’t say no to that offer!
Oh my God…I remember this cake from my childhood! And it was a popular one…so cool. I think the book came out in the early 80s so it was prime time for kid’s birthday parties 🙂
Yes Jem! Exactly! That book was the baking bible for Aussie mums from the 1970s on :0
Yup, I had one of those. Even made one for Josh. Almost an Aussie tradition.
The AWW is very popular in NZ as well and my Mum had a special edition on kids birthday cakes. This cake was one of them, and Mum made it one year for my sister. It was a huge hit with all the kids at her party!
Reading the post’s title I simply had no idea of what was to come. 🙂
ha ha! I guess if you didn;t grow up in Australia in the 70s/80s it is a bit weird 🙂
#BEST I never had a pool cake made for me, totes sending Mom an email now suggesting bad birthday parenting. Ha!
ha ha! Maybe get DoCS involved – a childhood without a pool cake sounds like grounds for investigation by the authorities x