Basic Cake and Icing Recipe

Cake:
125g butter / margarine
210g castor sugar
3 large eggs
5ml vanilla essence]
250g cake flour
3ml salt
180ml milk
15ml baking powder

Preheat the oven to 200°C and grease a large rectangular baking tin.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time.
Add the salt and vanilla essence and beat until thoroughly mixed.
Sift the dry ingredients.
Add to the creamed mixture alternating with the milk until the batter is well mixed.
Pour into the baking tin and bake for 20-25minutes until a fork inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Let cake cool on a cooling rack.

Butter icing:
125g butter at room temperature
500g icing sugar
5ml vanilla essence
milk

Beat butter until soft, then beat in half the icing sugar.
Add the rest of the icing sugar, alternating with a little milk (one teaspoon at a time), and beat until smooth.
Add flavouring or colouring as required

Decorating according to Theme:
Using a picture of your chosen Theme (for example a train), cut out the paper shape first.
Then using the paper shape as a basic outline / stencil - cut the cake.
Place the cooled cake on a board covered with foil.
Cover the cake with butter icing.
For a more professional look, cover the cake with a thin layer of butter icing.
Knead some plastic icing and roll out onto a waxed sheet (plastic icing available at most supermarkets).
Cover the cake with the plastic icing and trim the edges. Using your fingertips, carefully mould the icing over the design to get features in 3D.
To decorate, beat an egg white until frothy, then mix in icing sugar until the mixture creates peaks with a spoon or beater. Mix with food colouring and place in an icing bag, pipe little stars all over the surface. Pipe light colours first, and allow colour to dry before starting the next.
Where the cake meets the board use the same icing sugar stars to keep the cake from sliding off the board.