Tada!! Here’s an outlandishly cool Kit-kat pigs in mud cake — swimming in a tub of chocolate mud! Oh, my, what a great birthday cake! All that chocolate!!! I am breaking all ‘let’s eat healthy and lose weight’- rules and am posting the recipe for this delicious cake!
image credit: facebook.com/taartvanfiona ; upgraded by FineCraftGuild
I guess, in the continued celebration of my Dutch heritage**, here is another Dutch bit of splendour! In putting this post together, I personally translated several different Dutch* recipes, and completed it with conversions of gram to oz, F to C, etc. Pfft. Am tired now. But, we now have a complete set of usable instructions on how to make this fantastic Pigs in Mud chocolate cake.
I broke it down into two different recipes.
- The first recipe for the cake filling. It is a wonderful world-wide classic. My family has made this kind of cake filling for decades and it makes the perfect base for this Kit-kat & chocolate covered Pigs-in-Mud cake.
** Truth: This basic cake is actually not exclusively Dutch. The Italians love this cake and eat it all the time, but they call this type of cake ‘Pan di Spagna’ (Spanish bread). See how international this recipe is.
- The second recipe teaches you how to transform this basic cake filling and make it into a fabulous birthday cake. It shows you how to make the chocolate cover and the fondant pigs.
Tip: please do not copy/paste these recipes and post them on your blog. It’s bad karma. Instead, refer to this page here. Thank you so much.
Cake Filling Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 eggs
- 125 gr sugar (125 g or lil’ bit over 1/2 cup)
- 125 gr cake flour *125 gr or just under 1.5 cup)
A note on Cake Flour
Cake flour is an American flour, It’s a finely milled flour with very low protein (usually 8-10% protein levels) and is typically used for cakes. Cake flour is also bleached. This causes the flour molecules to repel liquid, bind fats more efficiently and stabilize the gas bubbles produced by the raising agents. Theses factors helps a cake to rises more and to have a fluffy, tender texture. This is particularly true for cakes that have a high proportion of sugar in the recipe. Regular cake flour has no raising agents (i.e. not self-raising), although there are some brands that have created “self-raising” cake flour.
So, short and sweet: you can just use plain flour instead of cake flour in Australia, because bleached flour is banned in Australia and Europe (because bleaching is not healthy). Or, if you want to go the extra mile: I have heard that you can reduce the protein content of your regular flour by taking 2 tablespoons of flour out of each cup of plain flour and replacing them with 2 tablespoons of cornflour.
Kit kat Cake Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. (How many degrees F is 200 Celsius ? 390 F)
- Prep a cake form
by lining it with butter and dust it with some flour. (20 cm or almost 8”)
- Tip: ensure your cake-making tools like your scale and mixing bowl are super clean and non-greasy. Otherwise your egg mixture will never properly rise, no matter how long you mix it!
Step-by-step Instructions for Cake Filling
- Mix the sugar and the eggs till your mixture is airy and white. This will take some time.
- Sift the flour and gently fold it into your egg mixture.
- Pour the mixture into your prepared cake tin and bake the cake filling for about 30 min. It’s ready when the top of the cake is spongy.
- Sprinkle some sugar onto the cake and let it cool down on a tea towel.
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Preparation for Pigs in Mud Kit Kat Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- A basic cake (as above)
- Two large bars of milk chocolate (200g or 7 oz.)
- Whip cream (or double cream) (350 ml; 1.5 cup).
- Filling for our your cake, such as whipped up whip cream, prepared butter cream, marmalade.
- Three 5-packs Kit kat
- Pack of 250 g of light pink marzipan (250 g or 8.75 oz). Or use
Wilton Icing Colors 1 Oz: Rose and Niederegger White Marzipan Loaf. You’ll also need a large knife to cut the cake into layers, a tooth pick to make pig eyes, a ribbon to hold the Kit Kats together and a cake presentation tray.
image credit: Fiona, upgraded by FineCraftGuild
Step-by-Step Cake Making Instructions
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- Prepare the pigs ahead of time. Roll the marzipan with your hands to create the shapes. The various shapes that you’ll need are displayed in the image.
- Poor the whip cream straight from the package into a pan and heat it on low heat, and stir it from time to time, till just before it boils. (Pay attention here because otherwise you’ll end up with a mess!) Turn off the heat. Meanwhile, break the chocolate bars into small pieces and add the chocolate to the cream while the heat is off. Stir till you have a smooth texture. Let it cool and thicken, which may take a little while. (TIP: when people tell you they are making ‘Chocolate Ganache’, this is what they are doing. So, now you have a chocolate ganache recipe too, whenever you need one….)
- Meanwhile, break the Kit Kat bars into individual chocolate sticks, and set aside.
- Cut your cake base into two layers and fill it with your filling of choice.
- When your chocolate mixture is thickened sufficiently so that it is still spreadable but holds some form, you can begin spreading the mixture onto the sides of the cake with the back of a knife. Tip: Make it easy for yourself and ensure that your cake base is on a foundation which can be rotated easily, like a cutting board, tray or large plate. This will help you in spreading the chocolate onto the sides of the cake.
- When your cake is completely covered with chocolate, stick the Kit Kat bars onto the lined cake sides, going all around the cake. Give them a slight angle so that they somewhat lean on the top –side of the cake to prevent them from falling off while you are doing your work. When done, immediately add the ribbon so that the chocolate sticks all stay up nice and straight.
- Pour the remainder of the chocolate mixture over your cake. At this point the mixture should be already quite firm but still fluid. Be patient and wait till it’s thickened enough. If your mixtures is too thin, it may seep in between your Kit kat bars.
- Place your marzipan pigs into the chocolate while it is still soft and place your cake in the fridge for 1 hour.
- When cooled, place cake onto a pretty presentation tray and serve.
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Tip: if you are lucky enough to live in the Netherlands, you could order a cake by Fiona. On her Facebook page you can see lots of original birthday cakes and cakes for special events. All beautifully executed. Many are whimsical, although dare I say, this pigs in mud Kit kat chocolate cake is the true winner! Which kid / adult would not be happy getting this Kit kat pig cake for his/her birthday??!
Looking for complementary party food? Try these healthy snacks : homemade fruit popsicles for the kids and caffe latte popsicles for the grownups.
::
Demo of Making this Cake, by a Small Girl!
OK. She has the help of a very capable mom, but it shows how inspired kids can be and help out making this ever-so-fun cake:
Alternative Kit-kat Cake Designs
If this pigs-in-mud kit kat cake decoration still looks like too much of a challenge, do not despair. Here is a much simpler version of a kit kat cake: an M&M kit kat cake! My new friend in London who just made this great birthday kit kat cake told me it took her just 30 minutes to put this one together (after she made the basic cake, of course). Yes, she is really gifted, but even if it took you 45 minutes to an hour to decorate the cake, it would still be worth it.
Ever seen a close-up of an M&M kit kat cake? Oh may….
And, if you have this M&M kit kat cake down-pat, then have a try at an M&M rainbow cake.
NEW: Olaf Kit Kat Birthday Cake with Video Tutorial
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Does this all sound a bit beyond your ability? Always wanted to learn how to make a good looking cake? Here is your chance.
These Crafty cooking classes are well-recommended. You will actually find a whole slew of different kind of baking courses when you click the image/link. Sign up for the workshop that suits you best. You will enjoy it. The cooking classes are inexpensive compared to going to a Community college to learn similar professional courses. (And you get to watch the videos over and over again, when you want/need a reminder of specific techniques. Most helpful!) Courses are at varying levels: You can start at the beginners level. Then, work your way up to doing more advance cake decorating and other baking techniques.
Explore Craftsy’s home for Man about Cake — the show that pairs seriously good cakes with shamelessly goofy antics. Watch Joshua guide you to gorgeous cakes, and then find the recipes and supplies you need to get your own party started.
Oh my GOODNESS!!! That is THE most adorable cake EVER!!! I’m totally pinning!
This is the cutest thing ever!
I love this cake! Adorable!
Totally adorable! I would love it if you would share this at Party In Polka Dots! My blog is called Piggy In Polka Dots so this is very fitting…;)
Super cute! I hope you share it at the party!
http://www.piggyinpolkadots.com/2013/06/party-in-polka-dots-linky-25-sweet.html?showComment=1370212178995#c8367464211797501337
Shelley
JUST A QUICK QUESTION THIS CAKE DOESNT HAVE ANY BUTTER IN IT IS THIS CORRECT
That is so cute! May I pin it?
My niece wants me to make this for her. I’m gonna try it. Hope it comes out good
The crust turned out too thin. Why so little flour?
Do we put butter in the cake?
No. Think of it as a really light angel food cake.
Little flour because lots of flour be too heavy. It’s an angel food cake of sorts.
of course!
I realy want to make that cake for my boyfriend as a surprise for his birthday. But I will have to make it quickly while he is at work. I never made a cake before so I think piggies will be a problem. Do you think I could buy them somewhere (hema or ah). Or maybe could I get a link from Fiona? Im in Netherlands so it would be probably the best for me to juat order a cake.
Adorable and so creative! You are very talented! Thanks so much for sharing. I’m so glad I linked up next to you on Savoring Saturdays.
I loved the way the cake turned out. Was a very good idea.
I have a few hints for people making in the USA.
We don’t have whip cream here that I know of. I used heavy whipping cream. It did not set up. Wasted two batches until I turned to chocolate frosting which worked really well.
The recipe calls for 3 packs of 5 kit kat bars that equals 15. It takes approximately 28 kit kats.
The cake is is good if you like dense sweet italian bread. It really isn’t cake more like a mix between a pastry and bread. It did not go over well with my guests. Most Americans are used to sweet moist cakes. I won’t make the actual bread cake again, I will make a real cake.
I encourage you to make the pig mud cake. It was fun to do and great for guests to look and comment on.
Birthday girl was amazed and loved it.
Omg! This funny in the most adorable way, pretty awsome cake I gotta say!
Thanks for your comment, Crystal. Are you going to make one?
Hi, this looks amazing and I’d love to try it, but… what is cake flour? Here in Oz we have plain, selfraising or continenal flour. I’ve never heard of cake flour before. Thanks
this is absolutely PRECIOUS. I’m going to make it for my sister when she comes to visit. Her name is Peggy, and when we were kids, I’d constantly tease her and call her Piggy – she’s good with it now and I collect special pig items for her – and this cake is going to make her day!
HI Emily,
Cake flour is American. This finely milled flour has very low protien (usually 8-10% protien levels) which is used for cakes. It is also bleached!!! This causes the flour molecules to repel liquid, bind fats more efficiently and stabilize the gas bubbles produced by the raising agents. Theses factors can give a cake which rises more and has a fluffy, tender texture, particularly in cakes that have a high proportion of sugar in the recipe. Typically, cake flour has no raising agents (i.e. not self-raising), although there are some brands that have created “self-rising” cake flour.
So, short and sweet: you can just use plain flour instead of cake flour in Australia, because bleached flour is banned in Australia and Europe (bec. bleaching is not healthy). Or, if you want to go the extra mile: I have heard that you can reduce the protien content of your regular flour by taking 2 tablespoons of flour out of each cup of plain flour and replacing them with 2 tablespoons of cornflour.
Cindy, I bet your sister is going to be thrilled with her cake. I think it’s one of the cutest designs ever!
Hi! Just found this recipe of yours, and am making it for my daughter’s b-day this weekend. (we live in the Netherlands by the way :) Anyway, my question is: is the whip cream already whipped and thick or is it the liquid type that still needs to be whipped up to thicken and does the cooking process and adding chocolate thicken it sufficiently? Hope to hear from you!
Thanks,
Judy
Hi Judy.
Thank you for writing. Yes, the recipe is for a simple chocolate ganache. I will beef up the article to include the response that I wrote to you personally in an email also, so that other readers can benefit from the answer too.
Happy birthday and have fun making this amazing pigs in mud kit kat cake for your kids (guessing the others will want their share too ;-)
Rose
I could not get the ganache to set….it remained stubbornly runny….although like slow lava than free flowing river……despite fridge and freezer treatment and putting cake in fridge for two hours
Hi, Helen, mmm… too runny. That’s no good. If the ganache does not firm up it means that either there was a bit too much cream in the mixture or that the cream was not brought till the boiling point. Boiling reduces the water content in the cream and breaks up the protein strands. Emulsified sauces combine better with the amount of water is reduced.
You could try adding a bit more chocolate/ cocoa powder to correct the chocolate vs. cream ratio. Or, (god forbid) add a sprinkle of corn starch. If you need your cake soon, these might be a quick (amateur) solution.
Be reminded, for ganache to set, there’s a third dimension: time. You might also still have to wait a bit longer for it to set completely.
Hope it works out, one way or the other!
Is there a correct ratio to make the cake itself chocolate
Hi Sasha,
I am sure there is! Sponge cake is relatively light and fluffy with little flour added and a lot of eggs. You want to be careful to not add too much weight to the cake mixture because you want it to rise a lot.
I think with all those Kit kat’s and the chocolate mud top, it really is already very chocolaty. I guess what I would do to make it more chocolaty, is not mess with the recipe, but cut the cake in half, after it has been baked, and add a layer of chocolate buttercream/ ganache in the middle.
And that should be easy to do as well. Hope this helps.
Rose
I am glad the birthday girl love it!
Just made this for my husband’s birthday. He loves it. Good for portion control as you cut between the kit kits.
Congrads, Anne Marie, and glad your husband likes it. Didn’t think about the portion control aspect, but yes, it is definitely there. Thanks for pointing this out. I shall take your note and add it to the body of the article lateron. Thanks – enjoy the day!
How creative is that!! I have neither the talent nor the resources for this, but hopefully, the place where I order my cakes will have! :) This cake is cool, and awesome & all the cliched & non-cliched appreciations… It is childlike & the make-my-day sort!
What a lovely comment, Shreela! Consider however that you could kind a cheat a bit and use mostly store-bought components: two store-bought sponge cake, layer of nutella with some whip cream mixed-in for the middle layer, fluff on the rim of the cake to stick on the kitkats. Layer of whipcream over the top cake, and then topped off with with either melted chocolates and the marsapein piggies, or… much simpler, a big bag of M&Ms sprinkled over it. You can do it! Give it a go.
What a lovely comment, Shreela! Consider however that you could kind a cheat a bit and use mostly store-bought components: two store-bought sponge cake, layer of Nutella with some whip cream mixed-in for the middle layer, fluff on the rim of the cake to stick on the kit kats. Layer of whip cream over the top cake, and then topped off with with either melted chocolates and the marsepein piggies, or… much simpler, a big bag of M&Ms sprinkled over it. You can do it! Give it a go.