Post: July 3
Hello Kitty team (Sanrio) asked me to design a cake for birthday girl, Hello Kitty, to help her celebrate! Of course, I said yes. Hello Kitty and her friends have been my lifelong friends and there would be no experience like this. I was inspired by her pink bow (I made it party sized) and her friend Tiny Chum bear! This cake is decorated with German Shortbread Cookies in the shape of Hello Kitty, Tiny Chum and colorful balloons - that are so crumbly, melt in your mouth and subtly sweet. If this cake wasn’t cute enough, I made miniature sprinkle cupcakes to accent the cake. This is the perfect birthday cake for Hello Kitty and any Hello Kitty fan! A cake decorated with mini peanut buttercup cupcake decorations, tiny chum cookies, and hello kitty cookie cake toppers. #hellokitty #hellokittycake #cutecakes
For video tutorial, clip this image or link: https://youtu.be/YOuKRrfLKjE
This cake was based on this artwork that the team sent over to me as inspiration. Do you see the inspiration? (:
Tools:
Parchment paper
Baking sheet
Cake pop sticks
Mixer
Spatula
Bowl
Sieve
Saran wrap
Ingredients:
2/3 cup (150 grams) unsalted butter, cut into cubes, slightly soft but cold
6 tablespoons (46.87 grams) confectioners’ sugar
1 1/3 cup (200 grams) potato starch
3/4 cup (100 grams) cake flour
Cookie colors:
Hello Kitty: White, Black, Yellow, Pink
Hello Kitty hands: White
Balloons: Your favorite colors!
Tiny Chum: Light brown
Cookie Instructions:
Prep:
Step 1 – line your baking sheets. I find it's best to line two baking sheets for this process. Parchment paper or a silicon matte work great.
How to make shortbread cookie dough:
Step 2 – cream your butter and sugar. Using a hand or stand mixer, cream the room temperature butter and confectioners’ sugar until pale and fluffy. This takes 2 to 5 minutes. Start on low and slowly increase. Occasionally scape down the sides.
Step 3 – measuring your potato starch and flour. Because flour is commonly mis-measured - you'll want to weight your flour or spoon the flour into your measuring cup, not scoop it straight from the container.
Step 4 – add the sifted potato starch and cake flour into the butter sugar mixture. Occasionally scape down the sides. This will become crumbly. At the crumbly stage, mix with a spatula until the dough comes together. Try pinching some dough between two fingers - does it hold together? If so, your dough is the correct consistency. You could stop at this point. If your dough is dry and not holding together, add 1 tablespoon of water. This often happens when too much flour is added to the dough. And then keep going, it should eventually become smooth. At this point you can skip to step 10 and bake or move forward and form character cookies!
How to make Hello Kitty cookies:
Step 5 – color the dough. Next, tint each portion of dough with food coloring and knead until the coloring is evenly incorporated. Color as you go, little by little until you get the desired color shade. I recommend using food color paste to add color to the dough. Be conservative because it’s easier to add than remove.
Step 6A – Hello Kitty’s hands. Place template under a piece of parchment paper. Make little balls with white dough and use the back of a brush to make indents. When complete I add these to a baking tray. And cover with saran wrap to keep moist.
Step 6B – Hello Kitty’s face. Place template under a piece of parchment paper. Place two cake pop sticks down. Shape an oval on top of two cake pop sticks. This will help anchor the cookies when we stick it in the cake later. Using more dough, pinch two triangle pieces for her ears. Attach the ears by pressing the wider portion to the top of the body. Blend the batter to make the ears and face seamless.
Step 6C – Hello Kitty’s bow. I created an extra large bow for Hello Kitty because I imagined that this was her version of a birthday cake. On the template, where Hello Kitty’s bow will go, place some dough down so there is something for the bow to lean on. Form two large pink triangles with soft “corners” and place. Form two small pink circles and place. Form a larger pink flat circle to hold together the bow. I use a knife to transfer the bow to her head. If it doesn’t attach, add a little water using a food only brush.
Step 6A – Hello Kitty’s eyes and nose. Use template and place under a piece of parchment paper. Make two small black lines, curve the lines and place over the parchment. Make small yellow oval and place on the parchment. Then flip and place this on top of the plain face and peel away once adhered.
Tip: This is optional, but if you’re having a tough time with this part, using candy melts to form her eyes and nose is an option too!
Step 7 – rainbow balloons. Use template and place under a piece of parchment paper. Because these are taller and further from the cake, I do a little more to reinforce the cookies to the lollipop stick. For each balloon, place a little piece of dough on the center of the template. Press the stick into the dough. Then add the “tied up” portion of the balloon to the stick. Then form the balloon shape. Add a glare in white - this is like a tear drop shape. Each balloon weighs about 30 grams.
Step 8– Tiny Chum cookies. The tiny chum cookies will be completely brown. Roll out dough with rolling pin to ¼” thick. Use a cookie cutters to form the Tiny Chum bear shape and his face. Then use two heart sprinkles to form a ribbon. I put a little candy melt in the center of these sprinkles and then I add a little sprinkle to the bow for a pop of color.
Tip: Usually the small parts stick just fine to the body. If you have difficulty, brush a little water to help adhere.
Tip: Don’t make Tiny Chum too thin – it makes his limbs very fragile.
Baking the cookies:
Step 9 – refrigerate. Once the cookies are all assembled, cover them with plastic wrap and place in fridge for ½ an hour. This helps everything firm. Pre-heat your oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 10 – bake! Remove plastic wrap. Make sure these are on the middle rack. If the cookies start to brown, tent a piece of foil over the cookies. Let the cookies cool completely on the pan before touching them.
Bake Tiny Chum for 10 minutes at the preheated 250F.
Bake Hello Kitty for 30 minutes at the preheated 250F.
Bake Balloons for 20 minutes at the preheated 250F.
Step optional. Use a brush and pink luster dust to add cheeks!
Cake decorating:
Tools:
5-inch cake pans
Cake board
Angled spatula
Cake scraper
Piping bag
Your favorite tiny piping tip
Edible luster dust
Food brush
Ingredients:
1 box of cake mix
3 eggs
Oil
Buttermilk
Sprinkles
Peanut butter cups
2 batches of my Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Step 11 – make mini cupcakes. I made two sets of bite sized cupcakes – one set for the side of the cake and one set for the top of the cake. For the cupcakes that go on the top of the cake, I color the miniature peanut buttercups in pink luster dust. Color two sets of swiss meringue buttercream in pink white and pink. Pipe a little frosting with your favorite tip (I love the 32 tip!) onto mini peanut butter cups to make a “cupcake”. Add some sprinkles. Let sit in the fridge for ½ an hour. Then cut the cupcakes into half with a warm knife.
Step 12 – baking cake. Make a box of “white cake” mix but replace the water with milk. Add floured jimmy sprinkles to batter. I use a white cake mix and add sprinkles so I can get more color in the batter. More sprinkles, more fun! Bake three 5-inch cakes according to the recipe or until the toothpick comes out clean. Once the cakes are cooled – level the cakes.
How to assemble the Hello Kitty Cake
Step 13. To assemble the cake, place 1 cake layer on a cake board and adhere with buttercream or meringue. Distribute buttercream, I use a scooper for even distribution. Use an angled spatula to spread the filling. Top with a second cake layer and fill the cake again. Add the last layer. Then place in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes to help the buttercream firm.
Tip: Make sure the cake is completely cold.
Tip: Make sure to press gently between each cake layer to ensure the cake is secure.
Step 14. Crumb coat the cake. This is a thin layer of frosting that catches the loose crumbs and helps keep in moisture. Then frost the cake with the Swiss Meringue Buttercream. Use an angled spatula to tighten the frosting and use a cake scraper to smooth out the frosting. Then place in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes to help the buttercream firm.
Tip: The cake is fresh for three days and can be kept in the fridge. Allow to get to room temperature before serving for best flavor.
Tip: Once you’ve sliced the cake, if you place plastic wrap where the slice is removed, it keeps the cake fresher and prevents drying.
Step 14 - decorating the cake. Add some chocolate or candy melts to the back of the bear cookies and mini cupcakes right before adding to the cake. For the final touches - top the cake with the Hello Kitty face cookie. Add some peanut butter cups under Hello Kitty’s face. Add Hello Kitty’s hands to the top of the cake near Hello Kitty’s face. Next, add the balloons to cake. And finally, add some additional cupcakes to the top of the cake.
You can find the original post I shared with Hello Kitty here!
Happy Birthday Hello Kitty!! ILU
Roxie