Rubber Duck Cake

Let’s hop in a time machine with this Rubber Duck Cake! Back in the 80’s when the wonderful Women’s Weekly Children Cake Book was released. What a pure joy this book was and still is! Purely from a design perspective, this book is filled with interesting design choices.

Like for example, before I saw the cake we’re making today: The Famous Rubber Ducky Cake, I had no idea that ducks had an afro. And even though photographic documentation proves they don’t, I just think every single photo of a duck is now fake news. Ducks have afros. Not a joke, just a FACT.

Lately, I’ve been really fascinated with cakes from the ’80s.

It wasn’t just an amazing era for music, but the food was bonkers and so different back then. And in this day and age where we have over the top instagramable and TikTok food trends that are so fast-paced and almost disposable, it’s a comfort to be able to travel back to the ’80s and see what was so popular, and what people were drawn to. Simplicity. We don’t need a realistic fondant toilet roll cake. You can use buttercream and candy and make an awesome cake. That’s what the ’80s teaches us.

Nicks’s favourite thing…

I absolutely adore how cute this rubber duck cake is. I think it’s so retro and kind of ugly but in a really cute way. Isn’t it funny how far we’ve come in cake making? Simple new inventions have helped us create these incredible cake sculptures and edible art. But there’s something really charming about this cake and how cute it is!

What does Rubber Duck Cake taste like?

This rubber duck cake is made up of my super moist and delicious vanilla cake. It’s a great recipe because it’s easy to carve shapes like duck cakes!

What are the ingredients I need?

All-Purpose Flour – also known as plain flour.

Caster Sugar – Also known as superfine sugar.

Baking Powder – one of the things used to help the cake rise.

Salt – I used fine salt.

Unsalted butter – If using salted butter, leave out the salt.

Eggs – I used large eggs

Milk – I used whole milk. You may use plant-based or skim milk.

Vegetable Oil – You may also use sunflower oil.

Greek Yogurt – This helps the cake stay moist. You won’t taste it. Alternatively, you can use sour cream or leave it out of the recipe.

Vanilla Extract – Always use good quality vanilla extract.

Powdered Sugar – also known as icing sugar.

Yellow & Pink food gel – This is optional. You can use natural food coloring if you wish. But to get the color I did in the video use the Americolor brand.

Liquorice Strips – you can use any type of candy similar to liquorice strips.

Smarties – You can use anything similar to smarties.

Cheese flavored popcorn – I used cheese flavored popcorn purely because it looked nice and yellow.

Ruffled chips – There’s no substitute for a good ruffled chip duck lip!

Let’s go through each step.

Vanilla Cake

Please note: To make the cake in this you’ll need to double the cake recipe only. All other measurements are enough to fill, crumb coat and finish decorating the cake.

1. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to a large mixing bowl and mix with a hand mixer until well combined.

2. Next, add the softened butter and mix on low speed until the mixture reaches a crumbly, sand-like texture.

3. Add the eggs, milk, oil, Greek yoghurt and vanilla, and mix on low speed until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Scrape down the side of the bowl and mix for another 20 seconds.
4. Fill the loaf tin about 3/4 of the way with batter.

5. Add the remaining batter to the square tin. Bake for 50–60 minutes (the loaf will take about 30-40 minutes), or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. If the toothpick is coated with wet batter, continue baking for 10 minutes at a time until fully baked.

6. Allow the cakes to cool to room temperature in the tins, then chill them in the fridge overnight.

Loaf Tin

1. Use a serrated knife to slice the cake in half leaving you with two rectangles. Flip the rectangles so that the part you just cut is facing upward and the slightly flattened out sides are facing outward.

2. To shape the ducks body, begin by cutting wedges on one end of the cake.

3. Cut the bottom of the cake (where the kneck meets the body) on an angle to help it sit on the cake better.

4. Cut wedges on the sides of the cake.

5. Then begin carving away at the top where the head is to turn it into a ball shape.

6. Go slow and carve away little by little.

7. Now you’ve got the hear and kneck of the duck!

Square Tin (Ducks body)

1. Use the knife to slice the cake in half leaving you with two rectangles.

2. Use a serrated knife to flatten the top of the cake out slightly.

3. Flip the rectangles so that the part you just cut is facing upward and the slightly flattened out sides are facing outward. To shape the ducks body, begin by cutting wedges on one end of the cake.

4. Then cut a slightly deeper angled wedge on the other side of the cakes. The part with the smaller angles is going to be the front of the duck, the other side will be the back.

5. Use the knife to cut an angled shape from the top of the back down to the bottom.

6. Then cut a slightly curved shape on the top of the back of the duck.

7. Lastly, cut an angled chunk out of the top of the front of the duck. This is where the body and kneck of the duck will meet. Place the chest piece on top and check that the angle is right. The chest piece should be on a slightly backward facing angle. Carve away any cake from the ducks body if needed to achieve this slightly angle.

Frosting

1. To make the frosting check out the instructions here!

Assembly

1. Use an offset spatula to add some frosting to what was the bottom of the cake, but now is the middle of the ducks body. And spread around evenly. This will act as glue to hold the cake together.

2. Crumb coat the ducks body with a thin layer of frosting.

3. Place the top cake piece on the body and use three long skewers to secure the two cakes together.

4. Use a knife to cut off the excess bits of the skewers.

5. Crumb coating is optional but recommended because it will help keep everything together and looking much neater. To crumb coat simply add a thin layer of frosting around the duck cake. Place in the fridge for one hour to chill.

6. To finish the cake, add a thicker layer of frosting around the cake. It doesn’t have to be perfect, making it look slightly rough will give the duck a feathered body look.

7. Finish by adding the ducks eyes (liquorice rings and orange smarties).

8. Add the bow tie on the front and the buttons (red smarties)

9. Then the final (and best) bit is the chip beak. Two single, perfect chips for the ducks beak.

10. Slice and serve!

My top tips! 

• This cake takes time to make. I wouldn’t recommend trying to make it all in one day. You could make the cake on Day 1. Carve and Crumb coat on Day 2 and Finish decorating on Day 3. Or complete it in 2 days. Makes it way less stressful!

Other fun kids themed desserts recipes you might like!

• Funfetti Cupcakes
• Strawberry birthday Cke Cupcakes
• Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal Cupcakes 
• Freakfetti Cupcakes
• Highway Unicorn Cupcakes 
• Hamburger Cupcakes 

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I hope you guys enjoyed this simple but delicious Rubber Duck Cake recipe with me. Please comment in the comments section below, or feel free to share with your family and friends on social media.

I’ll see you all on the following recipe. Happy baking!

N x

The Famous Women’s Weekly Rubber Ducky Cake

Vanilla flavoured rubber ducky cake, covered in buttercream and decorated with candy. Wonderful kids’ birthday cake idea!

Serves 20

4.4 from 31 votes

Author: Nick Makrides

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Cook: 45 minutes mins

Total: 3 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Calories: 485kcal

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Ingredients

Vanilla Cake

• ▢ 430 g all-purpose flour, plain flour
• ▢ 265 g caster sugar, superfine sugar
• ▢ 3 tsp baking powder
• ▢ 1/2 tsp fine salt
• ▢ 125 g unsalted butter, softened
• ▢ 2 large eggs, 55g each
• ▢ 375 g full-cream, whole milk
• ▢ 125 g vegetable oil
• ▢ 2 tbsp Greek yoghurt, or sour cream
• ▢ 7 g vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

Frosting

• ▢ 500 g unsalted butter, softened
• ▢ 500 g icing, confectioners’ sugar
• ▢ 7 g tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• ▢ 2 tbsp full-cream milk, room temperature
• ▢ 5 drops yellow food gel
• ▢ 2 drops pink food gel

Decorations

• ▢ Licorice strips
• ▢ 2 orange smarties
• ▢ 3 red smarties
• ▢ Red ribbon bow tie
• ▢ 1 cup cheese flavored popcorn
• ▢ 2 ruffled plain chips

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Learn How To Make it! [VIDEO]

https://youtu.be/7p2OTs4BMtM

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Instructions

Vanilla Cake

• Please note: To make the cake in this you’ll need to double the cake recipe only. All other measurements are enough to fill, crumb coat and finish decorating the cake.
• Preheat a fan-forced oven to 140C / 275F (160C / 320F for no fan). Spray a loaf tin 25 x 10cm / 10 x 4-inch and a square baking tin 20 x 20cm / 8 x 8-inch with oil spray and line the bottom and sides with baking paper. Set aside.
• Combine dry ingredients - Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to a large mixing bowl and mix with a hand mixer until well combined.
• Add butter - Next, add the softened butter and mix on low speed until the mixture reaches a crumbly, sand-like texture.
• Add wet ingredients - Add the eggs, milk, oil, Greek yoghurt, and vanilla, and mix on low speed until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Scrape down the side of the bowl and mix for another 20 seconds. The batter will be fluffy.
• Bake - Fill the loaf tin about 3/4 of the way with batter and then add the remaining batter to the square tin. Bake for 50–60 minutes (the loaf will take about 30-40 minutes), or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. If the toothpick is coated with wet batter, continue baking for 10 minutes at a time until fully baked. Allow the cakes to cool to room temperature in the tins, then chill them in the fridge for 2-3 hours or overnight.

Loaf Tin (Duck Head & Chest)

• Take the loaf cake out of the tin and discard the paper. Lay it on it’s side and cut a third off using a serrated knife. You won’t need the smaller piece. Cut an angle on one side of the larger piece. At about 1/3 of the way, cut little wedges all around the rectangle shape. The lower part will make up the chest and the rectangle/square shape will make the head. To round out the head cut angled wedges on each side of the top of the ducks head. Then continue rounding it out using the serrated knife. Get it as round as you can.

Square Tin (Ducks body)

• Trim and shape the cake - Use a serrated knife to flatten the top of the cake out slightly. Use the knife to slice the cake in half leaving you with two rectangles. Flip the rectangles so that the part you just cut is facing upward and the slightly flattened out sides are facing outward. To shape the ducks body, begin by cutting wedges on one end of the cake. Then cut a slightly deeper angled wedge on the other side of the cakes. The part with the smaller angles is going to be the front of the duck, the other side will be the back.
• Cut the angled and curved shapes - Use the knife to cut an angled shape from the top of the back down to the bottom. Then cut a slightly curved shape on the top of the back of the duck.
• Chest and head - Lastly, cut an angled chunk out of the top of the front of the duck. This is where the chest and head shape will sit. Place the chest piece on top and check that the angle is right. The chest piece should be on a slightly backward facing angle. Carve away any cake from the ducks body if needed to achieve this slightly angle.

Frosting

• A note on the butter - Make sure your butter is soft enough for easy mixing. Even if it's out of the fridge, it might still be too firm. To soften, microwave it on a safe plate for 10 seconds at a time, testing after each interval. If it needs more time, flip it over and repeat until it's soft with a little resistance.
• Cream the butter - Add the softened butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. You can also use an electric hand mixer for this recipe, but if you do use a hand mixer, just make sure your bowl is large. Mix the butter on low speed to begin with, then switch to the highest speed and mix for 5 minutes until the butter is fluffy and turns pale in color.
• Add sugar - Stop your mixer and scrape down the side of the bowl using a spatula. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and mix again on low speed. LOW SPEED PEOPLE! The last thing you need is to end up in a sugar dust storm! (I’m speaking from experience…)
• Beat until fluffy - Once all the sugar has been incorporated, it’s safe to turn your mixer up to high speed. Continue beating on high speed for about 5–6 minutes, or until the butter turns pale in color and becomes fluffy again. If you want to soften your buttercream and make it a little smoother, add the milk and continue mixing for another couple of minutes on medium speed. At this stage, you can also add the yellow and pink food gel.

Assembly the ducks body

• Frost the pieces together - Use an offset spatula to add some frosting to what was the bottom, but now is the middle of the ducks body. And spread around evenly. This will act as glue to hold the cake together.
• Secure the cake with skewers - Place the top cake piece on the body and use three long skewers (about 20cm long with the pointy bit cut off to avoid injury) to secure the two cakes together. Use a knife to cut off the excess bits of the skewers.
• Crumb coat the cake - Crumb coating is optional but recommended because it will help keep everything together and looking much neater. To crumb coat simply add a thin layer of frosting around the duck cake. Place in the fridge for one hour to chill.
• Frost the cake - To finish the cake, add a thicker layer of frosting around the cake. It doesn’t have to be perfect, making it look slightly rough will give the duck a feathered body look.
• Add decorations - Finish by adding the ducks eyes on the head (licorice rings and orange smarties). Add the bow tie on the front just below the head, and the buttons (red smarties) along it’s front below the bow tie. Then the final (and best) bit is the chip beak where its mouth would be. Two single, perfect chips for the ducks beak.

Notes

Tools to use - Use a serrated knife for larger cuts and a paring knife for detailed carving.

Coloring the frosting - I used food gel to color my frosting. Specifically the americolor or chefmaster brand. Start with a few drops of food gel and gradually add more until the desired color is reached.

Chilling time - Chill the cake in the fridge for a minimum of 2-3 hours before carving to make it firmer and easier to shape.

Skewers - I use skewers to help keep the head and body together. I would recommend skipping off the sharp end to avoid injury. Make sure you remove the skewers before slicing up.

Storage - The cake can be stored in a large airtight container, in the fridge for up to three days. Let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.

Nutrition – is an approximate and is based on per serving. This cake serves about 20 with generous sized slices, but can easily serve more.

A note on measurements – this recipe is offered in weight measurements. This is in an effort to offer the most accurate way to get the best results. Cup measurements simply aren’t accurate enough for a recipe that needs precise measurements and cup sizes differ depending on where you are in the world. Here is where you can learn more about how to measure ingredients using digital kitchen scales.

Nutrition

Calories : 485kcal

Carbonhydrates: 44g

Protein: 4g

Fat: 30g

Saturated Fat: 20g

Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g

Monounsaturated Fat : 7g

Trans Fat : 1g

Cholesterol: 79mg

Sodium: 85mg

Potassium : 89mg

Fiber: 1g

Sugar : 26g

Vitamin A: 766IU

Vitamin C: 1mg

Calcium: 74mg

Iron: 1mg

Nutrition Disclosure

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