Simple Nautical Theme Birthday Cake with a Chocolate Buttercream Recipe!

This 1st birthday cake was covered in a blue water-colour vanilla buttercream for taste, and decorated with sailboats made of fondant to enhance the overall look.

Simple enlarge and print the picture on the right and cut out the sailboat shapes.  Then use those paper shapes to overlay on your red and white fondant and trace with a knife to make your fondant sailboat.  Press the fondant shapes into the softened buttercream to stick (do this before refrigerating your buttercream, or they will not stick).

For the circles in the red fondant, I used the back end of a decorator tip to make them!

What's inside?  Chocolate cake with a rich, all natural chocolate buttercream.

Chocolate Buttercream Recipe:

1. Whip 1 lb (454g) of softened, room-temperature butter in a stand mixer until fluffy (be sure to stir the bottom and mix again).
2. Whip in 1/2 cup of canola oil until well blended and light and fluffy. 
3. Add 4 cups of sifted icing sugar and 3/4 cup of sifted cocoa powder slowly to your mixer while on low. Stir with a spatula regularly to ensure the butter mixture on the bottom is well mixed and lump free.
4. Whip on high for a few minutes until fluffy.  Ice between the layers of the cake with it immediately or, if making in advance, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and maintain at room temperature, then whip or beat it on high for 30 seconds to get it fluffy again so it is easy to work with while icing the cake.

Voila! A chocolaty buttercream that is not too sweet, and just the right amount of chocolate taste.