Jake Peralta's Blue Cake (Brooklyn 99) With Secret Gummy Bears

So this is my version of Jake's blue cake from the tv show Brooklyn 99. I thought to make it more worthy of Jake Peralta I thought I would add a secret layer of gummy bears into the middle layer of the cake. What would make cake better than adding more candy right??

This is a really fun recipe to make if you like watching Brooklyn 99 and it is really fun to make and you can share it with your friends next time you watch the show :D

Ingredients

For the cake

- 112.5g or 1/2 Cup Unsalted butter, room temperature

- 1 Cup caster sugar

- 1 + 3/4 Cups plain flour

- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder

- 3/4 Cups milk

- 1 Egg at room temperature

- 1-2 tsp vanilla bean paste/extract (you can use just one but I always like to add more vanilla it is delicious!)

- 1 tsp salt

- 2 Tbsp canola oil (or any flavourless oil)

- Blue food colouring

for the Filling / Frosting

- 112.5g / 1/2 Cup unsalted butter,

- 3 Cups of icing sugar

- 1-2 tsp vanilla extract / bean paste

- 3 Tbsp milk

- Blue and Black food colouring

- Gummy bears (enough to make a full flat layer of them on the cake at least one packet.) Also, ensure you have a couple of extra handfuls for decorating each slice after.

- A pinch of salt to balance the sweetness if you want.

Equipment

- 2 x (20cm diameter) round baking tins

- Baking paper

- Scissors

- Spatula/plate scraper

- Electric mixer and bowl with a paddle attachment

- Small bowls for your icing

- 2 different piping tips (I went for a star like one for the piping around the cake, and a small 2mm piping tip for writing happy birthday on the cake)

- Piping bags

- 3 candles (ideally blue, pink and yellow like in the show.)

First take your unsalted butter and place it in your standing mixer and beat it for a few minutes until it becomes lighter and fluffier in texture (about 2-3 minutes). Then add the caster sugar in small amounts, continuing to mix until the mixture becomes even lighter and fluffier than before! Don't forget to scrape down the sides to make sure it all combines properly!.

After beating for about 5 minutes we are then going to add the egg and vanilla and continue to mix on a high setting for about 5-10 minutes until it becomes, once again lighter and fluffier than before! You want the mixture to be a bit smooth and not grainy (test this by rubbing some between your fingers, it does not have to be completely smooth but ensure it feels nice and fluffy and well incorporated).

Now to make the dry mixture either sift together or place the salt, flour and baking powder into a bowl and mix together with a whisk (i prefer this as it prevents lumps and it is less messy than sifting).

Then we are going to add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the wet mixture we have just made and mix it on a low speed. then add 1/3 of the milk and mix again. continue to add the dry mix and milk in alternating batches until all added. You want to do this in alternating amounts to prevent lumps from forming and ensure a good consistency of the cake. (also don't forget to scrape down the sides of the bowl in between additions).

Then add the oil and blue food colouring until you get a nice light blue colour and continue to mix until it is all incorporated. Make sure you scrape the sides of the bowl when you add the colour because if you don't there will still be white cake mix on the edged! we want a uniform blue colour (get it because they are policemen XD).

A little trick to line your 20cm round cake tins perfectly without overhand is to fold your piece of baking paper in half then in half again to make a small square. Then fold into a triangle twice and then line it up with the base of your cake tin from the centre of the tin to the edge. cut the paper at the edge of the tin, unfold it and voila a perfect circle lining for the base of your tin! Magic! If you need to add some butter or non-stick spray to make sure it lies down flat.

Divide the cake batter evenly into the two cake tins. you can either roughly do this or get a measuring cup and divide it equally.

Then we are going to bake them in a pre-heated oven (fan-forced) at 180 Degrees Celcius (355F) for between 15-18 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out dry or crumbly. Or when they are springy to the touch (very descriptive I know but that is how I tell, by feel).

I also place them on a wire cooling rack after about 10 minutes of cooling down, to help them come to room temperature quicker and so that the cake does not sweat.

Take the unsalted butter and place it into your electric mixer bowl. and with the paddle attachment mix it until it becomes light and fluffy. Then in alternating batches of about a cup of icing sugar to a tablespoon of milk, mixing in between additions until it is incorporated and smooth (don't forget to scrape down the sides of the bowl). then add the vanilla, (salt if you want to balance the sweetness) and blue food colouring.

Get our serving plate or cake board and place the base of your cake bottom side up and we are going to put about 1/2cm thick layer of icing onto it. Then take your gummy bears and in a circular patter place them around the base (don't they look cute!!) Then place about 1/2 cm of frosting on the other half of the cake and place above the gummy bear layer.

Then cover the cake with the buttercream icing (ensure to save some for the extra decorations). Make sure to cover it evenly.

With the leftover buttercream icing add some more blue food colouring to make a darker blue and with a circular or star tip (less than 1cm) place your icing into a piping bag and then pipe around the edges of the cake. I like to start piping and do continuous small motions to move around the cake, you can also just do straight lines however you want to pipe around the edges!

To finish decorating the cake, take the remaining icing and add some black food colouring to it. this will be the writing on top of the cake. Then with a small 2mm round piping tip and a piping bag spell out the words Happy Birthday Jake. Then add the three same coloured candles like his mum had and BOOM done!

When you cut into the cake the gummy bears may not be that easy to see because of the frosting. An extra step I like to do is to add a line of fresh gummy bears at the joining line of the cake to really make the colour pop and show that there is candy inside the cake!!!

I hope you enjoy this recipe! I really liked trying to make his cake and I think he would love the secret addition of gummy bears in the centre! I hope you try it and share it with your friends!!!!