I felt so privileged to be asked to make a baby shower cake for Kim who is expecting her first little one in a few weeks time. Kim's love for the African bushveld inspired me to make this elephant cake topper as a reminder of a special time in her life. Her baby shower in Durban was a fun filled afternoon, with her special friends and family, who showered her with the most beautiful gifts of love for her precious new arrival.
Kimberley has always enjoyed the bush and being at one with nature from a very early age, with many happy memories spent in the Hluhluwe National Park and visiting the majestic Kruger National Park where she could identify birds and animals and especially the elephants.
After working in the concrete jungle in finance in London - she returned to Africa and was fortunate to spend three years in Tanzania where she came to love the open game reserves and the people. She learnt Swahili whilst managing a beautiful camp called Mwagusi Safari Camp in the Ruhaha National Park before moving to Beho Beho in the Selous National Park. Although these camps are wild with no fences, Kimberley was reassured by the presence of a huge elephant that used to sleep outside her room at Mwagusi at night.
She has friends all over the world who still keep in touch from this magical time in her life. However, she returned to South Africa and relocated to the Midlands, swopping the landscape of Tanzania for the majestic scenery of the Midlands and the Drakensberg mountains.
It is from this beautiful area in the KZN Midlands in South Africa that Kim now owns and runs her very successful business Natural Nostalgia where she specialises in decor hire, flowers, event styling and planning.
I used my standard Vanilla Cake recipe for this cake, with buttercream filling.
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- 375g butter
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2½ cups caster sugar
- 6 extra large eggs
- 4½ cups self raising flour
- 1½ cups milk
- Preheat your oven to 180ºC/350ºF.
- Grease and line the cake tins with baking paper making sure it extends above the sides of the tin.
- Beat the softened butter, vanilla extract and sugar until it is light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
- Stir in the sifted flour and milk, in two batches, alternating each.
- Spread into pans.
- Bake for 45mins or until skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
- This cake will keep well for 2-3 days or it can be frozen for 3 months.