Chocolate-Covered Rat Cake with Marzipan Details Recipe
A whimsical and fun Rat Cake recipe that transforms simple, leftover or store-bought cake mixed with melted chocolate and milk into a sculpted rat-shaped dessert. Finished with marzipan details and chocolate vermicelli, this playful cake is perfect for themed parties or an entertaining treat that combines creativity with easy-to-find ingredients.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: Approximately 6 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: European
Ingredients
Cake Base
- Plain ready-made supermarket cake or leftover cake, quantity as desired (approximately 200-250g)
- Dark cooking chocolate, 1 slab (about 100g)
- Milk, 2-3 tablespoons
- Flavourings or spirits (amaretto for adults; orange or almond essence for children), 1 teaspoon or to taste
Decorations
- Marzipan (natural) for body shaping, quantity as needed
- Pink marzipan for tail and ears, quantity as needed
- Green or white marzipan or alternative small sweets/cake baubles for eyes
- Chocolate vermicelli to cover the body, approximately 50g
- Food colouring (brown or black, or mixed red, yellow, and blue) for painting details
- Edible or decorative whiskers (original recipe suggests washing-up brush bristles, but edible options recommended)
Instructions
- Melt Chocolate and Milk: Gently melt the dark cooking chocolate together with the milk over a low heat or in a microwave using short bursts, stirring frequently until smooth.
- Combine with Cake: Crumble or break the cake into small pieces and gradually add it to the melted chocolate mixture. Stir well to combine.
- Shape Mixture: Continue adding cake pieces and mixing until the mixture is thick enough to hold its shape when molded.
- Add Flavourings: Stir in your chosen flavourings or spirits to add aroma and richness to the mixture.
- Cool and Mold: Allow the mixture to cool until it can be handled comfortably, then shape it into a rat form—pointed at the front to mimic the nose and wider at the rear like haunches.
- Decorate: Cover the formed rat-shaped cake with chocolate vermicelli to create a textured fur effect.
- Add Features: Use pink marzipan to craft the tail and ears, and green or white marzipan (or small sweets) to make eyes. Paint on additional details with food colouring using a fine paintbrush.
- Add Whiskers: Carefully insert edible whisker alternatives to complete the rat look.
Notes
- If using leftover cake, staler or drier cake works well as it absorbs the chocolate mixture better.
- Marzipan can be colored with food coloring to match your preferred shades.
- For kid-friendly versions, avoid alcohol-based flavorings; use natural essences like orange or almond instead.
- Edible whisker substitutes can include thin licorice pieces or candy strings.
- Ensure the chocolate mixture cools sufficiently to allow easy molding and avoid melting the marzipan decorations.
