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YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR
Watch 6:32

YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR

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Is this the prettiest $5 Woolies cake hack?

Is this the prettiest $5 Woolies cake hack?

Ice your cake like a professional with this clever hack

Ice your cake like a professional with this clever hack

This is the $4.40 Coles cake hack that is breaking the internet

This is the $4.40 Coles cake hack that is breaking the internet

This no-bake layered cake hack uses a surprising $3.99 Aldi item

This no-bake layered cake hack uses a surprising $3.99 Aldi item

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{headline}

 This delicious 3-ingredient cake recipe has a secret ingredient you can get from Coles

This delicious 3-ingredient cake recipe has a secret ingredient you can get from Coles

Fast Ed's garden herb, almond and rose petal cake

Fast Ed's garden herb, almond and rose petal cake

Confetti cake

Confetti cake

{headline}

{headline}

The number one cake in Australia is from Coles

The number one cake in Australia is from Coles

Move over Woolworths mudcakes, this is the new must-have party cake

Move over Woolworths mudcakes, this is the new must-have party cake

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4 celebration cakes for every occasion

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Woolworths hack their own mudcake - with a twist

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Woolworths are selling a limited-edition choc-mint mudcake

This cake decorating trend is more harmful than you think

This cake decorating trend is more harmful than you think

Cake decorating ideas and tips

Cake decorating ideas and tips

  1. Home
  2. Food

This is the adorable Woolies cake hack you need to make for Australia Day

It's super simple to make! - by Rebecca Lowrey Boyd
  • 22 Jan 2020

It’s no secret that simple Woolworths cakes have spawned hundreds of hacks, with a dedicated Facebook page and thousands of fervent fans.

WATCH: How to hack a cake

In recent weeks, a micro trend has emerged with creative mums using the $4.80 chocolate cake as a base for an adorable koala cake.

It’s the perfect cake for Australia Day – or for raising funds to aid bushfire relief charities.

Melbourne mum Gosha Rekiej made the cake for her son’s birthday, requesting that family and friends donate to wildlife charities in lieu of presents.

Koala cake hack
Gosha Rekiej

“One day, not so long ago, I sat down with my son Elijah and began reading "Possum Magic" by Mem Fox. I could barely finish the story with tears streaming down my face, thinking about all of our beautiful wildlife that was being affected by the bushfires raging through Australia,” she explained.

With her son’s first birthday on the horizon, Gosha was inspired to put use his celebration “to make a positive impact on the world around us.”

Koala cake hack
Gosha Rekiej

Our desire is for him to grow up with a generous heart and being someone who can make a difference for the better in this world,” she added.

Gosha trawled Pinterest for koala cake ideas, before setting to work creating her masterpiece.

1. "I whipped up some buttercream by combining the butter, icing sugar, vanilla essence (and a pinch of salt). I added some pink food colouring. I cut the iced tops off all the cakes and used the pink buttercream to stack the layers," she explains.

2. "Having excess of the buttercream, I used some of this colour to do the crumb cost around the cake then let it set in the fridge for 20 minutes."

Koala cake hack

3. "In the meantime I made a fresh batch of buttercream, this time adding some black food colouring to the buttercream (one drop at a time)."

4. "I found the buttercream had a bit of a green hue so I added in a few drops of purple food colouring to counter balance the yellow tinge in the butter, until I had my desired shade of grey."

5. "I then used the grey buttercream to coat the entirety of the cake and set aside in the fridge for a further 20 min."

6. "I filled a piping bag with the remaining grey buttercream and proceeded to pipe around the entire cake, leaving one side free."

Koala cake hack

7. "This would form the face of the koala. I added some black food colouring to a ball of white fondant and shaped a koala nose. I added pink to some white fondant to create the rosy cheeks for the koala."

8. "I used a roller between two sheets of baking paper to flatten the pink ball of fondant then cut out circles for the cheeks using kitchen scissors."

9. "I added green food colouring to the white fondant and created some gum-leaf shapes by hand and set aside to let harden."

10. "Using left over grey buttercream, I stuck on the cheeks and nose on the koala then used the Chikoate writing pen to draw on the eyes and mouth."

11. "I placed two round white chocolate biscuits on the sides of the cake to form the ears and created a flower crown by sticking some fake flowers into the top of the cake and finished it off with a number one candle."

12. "I placed the hand-made gum leaves decoratively around the base of the cake and around the top for a bit of colour contrast and va-va-voom!"

According to Gosha, the cake was simple to make.

“A little bit of patience with the piping and making the gum leaves [is required], but otherwise it’s not too bad.”

Another Melbourne mum Kimberley Cusworth also made a gorgeous koala cake for her daughter Harper’s birthday.

Koala cake hack
Kimberley Cusworth

"She loves koalas and in particular Blinky Bill,” she explains.

Kimberley used two packs of Woolworths chocolate sponge cakes and froze them so that they were easier to ice.

She used black food colouring gel to dye the white icing grey, using a fork to create the fur-like texture.

Kimberley completed the look with Maltesers for the eyes and half a Kinder Surprise egg for the nose.

“I used craft paper to create the ears and used toothpicks to stick them in,” she explains.

Kimberley estimates that it took two hours in total to make.

“It was very easy to make, it was my first cake hack ever,” she adds.

The trend has also emerged on Instagram, with a raft of mums eager to share their creative cakes with their followers.

onetinytribe View Profile
1,263 likes - View Post on Instagram
Birthday party weekend again. 🎉 The weather isn't ripe for it. But the kids' excitement is. 😊 Have a good one, you lot. ✌🏼 Cute koala cake via @cupcakeproject
thepartybebe View Profile
likes - View Post on Instagram
KOALA🐨💗🎂 @kyongs_cakesncrafts your fancy #koala cake is the sweetest thing we've seen! Spotted over on @lovejkaustralia. Wishing you a sweet and happy day! Xx #dessertoftheday #koalas
sweetenedmemoriesnh View Profile
likes - View Post on Instagram
Koala 💜 help us raise money for the koala hospital in Australia! For every koala cake purchased we will donate $5 to the hospital. . 4" mini cookies and cream cake for Valentine's Day or a sweet treat for someone special is $25 ( $5 dollars will be donated 😊) PM on Facebook or email to place your order today!! . . . . . . . . . . . #koala #koalas #koalacake #koalacakes #valentines #valentines_day #valentinesdaycake #cake #cupcakes #cookies #valentinestreat #cookiesandcream #cookiesandcreamcake #chocolatecake #happyvalentinesday #love #loveholidays #nhbakery #bakery #newengland #newenglandbakery #durham #durhamnh #celebratedurhamnh

The cakes has caused a stir on social media, with fans heaping praise on the clever creations.

“That is so cuuutte!!!!” enthused one mum.

“A great job with the cake and kind gesture with the donations to wildlife,” added another.

A third chimed in: “This is the most beautiful cake I’ve ever seen.”

For more cake hack inspiration, go to the Woolies/Coles Mudcakes Hacks Facebook page.

  • Food
  • Cake Recipes
  • Hacks
Rebecca Lowrey Boyd
Rebecca is the Digital Managing Editor of Better Homes and Gardens.

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YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR
Watch 6:32

YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR

{headline}

{headline}

Is this the prettiest $5 Woolies cake hack?

Is this the prettiest $5 Woolies cake hack?

Ice your cake like a professional with this clever hack

Ice your cake like a professional with this clever hack

This is the $4.40 Coles cake hack that is breaking the internet

This is the $4.40 Coles cake hack that is breaking the internet

This no-bake layered cake hack uses a surprising $3.99 Aldi item

This no-bake layered cake hack uses a surprising $3.99 Aldi item

{headline}

{headline}

 This delicious 3-ingredient cake recipe has a secret ingredient you can get from Coles

This delicious 3-ingredient cake recipe has a secret ingredient you can get from Coles

Fast Ed's garden herb, almond and rose petal cake

Fast Ed's garden herb, almond and rose petal cake

Confetti cake

Confetti cake

{headline}

{headline}

The number one cake in Australia is from Coles

The number one cake in Australia is from Coles

Move over Woolworths mudcakes, this is the new must-have party cake

Move over Woolworths mudcakes, this is the new must-have party cake

4 celebration cakes for every occasion

4 celebration cakes for every occasion

Woolworths hack their own mudcake - with a twist

Woolworths hack their own mudcake - with a twist

Woolworths are selling a limited-edition choc-mint mudcake

Woolworths are selling a limited-edition choc-mint mudcake

This cake decorating trend is more harmful than you think

This cake decorating trend is more harmful than you think

Cake decorating ideas and tips

Cake decorating ideas and tips

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