How to make a young boy happy - football and cake

Boys like football.  Fact.  They also like cake.  Fact.  Combine the two and you've a recipe for success!  This particular boy is a fan of Dundee United Football Club, a team whose colours are tangerine and black.  So the interior of this cake is one layer chocolate (which I chose not to dye black.  I felt it may not only be messy, but slightly unattractive on the eye and palate) and one layer orange-coloured vanilla. 

Then it was a case of colouring the buttercream orange, to match the outside, and leaving out the jam - we felt it would taste odd with chocolate cake.  Decorate the base edge with little co-ordinating black and tangerine balls et voila - a birthday cake that any footie daft young boy would be glad to call his own.  Happy Birthday Andrew!

Now we are six

Jack loved the birthday cake I made him last year, which was kind as it wasn't one of my best.  But I have improved since then, I hope, and was thrilled at the chance to bake again for him.  He wanted the same cake this year, but with a number 6 on it (as he was planning to be older this time) and different candles (his Mum figured that was her department, haha).

We chose vanilla sponge with strawberry jam and coloured vanilla icing again, and I happened upon a lovely birthday card when out and about last weekend that inspired my colour choice.

And then a few days ago, I found a bag of M & M's that was just red, white and blue - serendipity or what?!! 

So these big beauties made the number 6 for me, and it was then the task of separating out all the red and blue M & M's in a normal pack or two of sweets to see if I'd have enough to make the border around the base of the cake.  Woo hoo, I did have enough!!

And don't you think these leftover M & M's would make lovely autumn-themed decorations for something??