I made this Manchester United cake for my brother’s 23rd birthday. He is a die-hard MU football fan and was smiling from cheek to cheek when I presented the cake to him. And he was so careful in cutting the cake, he made sure no one accidentally cut the logo. Such is his love for Manchester United!
This was mostly a buttercream cake, and the only fondant on the cake is the logo which was cut out in fondant. All in all, this Manchester United cake was fairly easy to put together. And a fun one too.
How to Decorate the Manchester United Birthday Cake
Supplies needed to decorate the cake:
- One 12 inches by 10 inches rectangle cake - I did not have a large rectangle cake tin of that size. So I used my smaller cake tin which measures 6 inches by 10 inches to make 2 cakes. I joined them together with buttercream to get the 12 inches by 10 inches size. The cake itself was made using my butter pound cake recipe.
- Buttercream icing – I divide the icing into two – one which I tinted green and the other I tinted white (for the lines on the football field). The white portion was very small as I only needed it for the lines on the field. The cake border is of a darker green tint, and what I did was use the leftover green icing after covering the whole cake and added more green coloring for a darker shade of green.
- Fondant icing – The Manchester United logo was in fondant. I did not tint the icing. Instead, I painted it after cutting it out. I also used fondant for the birthday lettering on the cake. These were cut out using Wilton alphabet cutters and painted in gold.
- Plastic goal posts
– I purchased these from a local cake decorating store. They actually come in a set of 2 goalposts and a few football players. I did not want the players on the cake, so I only used the goalposts. - Manchester United logo template – I prepared this template by tracing the MU logo onto parchment paper. And in doing that, I made sure the logo is of a size that I want on the cake.
- Wilton round tip number 3 and grass tip.
- Alphabet cutters
- Edible gold dust + lemon extract
- Cake decorating brush
- Disposable piping bags
- Food colors in red, yellow, green and white.
– I purchased these from a local cake decorating store. They actually come in a set of 2 goalposts and a few football players. I did not want the players on the cake, so I only used the goalposts.The fondant Manchester United logo
- I searched for Manchester United logo on the internet and found one that I liked. I resized it to fit my Manchester United cake size. Click here to learn how to resize your images for cake decorating.
- With the resized logo, I traced into onto a parchment paper.
- Next, I rolled some white fondant and cut out the outline of the logo onto it using my sugar craft knife. Once the outline was done, I traced the details onto the cut out. I did the tracing by cutting through my paper template onto the cut out underneath, but I made sure I did not cut through the fondant, but rather just cut its surface to mark the design. The idea was to transfer all the outlines on the cut out so that I can paint it following the outlines.
- Each letter in the phrase “Manchester United” was cut out separately using the alphabet cutters. I adjusted the letters so that the font was as close as possible to the ones on the logo.
- I left the logo and the letters to set and firm up overnight. It is easier to paint and work with fondant when it’s a little firm.
- The next day,, I painted it red and yellow, using an actual MU logo as a guide. I also painted the letters. Once all the painting was done, I attached the letters “Manchester United” on the logo with a damp brush.
The buttercream grass on the birthday cake
- As for the cakes, once baked and cooled, I leveled the tops. And I attached both cakes using some buttercream on the sides. This was a single layer cake, and the reason I attach the cakes on the side is to make it into a larger sheet cake. I then covered the whole cake with a thin layer of buttercream (crumb coat).
- Next, using the grass tip and green icing, I piped the ‘grass’ on the Manchester United cake. For the sides, I used a star tip and piped long vertical rows of icing. I finished the buttercream piping with a border for the cake using a darker shade of green buttercream with the grass tip.
- After that, using white buttercream, I piped the lines on the football field cake. And then I placed the plastic goalposts on each end of the football field on the Manchester United cake and slowly transferred the MU logo onto the cake. In doing that I made sure I reserved sufficient space for the birthday message to go on the cake after placing the logo.
- Finally, I cut out the letters for 'happy birthday' in fondant, including the birthday boy's name. I painted these in gold (gold edible dust mixed with a few drops of lemon extract to make a thick paint) and let them dry before placing them on the Manchester United cake.
And with that, the Manchester United cake was ready.
Like this Manchester United cake? Here are my other posts you might want to check out:
- Special Character Cakes
- Creative Cake Ideas
- Easy Football Cake - A Decorating Tutorial
- Holiday Cakes
- Soccer Cupcakes
Recipe (Printable)
Here is the full printable version of my Manchester United cake recipe and decorating guide.
📖Recipe
Manchester United Cake Design
A simple Manchester United cake design, perfect for Man United fans. See how I did the decorations for this football themed birthday cake.
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Yield: 1 ten by twelve inches cake
Equipment
- Plastic goal posts
- Manchester United logo template
- Wilton round tips #3 and grass tip #233.
- Alphabet cutters
- Edible gold dust & lemon extract
- Cake decorating brush
For best results, use the metrics measurements. US customary measurements have not been tested and are only meant for guide.
Ingredients
Cake
- 600 g butter
- 600 g castor sugar
- 600 g self-raising flour
- 10 eggs
- 150 ml milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ⅔ teaspoon vanilla essence
Frosting and decoration
- Buttercream icing
- Fondant icing
- Food colors (red, yellow, green and white)
Instructions
Baking the cakes
- Preheat oven to 170 °Celsius.
- Beat butter and sugar till soft and creamy for about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold in the sifted ingredients into the creamed mixture alternately with milk, starting and ending with flour.
- Finally, add in vanilla essence and combine well. Pour batter into two greased and floured cake pans (6 inches by 10 inches rectangle pans) and bake for 45 to 50 minutes until the top of the cake springs back when lightly pressed. The cakes are done when a skewer inserted in the center of the cakes comes out without any wet batter.
- Remove cakes from oven and let them cool completely before icing and decorating.
The Manchester United logo for the cake
- Trace your preferred Manchester United logo onto a parchment paper. Make sure the logo is fitting to the size of the cake.
- Next, roll some white fondant and cut out the outline of the logo onto the fondant using a sugar craft knife. Once the outline is done, trace the details onto the fondant cut out. I did the tracing by cutting through my paper template onto the fondant underneath, but I made sure I did not cut through the fondant, but rather just cut its surface to mark the design. The idea was to transfer all the outlines on the fondant so that I can paint it following the outlines.
- Cut each letter in the phrase “Manchester United” separately in fondant using the alphabet cutters. Adjust the letters so that the font is as close as possible to the ones on the logo.
- Let the logo and the letters to set and firm up overnight. It is easier to paint and work with fondant when it’s a little firm.
- Once the logo and the letters are set, paint them with the red and yellow food coloring. Dilute the food colors with a little water before painting. Use an actual MU logo as a guide. Once all the painting iss done, attach the letters “Manchester United” on the logo with a damp brush.
Frosting the cake
- As for the cakes, once baked and cooled, level the tops. Attach both cakes using some buttercream on the sides. This is a single layer cake, and the reason you need to attach the cakes on the side is to make it into a larger sheet cake. After that, cover the whole cake with a thin layer of buttercream (crumb coat).
- Next, using the grass tip and green buttercream icing, pipe the ‘grass’ on the cake. For the sides, use a star tip and pipe long vertical rows of icing. Finish off the buttercream piping with a border for the cake using the grass tip in a darker shade of green buttercream.
- After that, using white buttercream, pipe the lines on the football field cake. And then place the plastic goalposts on each end of the football field cake and slowly transfer the MU logo onto the cake. In doing that make sure to reserve sufficient space for the birthday message to go on the cake after placing the logo.
The lettering on the cake
- Finally, cut out the letters for ‘happy birthday’ in fondant, including the birthday boy’s name.
- Paint these in gold (gold edible dust mixed with a few drops of lemon extract to make a thick paint) and let them dry before placing them on the Manchester United cake.
Nutrition
Calories: 9532.6kcal | Carbohydrates: 1048g | Protein: 137g | Fat: 543.3g | Saturated Fat: 326.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 31.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 144.3g | Trans Fat: 19.8g | Cholesterol: 2941.8mg | Sodium: 6684.6mg | Potassium: 1572.3mg | Fiber: 14.4g | Sugar: 611.1g | Vitamin A: 17625IU | Calcium: 951.2mg | Iron: 14.1mg
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And that't that. My easy Manchester United cake design for you!
Happy decorating 🙂
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