Rice crispie cake Pudsey for Children in Need

Last week Baking Mad asked me if I’d like to take part in their Children in Need campaign. They are donating £10 for every post. For such a good cause I didn’t need asking twice (though to be fair, I don’t usually need asking twice to bake). The only criteria was that it had to be Pudsey shaped or decorated. So far on their website there’s a range of creations from cheese straws to chocolate cupcakes and even some impressive rainbow cupcakes by  The More Than Occasional Baker.

For several reasons, I chose to make a rice crispie cake pudsey:

1. I’m relatively skint at the moment and the ingredients are cheap.
2. It’s easy to make with young children, so seemed apt.
3. I would have sculpted a cake but I’m not sure my skills are up to that yet.
4. Rice crispie cake is ALWAYS a crowd pleaser.

However, I have now realised one fatal flaw to my plan, which is that I have to share my secret family recipe with you (which may indeed have come off the side of a well know rice cereal brand’s box). Aah well. It’s all for charity!

Normally I’d make half this amount, but if you’re sculpting a bear then you’ll need this much and have enough left over to nibble on before you decided to …er…..dismantle him (yikes)

Rice Crispie Pudsey

8oz      Margarine
8oz      Marshmallows
8 oz     Toffee
10 oz   Rice pops / Rice Krispies
White ready to roll icing to decorate and writing-icing tubes and or icing, colouring and a fine nozzle
A few extra toffees to melt for “glue” or royal icing if you have any around

Put the margarine, toffee and marshmallows in a saucepan and melt over a medium heat.

When fully melted take off the heat and stir the rice pops through thoroughly until evenly distributed

Spoon the mixture in 1 cereal bowl (for the face) 2 little bowls (for the ears) and the rest into loaf tins so that they can be made into the body and limbs.

Compact the picture using a potato masher of the back of a spoon.

Leave to cool completely

When set, take the rice crispie cake out of the various tins and carve into the right shapes for the various parts.

Melt a few extra toffees and one at a time put a bit of melted toffee (or royal icing if using instead) on the end of each limb, then hold in place until it goes hard to stick the bits together

Roll out some white ready roll icing to make the eye patch, paw pads and inner ears. Stick on using a little dab of icing from the writing-icing tubes

Using the black writing-icing, draw the buttons, nose, mouth and eye detail. Use the coloured ones to add spots to the patch.