This is a wonderful cake suitable for all sorts of occasions – birthdays, Valentine’s, Mother’s Day, anniversary’s etc. I made this cake for the first time for my friend Lesley’s birthday and it was such a success that I have made it many times since and each time I give it a different look. This cake was for an 65th Birthday surprise.
Below are the instructions you need to make this cake including my 10 minute video clip ‘How to make fondant frangipanis’ using an individual frangipani petal cutter and a step by step guide to making frangipanis using a one piece rose cutter. Decide which method you prefer and have a go.
Instructions are for a 6″ dark chocolate mud cake filled with dark chocolate ganache and covered in sugar-paste
Ingredients
Below are the instructions you need to make this cake including my 10 minute video clip ‘How to make fondant frangipanis’ using an individual frangipani petal cutter and a step by step guide to making frangipanis using a one piece rose cutter. Decide which method you prefer and have a go.
Instructions are for a 6″ dark chocolate mud cake filled with dark chocolate ganache and covered in sugar-paste
Ingredients
Dark Chocolate Mud Cake
100g butter
100g dark choc
10g coffee
70ml water
55g SR flour
55g plain flour
20g cocoa powder
0.25 tsp bicarb
210g caster sugar
2 eggs
3 tsp oil
45ml buttermilk
Ganache
520g dark chocolate
260ml pure cream
Flower-paste
700 grams of rolled fondant (I used Bakels Pettinice, but any will do)
2 teaspoons of Cellogen (if you use CMC, Tylose Powder or Gum Trag then only use 1 to 1.5 teaspoons)
1/3 teaspoon raw egg white
2 teaspoons Cream of Tartar
a small amount of Crisco or shortening
Edible Glue
1 teasp Tylose Powder
Edible Glue
1 teasp Tylose Powder
Other
500g (17oz) pink sugar paste (rolled fondant)
30g (1oz) bag of chocolate buttons or Freckles
227g (1/2lb) box milk chocolate15cm (6″) thin card board for the lid.
Individual frangipani petal cutter or a one piece 5 petal rose cutter
Petal Dust in yellow
Individual frangipani petal cutter or a one piece 5 petal rose cutter
Petal Dust in yellow
1. To make the Dark Chocolate Mud Cake
- Preheat the oven to 160C. Grease the tin and line the base and sides with a collar that extends 2 cm above the top of the tin.
- Put the butter, chocolate, coffee and water in a saucepan and stir over low heat until melted, then remove from the heat.
- Sift the flours, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar and make a well in the centre. Add the combined egg, oil and buttermilk and the chocolate mixture, stirring with a large spoon until completely combined.
- Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 2 hours (for 11’5″cake) or until a skewer poked into the centre of the cake comes out clean, though it may be a little sticky. Leave the cake in the tin until cold.
2. To make and apply the ganache click here.
3. To decorate the cake
Measure the height of the cake.Roll out 200g of the pink sugar-paste so that you can cut a strip about 46cm (18in) long and 1cm (0.5in) wider than the depth of your cake.Brush the sides of the cake with a little water.Roll the sugar-paste up like a bandage, making sure it is not too tight and then unwind it around the side of the cake.Paint a light line of water around the inside edge of the chocolate box and neatly press the chocolate buttons into the ganache. My buttons were big so I cut each one in half first.Arrange chocolates on top of the box. Stick one of the chocolates on top of the others as this will help secure the lid at an angle later on.Moisten the top and sides of your thin cake board with a little water, roll out and cover with 100g (30z) of pink sugar-paste. Trim and neaten edges.Use 200g (7oz) pink sugar-paste to cover your base cake board (moisten with a little water first), if you are using one. Cut out a long strip of sugar-paste and roll up as if a bandage and unroll to cover around the board
4. To make the Flower-paste
Flower-paste (also called modelling paste)
4. To make the Flower-paste
Flower-paste (also called modelling paste)
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Serves: Makes around 500 grams of paste
Instructions:
Use a little Crisco on your work surface and knead up your fondant so its nice and soft.
Sprinkle the Cellogen, or alternative, over the work surface and knead it into the fondant.
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| This flower paste is white as it is for a different cake. Sorry! |
Make a well in the mix and pour in the egg white, knead until mixed through, it may feel a little sticky, add more Crisco to the surface if you need to.
Sprinkle the Cream of Tartar on the work surface and knead into the mix until all incorporated.
Wrap the paste in cling wrap tightly, a few times and place in an air tight container, leave for at least 12 hours before use.
You don’t need to refrigerate it, and it will last for months.
I cut mine up into four pieces, and generally freeze it. It defrosts with the heat of your hands in minutes.5. To make the Frangipanis
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| Soften the flower paste |
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| Roll out till thin |
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| Press down hard with your cutter |
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| Lift up and check |
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| Use the balling tool or something similar to push out the flower-paste shape |
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| Stick the petals together one at a time using edible glue |
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| Carefully paint glue along the last petal edge |
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| Join together and make sure all the petals are evenly spaced. |
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| Turn upside down and check that there are no gaps |
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| Curve the petals a little |
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| Squeeze the stem together firming everything up nicely. |
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| Place in an egg carton overnight to harden. |
6. Finishing touches
Glue the flowers around the base of the cake using edible glue.To make the glue mix the Tylose powder with approximately 4 tblsp water. Any lumps will disappear if you put the mixture in the fridge overnight.I arranged the flowers in pairs as it made a more interesting arrangement.Arrange a few of the flowers together for the top of the lid. As the flowers were hard, I pushed them into a piece of the left over flower-paste which was still soft as I had wrapped it in cling film overnight.Stick the lid to the chocolates using a blob of ganache.
Below is a different colour combination that you might like to try.
cakes 
This is fantastic work, I am also trying my hand on this hobby but it is not easy.
Thanks for the lovely comment.
Just learn the things that make you happy and leave the rest till you need to learn them. That way you will alway love what you are doing and want to learn more.
Could help with the instructions for lid of the box as well pls….also wats the difference between sugar paste n fondant… As i use gum paste to make flowers n fondant for covering the cake…m confused.
The lid is made from a thin cake board covered with sugarpaste. Sugarpaste is the same as fondant and I make flowers from sugarpaste with some tylose powder or CMC added.
Cheers
Bernice
What a great idea. Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Thanks for your lovely comment. Cheers Bernice
Dear Bernice,
This is a lovely and very creative idea. However, I have one question, is the cake shown in the above photo a 6″ cake or an 10″cake? Thank you.
Hi Toni,
The pink cake is 6″ but the white cake is bigger, probably 9″.