It's my baby's birthday! I really would not be me, if I didn't take advantage of the fact that he has not yet reached that stage where he starts getting weird or elaborate ideas of what kind of cake he wants for his special day. I have no doubt that next year will be different. So his star sign is right in the between leo and virgo, but if you knew him, he is definitely a leo. So why not make a lion cake for my little lion?
I quickly typed "lion cake" into Pinterest, but I really didn't get any "wow" ideas with the exception of this cake, which is totally insane. But the thing is that as much as I love working with fondant, because it is a great medium for this kind of masterpieces, no one in my family really likes it (does anyone like it?!), so I try to challenge myself and create cakes without fondant. How about chocolate?
So, step one - three types of ganache! Dark chocolate ganache (use ratio of 2 : 1 for chocolate : cream), milk chocolate ganache (ratio of 2,5 - 3 : 1 for chocolate : cream) and white chocolate ganache (ratio of 3 : 1 for chocolate : cream). Ganache will need some time to cool and thicken, especially in the summer temperatures, so in the meantime, let's go to the next step - defrost leftover cake.
When I bake I always have some leftover cake. Usually it is the top of the cake, which I remove to get the cake completely flat. What do you do with it? Please don't say you throw it out. OK it is partially acceptable if you eat it, but if you bake a lot, these leftover tend to pile up. Regardless of the amount, I just wrap it in plastic wrap and store it in the freezer and then use it later to make cake pops. So ... defrost the cake, crumble it into small pieces and add some mascarpone cheese or melted chocolate. The amount of extra ingredients to add varies depending on the cake I use, some are a bit dryer and may need more, some are more moist and may need less; I just go by my feeling. Mix everything together, I just use my hands and squish the mix until it kind of resembles modelling clay.
I quickly typed "lion cake" into Pinterest, but I really didn't get any "wow" ideas with the exception of this cake, which is totally insane. But the thing is that as much as I love working with fondant, because it is a great medium for this kind of masterpieces, no one in my family really likes it (does anyone like it?!), so I try to challenge myself and create cakes without fondant. How about chocolate?
So, step one - three types of ganache! Dark chocolate ganache (use ratio of 2 : 1 for chocolate : cream), milk chocolate ganache (ratio of 2,5 - 3 : 1 for chocolate : cream) and white chocolate ganache (ratio of 3 : 1 for chocolate : cream). Ganache will need some time to cool and thicken, especially in the summer temperatures, so in the meantime, let's go to the next step - defrost leftover cake.
When I bake I always have some leftover cake. Usually it is the top of the cake, which I remove to get the cake completely flat. What do you do with it? Please don't say you throw it out. OK it is partially acceptable if you eat it, but if you bake a lot, these leftover tend to pile up. Regardless of the amount, I just wrap it in plastic wrap and store it in the freezer and then use it later to make cake pops. So ... defrost the cake, crumble it into small pieces and add some mascarpone cheese or melted chocolate. The amount of extra ingredients to add varies depending on the cake I use, some are a bit dryer and may need more, some are more moist and may need less; I just go by my feeling. Mix everything together, I just use my hands and squish the mix until it kind of resembles modelling clay.
Print out a photo or a sketch of what you are modelling, just make it as big as your model. This way it is a great reference for proportions and final look. And let the modelling begin ...
At this point, a warning ... learn from my mistakes. The lion face was kind of heavy in the end and it sagged the cake on one end, when I put it on top. The cake luckily didn't collapse or fall apart and in the end all was well. Even better, because of the sagging the muzzle sat more low on the cake and the proportions were more realistic this way. Nevertheless, think about one of the following preventative measures:
1. leave the cake to sit a couple of hours in the fridge, even better over night; I was in a hurry and I decorated my cake immediately after assembling it.
1. leave the cake to sit a couple of hours in the fridge, even better over night; I was in a hurry and I decorated my cake immediately after assembling it.
2. use support; model the face on a cardboard and support it with straws; basically like assembling a tiered cake.
I frosted the cake in a thin first layer of ganache, only the snout and the eyes are fondant. The mane is dark ganache, piped with the grass tip (tip # 133). Because the head is so irregular in shape, it was harder to smooth out the ganache, but I managed and then put another layer of ganache with a brush. Because I used a brush, the ganache seemed more fur like.
And the reaction? He cried. No, not from excitement or joy. Apparently this little monster was too realistic for a 3-year old and he needed a minute to calm down. I think it helped that his older brother started picking of the chocolate mane :) In the end I was happy with how the cake looked and I made it up to the little guy with the next cake (link soon, check back soon!).
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