Nicole's birthday cake

This is a birthday cake i made for my sister last year... she is a horse instructor and i thought this cake was perfect. Everything is hand made on it and it actually didn't take too long. plus it was delicious!!

Anyway just thought i'd put it up so you could have a looksie! it was one of the first cakes i made so forgive the amature-ness!!

Instructions for mad hatter cake

I have finally remembered to attach a step by step instruction guide on how i made the mad-hatter!

STEP ONE
well firstly you obviously need to bake cakes. i made a 9" - trimmed to a 7" base and a 7" - trimmed to a 5" base. i like to use the chocolate mud recipe from the Planet cake book. mark your round cakes into 3 even slices but don't cut through yet!

STEP TWO

next step i did was insert some skewers to make cutting of this cake easier!! i put one in from the top RHS down on a 45 degree angle until i hit the bottom LHS of the first cut layer. then i put one straight through the 1st layer at a 90 degree angle.
then i cut very very carefully trying to keep my knife on a even angle.

hopefully you can see that in the photo below


STEP THREE

now you have 2/3 of a cake on an angle and another 1/3 of a cake seperate. you need to take the piece you just cut off and give it a 180 degree turn so that is sits angle to angle - making an even steeper angle on your mad hatter! see the 2 images below.




STEP FOUR

now cut them into 3 layers (you already have one layer cut so just cut one more at the bottom). Then give each layer a brush with syrup, fill with ganache (about 0.5-1cm is heaps). then flip cake over so top becomes bottom onto your chopping board. put your base board in the center on top and trim outwards. so if you're doing the 9" cake you're chopping down to a 7" cake and if it's the 7" you're chopping down to a 5". You're angle is still there when you're done don't worry!! Start chopping slowly and carefully until you have a true angled cake. check out the picture below.



STEP FIVE

then flip cake back over with the base board underneath this time with a little ganache so it sticks to the cake! (also if this is the top layer you need to have pre drilled a hole in it's center for stacking purposes soon)



STEP SIX

Then cover out side of cake in ganache and make it nice and smooth. Then you need to do the top of the cake. there are full step by step instructions in the planet cake book. i like to let this dry over night so it becomes a bit hard.



STEP SEVEN

ok so now you're ready to roll out your fondant and put it on each layer. make sure you work it well so it's pliable and then brush the cake with syrup to ensure it sticks. use corn flour to dust bench but be careful as it stains coloured icing so don't get it on the good side! roll fondant onto a rolling pin then roll fondant over cake carefully quickly securing edges so they don't pull and tear and then continue securing all the way down to the base board. cut any excess away and smooth off.

STEP EIGHT

you now have 2 covered cakes in the colour of you choosing. now it's time to stack them! Firstly position the base cake on the display board where you'd like it to go sticking it down with a little ganache. Get the dowel and insert into the center of the bottom cake and leave 4-5 inches sticking out the top. use a few more dowels around the central one. insert them, mark with a pen where they sit flush with bottom layer. remove them again cut to size and put back in. these are there to help distribute the weight. the center one is there to make sure it doesn't slide off!! you will need a little ganache around the dowels to help secure the cake. then carefully and slowyl stack. make sure you know which way the angles go together before you start another persons hands are usually need here. see image below for stacked cake.



STEP NINE

Decoration time!! I chose the theme below as he was having a safari elephant themed shower. However, you can do any design you like, polka dots, flowers anything at all!! I must say though the random stripes where really really easy to cut out and very easy to cut out of fondant.







STEP TEN

decorate your base board again in any colour fondant you like and decorate with a message if you choose! again you can copy what we did or make up your own! Make sure you put a little syrup or water on the board though otherwise it won't stick!! Good luck!