Initially I'd planned to make a two-tiered white chocolate mud cake, covered in fondant and decorated with fondant strawberries, leaves and flowers in a homage to Cath Kidston. I wanted my first fondant covered cake to be stunning.
Sometimes though, you have to let the cakes (or lack of cake) decide what your design will be.
The 9inch cake worked out perfectly - it was tall and even and cooked through. At the time I thought I was on fire! Then I cooked the 6inch cake.
The worst thing a baker can do is start to feel cocky before the cake is finished. I must have invoked a curse because my 6inch cake had a big crack on the surface. I tested it with the skewer (in multiple spots) and came out clean. Fantastic! I let it rest on the bench and got busy with cleaning up.
Fifteen minutes later I took a look at my cake and the crack had turned into a ravine with lots of raw cake batter flowing at the bottom - cake disaster!
Using the beautiful miniature porcelain tea set Olive received for her birthday, I turned my cake wreck into a triumph.
So there you have it - a white chocolate mud cake, filled with raspberry buttercream and covered in fondant.
It looked gorgeous, but the taste - oh my god - insanely sweet. This is a cake that needed serious portion control (Mr Di-licious cut the cake!)
I don't think I'll ever make a white chocolate mud cake again but I did overcome my fear of covering a cake in fondant.
And to see the look of wonder on Olive's face - it was worth it.
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