Description
This striking Comic Cake combines the playful aesthetics of pop art with a sophisticated peanut butter and dark chocolate flavor profile. By cleverly stacking and carving a standard sponge, you will create a gravity-defying wedge that looks like a two-dimensional drawing come to life.
Ingredients
- 225g unsalted butter, softened
- 225g caster sugar
- 100g crunchy peanut butter
- 4 large eggs
- 225g self-raising flour, sieved
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 200g dark chocolate (54%)
- 200ml double cream
- 50g light brown sugar
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1 pasteurized egg white
- 250g royal icing sugar
- Black gel food coloring
- White, pink, yellow, red, and brown fondant
- Cornflour for dusting
- Edible glue
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 190°C (170°C fan/375°F) and grease/line a 20cm cake tin.
- Beat butter, caster sugar, peanut butter, eggs, flour, baking powder, milk, and vanilla until just smooth.
- Spoon mixture into the tin, level the top, and bake for 20–25 minutes until springy; cool completely on a wire rack.
- Make the ganache by pouring a simmered mixture of double cream, brown sugar, butter, and salt over dark chocolate; stir until glossy and let thicken.
- Prepare the black royal icing by mixing egg white, icing sugar, and black gel until pipeable; transfer to a piping bag with a number 3 nozzle.
- Quarter the cooled cake and stack the pieces with ganache layers to form a tall wedge, then trim the sides with a serrated knife for sharp edges.
- Apply a smooth crumb coat of ganache over the entire wedge and chill until firm.
- Roll out white fondant for the straight sides and pink fondant for the top and curved back; trim precisely with a scalpel.
- Add fondant details including a wobbly “drip” edge, colorful filling layers, a white cream swirl, and a red cherry.
- Pipe black royal icing outlines along every edge and detail of the cake to create the signature 2D graphic effect.
Notes
To ensure the sharpest 2D effect, use a ruler when cutting your cake quarters to maintain perfect symmetry. If your black royal icing feels too thick to pipe smoothly, add a few drops of water at a time until it reaches a soft-peak consistency that flows without breaking.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking and Sculpting
- Cuisine: Modern