Hello Friends! It's Ant of Nerdache Cakes, a bakery baking all things sweet and geek! I love making everything from anime sweet treats to comic book confections. You can see even more geeky goodness on our Instagram @Nerdachecakes.
FUN FACT: One of my favorite Sanrio characters is the adorable pup that is Pompompurin. I love how much he loves to loaf and eat- something that is #relatable! So you can imagine how excited I was to see it's Pompompurin 25th Anniversary! To celebrate everyone's favorite food-loving pup, I baked up a stacked pudding cake just for the occasion.
Now I know fondant cakes might look a bit daunting, but trust me- its a fun way to get a clean looking cake that everyone will LOVE. Coupled with some good-old fashioned piping techniques, it's sure to be a crowd pleaser. Let's get started!
What you'll Need:
- One 6" Cake baked
- One 4" Cake baked
- Buttercream icing, about 4 cups.
- Pale yellow Fondant
- Red Fondant
- Brown Fondant
Tools:
- Rolling Pin
- A rolling mat, or well corn starched surface
- A Small knife
- Shaping tool or fork
- 2 Piping bags or ziplock bags
- Star piping tip
Tips: Chilling your cakes in-between steps is a great way to minimize mess and keep your edges sharp and clean. Remember that when working with fondant, timing is key! Wait too long to move your fondant sheets and they'll crack- move your figures too fast and they'll slump. Roll out your fondant and smooth immediately over your cake. Always let figures and details properly dry before moving.
Method:
1.) To start, I baked some vanilla round cakes. You can either bake these from scratch, or use a box mix you enjoy. I added a dash of maple syrup to the batter, making it a pancake-inspired cake just for Pompompurin! Chill these in the freezer for better carving later.
2.) Once chilled, carve the edge to look more like the vaulted edge of a pudding. (Tip: You can also use a pudding mold to skip the carving step!) Fill with a layer of buttercream when stacking and then crumb coat. A crumb coat keeps all the crumbs in the cake, allowing for sharp edges and smooth fondant application later.
3.) Fondant time! Personally my favorite part. I just love the way a smooth sheet a fondant transforms a simple cake into an edible masterpeice. Roll out a sheet of pale yellow fondant to an even thickness and cover your carved cakes. Start from the top, smoothing out any air pockets to the bottom. Use the palm of your hands or a fondant smoother to get a perfect edge.
4.) Repeat with a brown fondant sheet, but this time put a bit of water on the top of the pudding cakes. This will adhere the brown fondant to the top of the cakes only. For the rest of the fondant, use a knife to cut a wobbly dripping shape around the entire cake. Repeat for both layers.
5.) Now we are ready to stack! The smaller pudding can be placed on the larger tier using the flat edge of a knife of a pallette tool. Use a bit of buttercream icing to stick them together.
6.) Cake decorating is all about finishing. For this, we'll go all the way back to some old-fashioned icing techniques! I started decorating cakes in fondant, but while working in a bakery as a teenager I was taught the basics of piping icing using piping tips. You can either use the same buttercream you used to crumbcoat your cakes or a canned frosting. Piping bags and a star tip create the bottom border, and a round tip or cut bag create the circle borders at the top. Take your time, and pipe perpendicular to the cake board. It'll make the piping even and you'll be able to fix any mistakes you might make along the way.
7.) Every cake needs a cherry on top- but we are going just a bit further! Using some red fondant, roll out some cherrys. Create a dip in the top of each one to make them more natural looking. I used sugar flower stems to look like cherry stems, buy you could leave them stemless if you perfer! Using more of the same red fondant, mold out a bell shape to create strawberries. I used the prong of a fork to make strawberry seed divets.
8.) We cant have a sweet ode to Pompompurin without the star himself! Last step is topping the cake with a figure of Pompompurin- I made one using the same pale yellow fondant as before. A simple oval shape, with tubes for arms and two floppy ears. So cute! You could also use a toy figure if you'd like.
And you're all done! Slice up and serve for the perfect treat for any Pompompurin lover and enjoy. Happy 25th Anniversary Pompompurin!
Please note: Sanrio has invited, but does not necessarily endorse, the comments of this guest blogger. Any ideas or instructions for homemade products featuring Hello Kitty or other Sanrio characters are authorized for personal use only. A separate license from Sanrio is always required to sell or distribute any products featuring Hello Kitty or other Sanrio characters. The contents of this blog are the copyrighted works of Sanrio.