Cake Pillow with fondant crown

Step-by-step preparation

Cooking time: 12 hr

1. STEP 1

   

   -----Corks of the lower tier. It is better to prepare the cakes one at a time; to do this, you need to measure out half of the ingredients for the first and second cakes. The size of the bottom part of the cake is 18 by 18 cm, so take a 20 by 30 cm mold and bake two cake layers, then make three of them - two solid 20 by 20 cm and one composite from the leftovers.

2. STEP 2

   

   Break 4 eggs into a mixing container (and then for the dough), add sugar and beat until fluffy (a wide ribbon from the whisks). The better the eggs for a sponge cake are beaten, the fluffier, tastier it is, and, more importantly, for such cakes, the more stable it is.

3. STEP 3

   

   Mix the dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa, you can add a pinch of salt to highlight the sweet taste. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture and stir to combine. Sift.

4. STEP 4

   

   The dough is ready. Grease the bottom of the cake pan with butter. The walls are not greased, so the biscuit rises higher and more evenly (if you grease it, there will be a slide in the center, and the biscuit will be lower at the edges).

5. STEP 5

   

   Pour the dough into the pan and smooth it out with a spatula.

6. STEP 6

   

   Bake at 155-160 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Let cool completely.

7. STEP 7

   

   Remove the biscuit - cut along the perimeter and turn it over, it will fall out. ----- Bake the second cake in the same way. Divide the finished cakes into two 20 by 20 cm pieces and one composite of two 10 by 20 cm pieces.

8. STEP 8

   

   -----To soak the lower tier, boil the cherries in water with sugar (until boiling, boil for a couple of minutes and let cool). Cherries in a colander, syrup for soaking.

9. STEP 9

   

   -----For the bottom tier cream, whip the cream until fluffy. At the end, add condensed milk and vanilla and mix. -----Assembling the lower tier. Place the bottom layer (whole) on the cake board. Soak it a little with cherry syrup. Spread cream on top (the thickness of the cream is equal to the thickness of the cake).

10. STEP 10

    

    Place cherries on cream.

11. STEP 11

    

    Place the second cake layer on a composite of two pieces. Lubricate it with cream too.

12. STEP 12

    

    Place cherries on top. Soak the cake that will be the top one with syrup from below, and then turn it over and place it on two already assembled cake layers with cream.

13. STEP 13

    

    Like this. Let the workpiece harden in the refrigerator for an hour.

14. STEP 14

    

    Trim the piece into a pillow shape. It is convenient to do this with a bread knife.

15. STEP 15

    

    -----Ganache is made from confectionery glaze. It, unlike chocolate, does not melt in heat. If you are preparing a cake for home or in winter, feel free to prepare ganache with chocolate in bars. Measure out the frosting (or chocolate).

16. STEP 16

    

    Melt the glaze over a double boiler (when the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl with chocolate). Don't heat it too much - wait until half the glaze has melted, then remove from the stove and stir - and the temperature will drop, and everything will melt and become homogeneous. If overheated, chocolate may curdle, which is unpleasant.

17. STEP 17

    

    Add soft butter to the chocolate mass (no need to melt it, just remove it from the refrigerator first).

18. STEP 18

    

    Stir in large clumps of butter.

19. STEP 19

    

    Beat with a mixer (or whisk, long) until smooth and homogeneous.

20. STEP 20

    

    Stir and let cool. At this stage, choose a ganache consistency that is convenient for you - some people find it convenient to cover the cake with liquid ganache, while others find it more pasty.

21. STEP 21

    

    Cover the workpiece of the lower tier.

22. STEP 22

    

    Level the ganache as much as you can and put the workpiece in the cold to harden for an hour.

23. STEP 23

    

    Then apply a second layer of ganache if you need to fill in holes or trim anything. Refrigerate again until set.

24. STEP 24

    

    Use warm hands to smooth the frozen ganache to a perfectly smooth surface.

25. STEP 25

    

    ----- Cakes for the lower tier. The dough is prepared all at once. The photo shows double the amount of ingredients for a round cake. You will have half the norm and a square blank for the top tier of the cake pillow. Prepare all ingredients.

26. STEP 26

    

    Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt.

27. STEP 27

    

    Add condensed milk and stir.

28. STEP 28

    

    Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and vanilla.

29. STEP 29

    

    Sift into the milk-egg mixture.

30. STEP 30

    

    Mix well. The dough is ready.

31. STEP 31

    

    Prepare 2 sheets of parchment the size of the baking sheet.

32. STEP 32

    

    You can bake large cakes and then cut out 14 by 14 cm squares from them, or you can draw squares on parchment - choose.

33. STEP 33

    

    Turn the parchment over with the drawn side down and grease the paper with oil.

34. STEP 34

    

    Apply the dough in a thin layer.

35. STEP 35

    

    Like this. For square cakes, you can cover the entire area of ​​the paper, or use squares of the desired size.

36. STEP 36

    

    Bake the cake at 220 degrees for 5 minutes. While one is baking, prepare another sheet of dough. When warm, the cakes come off the paper well.

37. STEP 37

    

    That's it, let it cool.

38. STEP 38

    

    Trim the cakes to size. Ours are square 14 by 14 cm.

39. STEP 39

    

    ----- Cream for the top tier. Add condensed milk to the cream.

40. STEP 40

    

    Beat until fluffy.

41. STEP 41

    

    The mass will turn out fluffy and thick.

42. STEP 42

    

    Add yogurt (it's best if it complements the flavor of the fresh fruit you're using).

43. STEP 43

    

    Beat (stir) again and the cream is ready.

44. STEP 44

    

    ----- Assembling the upper tier (blank). Cut the fruit into thin slices.

45. STEP 45

    

    Place the cakes on a flat surface and coat with cream.

46. STEP 46

    

    Top with fruit, and so on until the cakes are finished.

47. STEP 47

    

    Let the workpiece harden, and then, like the lower tier, coat it with ganache in three steps.

48. STEP 48

    

    ----- Assembling the cake Pillow with a crown. Roll out the white mastic into a thin layer and cover the bottom tier with it. Smooth, level the surface, trim off excess, fold the edge under the bottom cake. Use an iron.

49. STEP 49

    

    Use a ruler to mark half the height of the pillow - there will be a mastic lace here.

50. STEP 50

    

    Use a spiked roller to imitate stitching.

51. STEP 51

    

    In two directions. You can pre-mark the size of the seams, or by eye.

52. STEP 52

    

    Do the same with the top tier blank.

53. STEP 53

    

    You need to insert skewers into the lower tier to stabilize the upper one. Insert the skewer to the bottom, mark the top of the mastic, remove the skewer a little, trim with tongs and insert back.

54. STEP 54

    

    This is how it works. 4 skewers are enough here.

55. STEP 55

    

    Coat the junction of the two tiers with ganache.

56. STEP 56

    

    Place the top tier on top of the bottom. Let it harden.

57. STEP 57

    

    For the crown, paint the fondant yellow and roll out and cut a strip 8cm wide.

58. STEP 58

    

    Use a die cutter to create a scalloped top edge.

59. STEP 59

    

    Prepare a bucket of mayonnaise or sour cream to dry the crown in the desired position.

60. STEP 60

    

    Dust a bucket with starch and transfer the crown mastic.

61. STEP 61

    

    Trim the edge, stretch it as far as it is missing, and glue the ends together.

62. STEP 62

    

    Leave to dry for an hour.

63. STEP 63

    

    Using a mold, make details to decorate the crown.

64. STEP 64

    

    Large and small motives.

65. STEP 65

    

    Glue the decor to the crown with food glue.

66. STEP 66

    

    Brush off remaining starch and let dry.

67. STEP 67

    

    Paint the crown gold or bronze.

68. STEP 68

    

    Using glue, attach the crown to the pillows.

69. STEP 69

    

    Paint some of the mastic blue and make strings and ribbon for the inscription. Make 8 buttons in advance using molds and let them dry. Attach the cord to the pillows.

70. STEP 70

    

    Make a thin piece of mastic and place it in an extruder with a Grass attachment. For tassels, squeeze out the mastic in the form of threads and immediately apply and trim to the corner of the pillow. Do this several times until the brush is as thick as desired.

71. STEP 71

    

    Glue a button to the junction of the tassel and the pillow.

72. STEP 72

    

    That's closer. Repeat the same with the remaining corners.

73. STEP 73

    

    Use a small ball to make indentations where the stitches intersect.

74. STEP 74

    

    Glue pearls into the recesses.

75. STEP 75

    

    Dilute white paint for the inscription.

76. STEP 76

    

    Write your wish with white paint. Here - to the Queen Mother.

Comments on the recipe

Esenija

26.09.2023

4.5

well beauty....

Vendetta

26.09.2023

4.8

It’s beautiful, but it probably takes so long to tinker, but I’ve never seen a pillow like this before

brise

26.09.2023

4.7

Simply a masterpiece of culinary art!