Enchanted Cake with Dried Flowers

Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan oven 160°C) and grease the pans with baking spray.

Prepare the 330 g FunCakes Deluxe Sponge Mix with 5 eggs and 33 ml water according to the package instructions, then divide the batter between the 2 pans. Bake the sponges for about 30-35 minutes until they are lightly golden and cooked, then immediately turn out onto a cooling rack to cool. Using the cake saw, cut the sponges horizontally into 2 layers (start and finish with the bottom of a sponge for a tight-fitting cake).

Cut a cake board slightly smaller than the sponge and make or cut an opening in the center to insert the dowel.

Place a No. 012 tip in a piping bag and fill it with cream. Start by spreading a layer of cream on the first cake layer. On the second layer, pipe a border using tip No. 012 and spread apricot jam inside it. Repeat until all layers are filled. Place a cake board somewhere in the middle to distribute weight. Insert a dowel in the center down to the bottom of the cake and cut to size. This will prevent the layers from sliding. Cover the entire exterior with a nice layer of cream. To do this, place the cake on the turntable and spread with the angled spatula while using the scraper to smooth and tighten the cake nicely.

Take a small piece of brown fondant and one grey fondant and marble both with a piece of white fondant. (Marbling is kneading two colors without fully mixing them).

Roll out the brown fondant and texture it with the woodgrain FMM impression mold. Cut two doors from this fondant and stick them onto the cake.

Form balls with the two marbled fondant pieces, flatten them, and stick these “cobblestones” around the doors.

Put the remaining cream in a piping bag with tip No. 1M and pipe a pretty twisted border or small clouds side by side on the upper edge of the cake. If you have enough cream, you can also create a scalloped border along the bottom edge of the cake with tip No. 1M.

Melt the FunCakes Deco Melts according to the package instructions in the microwave and dip the flower stems in it. Arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let harden in the refrigerator. Even though these are dried flowers, you MUST NOT plant them directly into the cake. Because they are dry, stem fragments could fall into the cake, so ALWAYS dip the ends in Deco Melts or melted chocolate to prevent this!

Decorate the cake with the flowers by inserting them into the sprayed border and insert butterflies here and there. Even though these are dried flowers, you must NOT simply stick them into the cake. Because they are dry, shards of the stems could fall into the cake, so ALWAYS dip the ends in Deco Melts or melted chocolate to prevent this!