Panda cake with pink bow

Ideally, prepare the panda and the bow 2 days in advance. For the panda, you can print a panda image (found via Google) and cut out all the parts. It’s easiest to have several copies. Knead some tylo powder into the black fondant to firm it up. Do the same with a piece of white fondant. Roll out the black fondant and cut out the entire panda outline as well as the eyes using the cutting wheel. Roll out the white fondant, cut all the parts that should be white, and attach them with some edible glue onto the black surface. Take two small white pieces for the eyes and two small black pieces for the pupils; also use a small black ball for the nose. Make a bamboo skewer and some leaves with a small piece of spring green fondant. Glue them onto the panda. Tip! Use the related recipes to create a complete panda sweet table.

For the bow, knead some tylo powder into the pink fondant. Roll it out to about 2 mm thickness and press the lace mat onto it. Cut two rectangles, apply glue along the long side, fold them while inserting a kitchen paper roll, and gently press the edges together. Place a small rectangle upside down on your work surface and put the two bow loops on top. Fold the piece around with glue. Let the panda and the bow dry for two days so they can stand upright on the cake.

Preheat the oven to 180 °C (160 °C fan oven) and grease the pans with Bake Release non-stick spray.

Prepare 450 grams of FunCakes sponge cake mix according to package instructions. Divide the batter into the two pans and bake for 30-35 minutes. After baking, unmold onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

Prepare 200 grams of FunCakes buttercream mix according to package instructions and add the flavor paste of your choice to the buttercream to taste.

Cut the sponges twice with the leveler. Fill and cover with buttercream. Let firm in the refrigerator. Coat the cake board with glaze gel and cover with black fondant. Finish with a black ribbon. Cut a cake drum slightly smaller than the smallest cake. Roll out the white fondant and cover both cakes. Gently place the bottom cake on the board, insert 4 bamboo skewers and trim to size. Place the smaller cake with the drum on top. If needed, add a bit of buttercream between layers to prevent sliding. Roll out black fondant into a long strip and use the multi-ribbon cutter to make wide bands to glue around the edges of the cakes. Also cut the smallest hearts from very thinly rolled black fondant. Roll out pink fondant thinly and cut out circles, save some fondant for the ribbon strips of the bow. Glue the circles and hearts onto the cake. Then cut the ribbon strips of the bow with the lace mat. Put a bit of royal icing in a piping bag and glue the bow, its loops, and the panda onto/against the cake.