Cake Rescue

Creative people often visualize their creations before they begin making it. However, without experience, the final outcome frequently fails to match up with their initial vision. Does this mean they should stop creating? Certainly not. It is only through practice and experimentation with the chosen medium, in this case cake and frosting, that they will get better.
Having someone more experienced there, while you practice, to answer your questions and give you encouragement will greatly speed up your learning.

Friends can call me and I love being able to go over and help them in person. Cake rescue videos are the advice I would give if I had the opportunity to step into these peoples lives and help them out. Let’s make some cake together.

To make the Remy Cake you will need

The 3D cake Template

Buy$5.99

Double quantity of my Vanilla Buttercream Recipe
600g (21.16 ounces) chocolate for the spoon (if you are using real chocolate make sure you temper it)
a brand new comb for making the spoon
750g (26.46 ounces) white fondant for the hat, eyes and teeth
750g (26.46 ounces) white fondant coloured bluey, grey for the body (blue and black gel food colouring)
500g (17.64 ounces) modelling chocolate coloured pinky apricot for the tail, nose and hands. I used this for the ears too but I suggest making them out of fondant instead so that they hold their shape without having to be stuck to the hat.
20g (0.71 ounces) black fondant for the eyes
20 g (0.71 ounces) white fondant coloured brown for the eyes
Square wooden cake board 25.5cm (10.04 inches) with 1cm (0.39 inches) wooden cubes for feet. You need feet to allow room for the bolt under the board. Cover in foil
30cm (11.81 inches) threaded metal support rod with 8 bolts and 3 washers.
And the ingredients for the chocolate cake and ganache, recipes below.

Chocolate Cake:
450g (15.87 ounces) of 70% cocoa dark chocolate
710g (25.04 ounces) or 3 cups margarine
18 eggs
5 cups or 1090g (38.45 ounces) caster (super fine) sugar
2 3/4 cups or 450g (15.87 ounces) plain flour (use GF flour if coeliac, this recipe has been tested with gluten free flour and works well)
70g (2.47 ounces) or 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
3 tsp baking powder

Preheat the oven to 180C (356 degrees Fahrenheit). Place chocolate and margarine into a bowl.
Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave (1 minute, stir, 30 seconds, stir, 30 sec, stir…).
Whisk in the sugar and eggs into the chocolate mixture.
Sift flour, cocoa powder and baking powder together and mix into cake mixture until just combined.
Pour into 3 lined baking trays, my cake tins are 38cm (14.96 inches) x 25.4cm (10 inches).
Bake for 15 minutes. Insert a knife into the centre, to check if it is done, if it is ready it will come out clean.

1. Print and cut out the template
2. Make the cake board and supports, top support need to be made from wood for this cake.
3. Make the ears and eyes from fondant. These can be done up to a month ahead.
4. Make ganache and leave to cool at room temperature
5. Bake your cakes and leave to cool completely
6. Make your buttercream.
7. Cut out the cake layers and stack up with the supports. Each support should have a bolt, a washer, the support (usually made from stiff carboard covered in foil), and top with another bolt to hold it firmly in place.
8. Using the template cut to shape from the back angle and from the side. Then hand carve a tiny bit off between Remy’s eyes and on the corner edges of the body and face to round them out.
9. Cover the whole thing in buttercream and smooth it out using a sheet of acetate curved around one side at a time. Fondant doesn’t hide mistakes in the buttercream, rather it shows them up, so take your time.  Once you’re happy with it refrigerate for several hours.

10. Cover the cake in fondant as shown in the video, cover it with a light spray of cooking oil and plastic food wrap, to keep it moist, until you are ready to add fur texture to that section.

11. Add the fondant details
12. Make the spoon out of chocolate as shown in the video.

13. Make the whiskers, use super fine spaghetti and dip just the ends into hot water to allow them to curl slightly.
14. Take a photo and then enjoy.

Ganache Recipe

360g (12.7 ounces) milk chocolate (any brand that has cocoa butter as the ingredient, not vegetable fat)
130mL (4.4 fluid ounces) cream (30% fat)
Break up the chocolate and place it into a bowl with the cream.
Microwave for 1 minute, stir, 30 seconds, stir with a whisk, 30 seconds stir… until melted. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave it on the counter to cool. Once cooled whip with electric mixers. Note if it is too stiff to spread take a spoonful of ganache and, in a separate, bowl microwave for 15 seconds. Add this small amount of warmed ganache back in with the rest of the ganache.

Pumpkin Cake Recipe

110g (3.88 ounces) margarine, melted
150g (5.29 ounces) brown sugar
2 eggs
plus 2 extra egg yolks
370g (13.05 ounces) butternut pumpkin, grated.
80g (2.82 ounces) sour cream
100g (3.53 ounces) walnuts
250 g (8.82 ounces) plain flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat the oven to 180C (356 degrees Fahrenheit). Place the margarine, sugar, sugar, eggs, yolks, pumpkin and sour cream into a bowl and mix well. Add the flour, spices and baking powder and stir until just combined. Pour into a lined loaf tin and bake for 70 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Best sliced and served hot. This pumpkin cake is delicious.

My Cookbook

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All recipe quantities in the book are in grams, ounces and cups.