3D Rowlet Cake

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Prepare your cake pan (20 cm) and two half sphere cake pans (15,2 cm) by brushing the inside of the pans with butter and lining them with baking paper.
3. Divide ¾ of the total amount of chocolate cake batter between the two half sphere cake pans evenly. Pour the rest of the batter into the cake pan.
4. Bake the round cake for 15 to 25 minutes. Bake the half sphere cakes for 30 to 40 minutes.
5. Let them cool completely.
6. Level the cakes with a serrated knife, place a half sphere cake pan on top of the round cake to trim it to the right size.
7. Trim a small amount off of the rounded top of one of the half sphere cakes, to flatten it.
8. Place some chocolate ganache on a cake board and place the trimmed half sphere cake, flat side down, on it.
9. Brush the cake with some simple syrup and let it soak in.
10. Pipe or spread some chocolate ganache on top of the cake and then add the round cake on top.
11. Brush the round cake with some simple syrup and let it soak in, then pipe or spread another layer of chocolate ganache on top and add the sphere cake on top.
12. Cover the entire cake in chocolate ganache, spreading it using a palette knife and smoothing it out with some acetate.
13. Refrigerate the cake while you roll out the white fondant, using a small amount of powdered sugar, to about 0,3 cm to 0,5 cm thick, making sure the diameter of the fondant is bigger than the circumference and height of your cake.
14. Place the rolled out white fondant over your rolling pin to lift it and drape it over your cake.
15. Smooth down the fondant gently, making sure there are no folds, and cut off any excess.
16. Use about 60 grams of the green fondant to create Rowlet's tail feather, using fondant modelling tools and your fingers. Attach it to the cake using a little bit of water and a small brush.
17. Use about 30 grams of the green fondant to create Rowlet's bowtie, using fondant modelling tools and your fingers. Place it in the freezer.
18. Use about 40 grams of the orange fondant to create Rowlet's paws, using fondant modelling tools and your fingers. Attach them to the cake.
19. Create the padding for the wings using some, but not all, of the leftover white fondant. Attach them to the cake using a little bit of water and a small brush.
20. Roll out the brown fondant, using a small amount of powdered sugar, to about 0,3 cm to 0,5 cm thick, making sure the diameter of the fondant is bigger than the circumference and height of your cake.
21. Place the rolled out brown fondant over your rolling pin to lift it and drape it over your cake.
22. Smooth down the fondant gently, making sure there are no folds, and cut off any excess.
23. Use a round cookie cutter to gently remove part of the brown fondant where Rowlet's face will be.
24. Create the beak out of orange and white fondant and attach it.
25. Use black and white fondant to create Rowlet's eyes and attach them.
26. Remove the bowtie from the freezer and cut the back so it's flattened. Attach it to the cake.