Wishing Well Cake
Difficulty
Medium
Prep time
30 minutes
Total time
3 hours
Yield
8 servings
Ingredients
- (2) 6” yellow cakes (made with boxed cake mix)
- 1 batch Italian Meringue Buttercream: 4 egg whites, 1 ⅓ cups granulated sugar, ⅓ cup water, 16oz unsalted butter (cubed at room temperature), 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 6 packaged rice cereal treats
- 1 party hat
- 4 pastel orange boba straws
- ½ cup red candy melts, melted
- Green fondant, as needed
- 1 tbsp purple luster paint
- 8 fresh chamomile flowers
Instructions
- First make Italian meringue buttercream. Beat egg whites on medium speed.
- Meanwhile, heat sugar and water until syrup reaches 240F.
- Increase mixer speed to high. Drizzle sugar syrup into the beating meringue.
- Run the mixer until meringue is cool.
- Whip in butter a little at a time. Mix until fully incorporated, fluffy, and white. Add in vanilla extract. Color gray with a touch of black food coloring and a touch of yellow food coloring (for a bit of warmth). Set aside.
- Cut off tops of yellow cakes. Then cut in half. You should 4 even cake layers. Cut a 2.5” circle in the center from 3 of the layers (this will form the hole in the well).
- Ice solid round base cake with buttercream, and layer on ring of cake. Alternate with buttercream and cake until you reach the top. Then frost the entire cake with gray buttercream. Using an icing comb with round ridges scrape the side of the cake until even ridges are formed. Freeze for 30 minutes-1 hour until buttercream is firm.
- Scrape organic looking stone shapes into the side of the cake and top of the cake as well. Place back into the fridge while we work on the roof.
- Line the party hat with parchment paper, and press rice cereal treats into it until a solid cone is formed. Place a small round cake board on the base of the cone. Set aside.
- Insert 4 boba straws into the well cake base. Fill with melted red coating chocolate. Place the cone with board above the straws while the chocolate is still wet to firmly adhere. Allow the chocolate set completely. Ice cone with buttercream to create a smooth tacky surface for fondant.
- Roll green fondant to ⅛” in thickness and cut out 1” diameter circles from it. Cut circles in half to form semi circles. Layer the semi circles carefully onto the cone to emulate the shingles of the roof.
- Paint green shingles with purple luster.
- With ropes of green fondant twist into vines going down the poles and walls of the well. Add chamomile flowers to vines to make them look like they’re blooming.
