I made a cake decorated like a present for Christmas, and it turned out fantastic! Here's the recipe!
The cake was a chocolate cake with two layers and chocolate buttercream, decorated with fondant.
Chocolate Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl mix together 1 3/4 cups flour (any kind), 2 cups sugar, 3/4 cup cocoa powder, and 1 1/2 teaspoons each of baking powder and baking soda. Next, whisk in 1 cup milk, 1/2 vegetable oil, 2 eggs, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. If the batter is thick, add in a little more milk. Pour the batter into a 9x13 or two 8x8 pans lined with parchment paper (this will come in very handy later). Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out dry. Let cool completely.
Chocolate Buttercream:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat together 1/2 cup (1 stick) of melted butter and 2/3 cup cocoa powder. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 3 cups of powdered sugar to the mixture. The mixture should be crumbly. Then, add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, so the frosting is smooth and spreadable, but doesn't drip off of the attachment when held up. Cover the frosting bowl with plastic wrap until you use it.
Fondant:
I used packaged fondant from the store, and used the color yellow, although you can use any color you want. Take a small piece of fondant and roll it into a 4 inch strip. Cut the sides off so it is one inch wide. Then, cut the ends so it makes a triangle shape point. Fold one end over so it touches the other side and seal it with water. Set the fondant aside to dry. Repeat these steps. You'll need about 7-8 pieces to make a bow. Next, roll out 2 long strips with about a 2 inch width. The strips should be about 20 inches long, or enough to drape over the cake like a ribbon.
Assembling the Cake:
Flip your cake or one of your 8x8 cakes onto a tray. Carefully peel off the parchment paper. If you are using a 9x13 cake cut it in half as evenly as possible. Spread the frosting on the top of one cake or piece of cake, depending on which size you used.Then, stack the other cake/piece of cake on top of the frosting. Next, cover the entire cake in frosting. After that, drape one fondant strip over the cake for a ribbon. Put the other strip on the same way on the opposite side. Then, fit the pieces of the bow together in the middle of the cake where the 2 ribbons overlap. I used a mixture of confectioners sugar and water for glue to make the bow stick. You have now made a beautiful and delicious present cake! Remember to take a picture, and then dig in!
