I am getting old and forgetful.
I am.
OR how else can I possibly have forgotten to post about this cake?
I made this cake for my son's 8th. Birthday, last year.
We planned and discussed it in great detail.
We kept it under wraps, a surprise for our guests!
Last year S wanted a Volcano Cake. The idea had a firm grip on our minds and we could not think beyond it.
He wanted a chocolate overload.
I agreed.
The cake was chocolate, with chocolate filling and ganache frosting. If that isn't an overload, I don't know what is!
There are tutorials on YouTube for making volcano cake. I looked at all those and finally made mine.
For the Ganache, here are some links for you to follow
Ganache 101 (Martha Stewart)
Natasha's Kitchen
Milk Chocolate Ganache ( I am Baker)
White Chocolate Ganache
For the cake, I made
1 x 10 inch cake as the base
4 x 6 inch cakes for the mountain
Milk chocolate ganache to use as a filling and Dark chocolate ganache to frost the cake.
White chocolate ganache to make the 'lava'.
You will also need:
To begin : Prepare the ganache. This can be made a few days in advance and stored in airtight containers in the fridge.
To prep the cake:
Chill the prepared cakes in the fridge
If you like, you can fill the large cake with frosting, slice the cake in to 2, horizontally and spread ganache between the layers and chill in the fridge.
You can also do the same with the smaller cakes.
The frosting between the layers can be different. Some options are:
While the cakes are chilling, prepare the 'lava' using white chocolate ganache and color it. Set aside.
To begin, put a dab of frosting on the cake board and place the 10 inch cake on it.
Frost it using the prepared Ganache
On a baking sheet or tray, layer the 6 inch cakes one on top of the other gluing each cake with the help of ganache to the other.
Cut a small circle using the cookie cutter or knife on 2 of the top layer cake. the circle should be the size of the cup you will place inside it to hold the dry ice. Frost around the circle so the crumbs do not go everywhere.
Trim them using a sharp serrated knife to make a mountain shape. Keep it a bit rough, like a mountain is, you do not need to be perfect.
Crumb coat the cake with a thin layer of ganache to seal in all the crumbs and chill for about 30 mins.
Now apply a generous layer of ganache on the mountain and spread it as evenly as possible on the surface to cover every inch. Smooth the cake gently, since there are a few uneven surfaces, be careful, you want to preserve the 'rocky' look.
Spoon some 'red lava' ganache in tot he circle that you have cut out and then drizzle some over the sides to mimic lava pouring out.
Gently place the plastic cup/ tea light holder into the cavity and press it down very gently so that it is snug and does not show up on top.
Fill a frosting bag with the green icing and fit it with a Wilton tip 233 (Grass tip).
Pipe grass all around the base (on the 10 inch cake) and then use any accessories you want. Pipe some grass around the accessories to hide the flat base.
If you plan to use any figurines ( action figures or mini dinosaurs, dab a spot of ganache to the bottom of the figures, on their feet and stick them on the cake board or on the cake).
Pin It
I am.
OR how else can I possibly have forgotten to post about this cake?
I made this cake for my son's 8th. Birthday, last year.
We planned and discussed it in great detail.
We kept it under wraps, a surprise for our guests!
Last year S wanted a Volcano Cake. The idea had a firm grip on our minds and we could not think beyond it.
He wanted a chocolate overload.
I agreed.
The cake was chocolate, with chocolate filling and ganache frosting. If that isn't an overload, I don't know what is!
There are tutorials on YouTube for making volcano cake. I looked at all those and finally made mine.
For the Ganache, here are some links for you to follow
Ganache 101 (Martha Stewart)
Natasha's Kitchen
Milk Chocolate Ganache ( I am Baker)
White Chocolate Ganache
For the cake, I made
1 x 10 inch cake as the base
4 x 6 inch cakes for the mountain
Milk chocolate ganache to use as a filling and Dark chocolate ganache to frost the cake.
White chocolate ganache to make the 'lava'.
You will also need:
- A cake board
- Decorations ( trees and mini dinosaurs etc.)
- One small plastic/ glass cup to fit into the mouth of the mountain (I used a tea light holder)
- Dry Ice (Handling and Storing Dry Ice)
- Tongs
- Water
- Sharp serrated knife ( to trim the cake)
- [OPTIONAL] Cookie Cutter: round ( to make the 'mouth' of the volcano, size similar to the cup you plan on using). If you don't have a cookie cutter, use the knife.
- 1/2- 3/4 cup white butter cream or whipped cream frosting (colored green to make grass at the mountain base)
To begin : Prepare the ganache. This can be made a few days in advance and stored in airtight containers in the fridge.
To prep the cake:
Chill the prepared cakes in the fridge
If you like, you can fill the large cake with frosting, slice the cake in to 2, horizontally and spread ganache between the layers and chill in the fridge.
You can also do the same with the smaller cakes.
The frosting between the layers can be different. Some options are:
- Nutella
- Ganache
- Whipped cream (you can use store brought Cool Whip )
- Butter cream frosting (vanilla or chocolate)
While the cakes are chilling, prepare the 'lava' using white chocolate ganache and color it. Set aside.
To begin, put a dab of frosting on the cake board and place the 10 inch cake on it.
Frost it using the prepared Ganache
On a baking sheet or tray, layer the 6 inch cakes one on top of the other gluing each cake with the help of ganache to the other.
Cut a small circle using the cookie cutter or knife on 2 of the top layer cake. the circle should be the size of the cup you will place inside it to hold the dry ice. Frost around the circle so the crumbs do not go everywhere.
Trim them using a sharp serrated knife to make a mountain shape. Keep it a bit rough, like a mountain is, you do not need to be perfect.
Crumb coat the cake with a thin layer of ganache to seal in all the crumbs and chill for about 30 mins.
Now apply a generous layer of ganache on the mountain and spread it as evenly as possible on the surface to cover every inch. Smooth the cake gently, since there are a few uneven surfaces, be careful, you want to preserve the 'rocky' look.
Spoon some 'red lava' ganache in tot he circle that you have cut out and then drizzle some over the sides to mimic lava pouring out.
Gently place the plastic cup/ tea light holder into the cavity and press it down very gently so that it is snug and does not show up on top.
Fill a frosting bag with the green icing and fit it with a Wilton tip 233 (Grass tip).
Pipe grass all around the base (on the 10 inch cake) and then use any accessories you want. Pipe some grass around the accessories to hide the flat base.
If you plan to use any figurines ( action figures or mini dinosaurs, dab a spot of ganache to the bottom of the figures, on their feet and stick them on the cake board or on the cake).
 |
| From left to right : Tea light holder to place dry ice, dry ice in the cup, pour water gently on the dry ice to make it smoke |
Before you cut the cake:
Chill the cake in the fridge. If it's an outdoor party, the cake will come to room temperature by the time you cut it.
To make the volcano erupt, using a pair of tongs, carefully place a couple of pieces of dry ice in the plastic/tea light holder in the mountain.
Make sure that you do not touch the dry ice. It is also a good idea to make sure that there are no kids around you at this time. Curiosity can be a terrible thing in this case. you don't want any child getting burns and upsetting the entire party.
To make the volcano smoke, pour water gently on the dry ice and it will immediately start 'erupting'!
It is just so much fun to watch the children and adults enjoying this volcanic eruption!
My son loved the attention his cake got and he made sure that everyone understood that the cake idea was his and he told me exactly what he wanted!
Enjoy the applause and the cake!
We are now working on this years cake! Stay tuned.
2 comments:
Hi. It looks good, and I’m sure it tastes even better. But I didn’t understand completely what tools have you used to cook it (mixer, baking dish, whisk, etc)? I’ll be very grateful for respond.
Hi Katryn,
Here is what I use:
Stand mixer (paddle attachment) to make the cake mix and the frosting as well.
Baking dish : this is any baking pan you have at home. I used the regular Wilton brand
Whisk: any whisk ( found in any store) is fine.
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