Off With Their Heads (Cheshire)!!! Cake

A Wonderland-Inspired Creation

This tutorial guides you through creating a unique 'Off With Their Heads (Cheshire)!!!' cake, inspired by the whimsical and slightly mad world of Alice in Wonderland. The cake tells a story: the Queen of Hearts has gone mad, and even the Cheshire Cat has been transformed into a cake, bleeding at the touch of an axe.

The creator, Vicky, shares her passion for baking and her love for Alice's adventures, using new tools to bring this imaginative concept to life. The result is an insanely sweet and delicious cake with a creepy story, perfect for those who enjoy a touch of the fantastical.

Step 1: Making the Cheshire Cake Batter

This step focuses on creating the base cake with a distinctive zebra effect, mimicking the Cheshire Cat's stripes.

Ingredients:

• 300g all-purpose flour
• 6 egg whites (pasteurized or powder; if powder, reconstitute first)
• Vinegar or a pinch of cream of tartar (to stabilize egg whites)
• 400g white sugar or icing sugar
• 15g (1 pack) baking powder
• Red/pink food colouring
• Blue/purple food colouring
• Optional: flavouring of choice

Required Equipment: Whisk, medium-sized bowls, circular cake mold.

Preparation Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (360°F) with fan.
2. In a bowl, whisk egg whites with vinegar or cream of tartar on low speed for 1 minute, then increase to medium speed until stiff peaks form.
3. Gradually add sugar, a tablespoon at a time, whisking until the mixture is stiff and glossy, resembling meringue or royal icing consistency. Add optional flavouring now.
4. In another bowl, mix flour and baking powder. Gradually add this dry mixture to the egg whites, a tablespoon at a time, folding gently to maintain volume until homogeneous.
5. Divide the batter in half. Dye one half pink (using red food colouring) and the other half purple (using a mix of red and blue food colouring).
6. Prepare a 25 cm diameter circular cake mold by greasing it. To create the zebra effect, place one spoonful of purple batter in the center, then one spoonful of pink batter directly over it. Repeat this alternating process until all batter is used, forming concentric circles.
7. Bake for at least 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Check for doneness every 10 minutes after the initial 35 minutes.
8. Once baked, let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Loosen the edges with a knife and invert onto the rack to cool completely.
9. Once fully cooled, shape the cake as desired. A flat domed shape is suggested for this design.

The resulting cake will have a striking zebra pattern, a visual prelude to the Cheshire Cat's iconic stripes.

Step 2: Filling and Icing the Cake

This section covers preparing the buttercream and frosting the cake, creating a two-toned effect.

Ingredients (Buttercream):

• 300g butter, at room temperature
• 200-300g icing sugar
• Blue food colouring
• Optional: flavouring of choice

Preparation Procedure:

1. Beat butter in a large or medium bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
2. Gradually beat in icing sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until desired hardness is reached and fully incorporated. Add flavouring if using.
3. If the buttercream is too thick, thin it by adding 1 tablespoon of milk at a time until the desired consistency is achieved.
4. Divide the buttercream into two portions. Dye one half blue (to a teal shade) and leave the other half natural. Place each portion into separate piping bags.
5. Horizontally slice the cooled cake into two layers. The inside of the cake can be painted with a little jam for added flavor.
6. Use the natural (uncolored) buttercream to fill the cake layers, spreading it evenly with a spatula. Place the second cake layer on top.
7. Cover the entire cake with the natural buttercream, ensuring a smooth finish on all surfaces and edges. Chill the cake for 15 minutes.
8. Once the natural buttercream is set, apply the blue tinted buttercream to the sides of the cake. Chill for another 10 minutes. Apply a second layer of blue buttercream to the sides and the domed top surface, leaving the very top flat with the natural colored buttercream.
9. Chill the cake for 30 minutes.

The cake will have a base layer of natural buttercream with striking blue accents on the sides.

Step 3: Making the Flowers

This step involves creating decorative buttercream flowers using specialized piping nozzles.

Materials:

• Leftover natural buttercream (or prepare more, slightly firmer than before)
• Food dyes: Purple, Pink, Green (dark and light), Yellow, Orange, Blue
• Set of Russian Nozzles (or similar decorative piping tips)
• Parchment paper

Procedure:

1. Prepare piping bags by "painting" the inside walls with one color of buttercream, then filling the rest of the bag with another color. This creates two-toned, more realistic flowers. Examples:
   • Purple and Blue flowers: Purple inside, Blue outside.
   • Purple and Pink flowers: Purple inside, Pink outside.
   • Yellow and Orange flowers: Orange inside, Yellow outside.
   • Green leaves: Dark green inside, Light green outside.
2. Place a nozzle into each of the four prepared piping bags.
3. On a flat surface covered with parchment paper, pipe the flowers and leaves. Making them separately is recommended for easier placement.
4. Chill the piped flowers and leaves for at least 30 minutes to harden.

This process yields a variety of colorful, intricate buttercream flowers and leaves, ready for cake assembly.

Step 4: Creating the Characters

This section details how to craft the fondant figures that will adorn the cake: the Hookah-Smoking Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat's Tail, Toadstools, and the Heart-Shaped Axe.

Materials:

• Fondant: Pink and purple (for tail), Red and white (for toadstools), Blue (light and dark), white, black, pink (for caterpillar), Grey and brown (for axe)
• Edible pigments: Bronze, gold (for hookah), silver (for axe)
• Toothpicks, raw spaghetti, or CMC (for hardening fondant)

The Hookah-Smoking Caterpillar:

1. Using a reference image, create a body from dark and light blue fondant cylinders. Cut a 2.5 cm section for the head. Shape the body into segmented sections with rounded edges.
2. Make tiny pink fondant cones for leg details and attach them to the body.
3. Bend the body to achieve a natural pose and let it dry.
4. Shape the head from the 2.5 cm section, adding dark blue for a 'toupee', light blue for cheeks and nose, and sculpting a mouth.
5. Attach white and black fondant eyes and two pointy black fondant cylinders for brows. Let the head harden with the body.
6. For the hookah: Roll three brown fondant balls. Flatten two and shape one into a cone. Glue them together. Create an 'S'-shaped brown fondant piece for the stem and attach it. Paint the hookah with bronze and gold edible pigments.

The Cheshire Cat Tail:

1. Roll two cylinders of purple and pink fondant. Cut them into tiny sections and alternate them (pink, purple, pink, purple), making the end sections slightly bigger. Roll the assemblage into a homogeneous cylinder and let it dry.

The Toadstools:

1. Create a wide, short white fondant cylinder for the toadstool 'foot', flattening the top and bottom.
2. Roll a large red fondant ball, cut it in half, and flatten one half to form the toadstool head. Decorate with tiny white fondant balls.
3. Flatten white fondant to 2mm thickness, cut a circle, and add lines with a sculpting tool. Glue this to the red toadstool head.
4. Insert a toothpick into the 'foot' and attach the head on top with water for adhesion.

The Heart-Shaped Axe:

1. Roll grey fondant into a 3mm thick layer and cut out a heart shape for the axe head.
2. Flatten the 'sharp' edge of the axe head and paint it with silver edible pigment.
3. Roll a brown fondant cylinder, insert toothpicks for stability, and make a small cut on the top edge. Attach the heart-shaped axe head to this cylinder.

These meticulously crafted fondant figures will bring the cake's narrative to life.

Step 5: Assembling the Cake!

This is where all the elements come together to create the final, visually stunning cake.

Assembly Steps:

1. Place the two toadstools on the top flat part of the cake, positioned together to represent the Caterpillar's head falling from the larger to the smaller one.
2. Attach the Cheshire Cat tail to the side of the cake with a toothpick, bending it to rest on the top surface.
3. Lay the caterpillar body on its side on top of the tallest toadstool, and its head on the smallest toadstool.
4. Place the Caterpillar Hookah on the biggest toadstool, next to the caterpillar body, and attach it with a toothpick and water.
5. Using the reserved blue buttercream, decorate the sides of the cake with filigree or other patterns using a piping nozzle.
6. Carefully remove the hardened buttercream flowers and leaves from the parchment paper and arrange them on the domed/inclined part of the cake.
7. Pipe green buttercream leaves between the flowers, at the bottom of the toadstools, and around the cat tail for a lush, forest-like appearance.

The cake is now assembled, resembling a vibrant, fantastical scene from Wonderland.

Step 6: Blood and Final Touches

The final step adds a dramatic, thematic touch with edible 'blood' and the axe.

Ingredients for 'Blood':

• 200g white sugar
• 60ml water

Procedure:

1. Combine sugar and water in a saucepan and stir until sugar dissolves.
2. Heat until it reaches a golden color, then remove from heat.
3. Split the sugar mixture into portions. Tint them with various colors (e.g., half blue, half purple-burgundy) to create different shades of 'blood'.
4. Let the mixture cool completely. It should have a plastic, gloopy texture suitable for creating blood pools.
5. Using a sculpting tool, take some blue 'blood' and paint the 'neck' area of the caterpillar, making it appear messy. Add some inside its mouth for a dramatic effect.
6. Use the purple-burgundy 'blood' to create a heart-shaped pool in the center of the cake.
7. Carefully stab the cake with the heart-shaped axe, pushing it into the center. Toothpicks can be used for added stability if needed.
8. Sprinkle edible glitter on the blood pool for a magical touch, befitting the Cheshire Cat.

The cake is now complete and ready to be enjoyed!

Enjoy Your Creation!

Congratulations on completing your 'Off With Their Heads (Cheshire)!!!' cake! This tutorial aimed to provide a fun and creative baking experience. The creator hopes you enjoyed this project and encourages you to ask any questions.