Pokémon Love Ball Cake
Pokémon Love Ball Cake made with a homemade Strawberry Cake covered in a chocolate ganache.
Makes one 6-inch sphere cake
Things you'll need
Strawberry Cake- 1 1/2 stick (6 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon strawberry extract
- 2 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tablespoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 1/2 cup freeze-dried strawberry powder
- 3 drops pink food color
- 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Fondant: white, dark pink, light pink and black
- Two 6-inch sphere cake pans
- Two 8" cake boards
- One 10" cake board
- Offset spatula
- Wooden skewer
- Heart cooke cutter: 3"
- Circle cookie cutters: 2 1/4", 1 1/2", 1"
- Candy thermometer
Let's get started!
- Preheat oven to 325F. Grease and line the 6-inch sphere pans with parchment.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and freeze-dried strawberry powder.
- Using a stand mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, strawberry extract and 3 drops of pink food color until very light and fluffy, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Add both eggs to butter mixture and mix partially.
- Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk in three additions, starting and ending with the flour. Do not over mix.
- Pour the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool completely.
- Using a serrated knife, cut the tops off the cakes level with the cake pan.
- Flip each cake flat side down onto an 8" cake board.
Time to Decorate!
- Make the ganache: Place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the cream until it reaches 170F, then pour it over the chocolate. Whisk until completely combined. Let sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours until thick enough to spread.
- Ice both cakes with the ganache using an offset spatula and a bendable cake scraper until completely smooth. Chill cakes in refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Once chilled, smooth any remaining bumps or ridges with a hot spatula (dip spatula in hot water and wipe with a dry towel to warm).
- Roll out white fondant to 1/4" thick and cover one of the cakes. Cut off excess fondant with a sharp cutting knife. Cut a 1/4" strip all around the bottom of the cake, exposing the ganache underneath.
- Repeat the same covering process on the second cake with the dark pink fondant. Cut a 1/4" strip around the bottom of the cake, exposing the ganache.
- Flip the white cake upside down into the 10" cake board. remove the 8" cake board. Insert a skewer into the center of the cake as support.
- Spread a small amount of ganache over the exposed cake. Place the dark pink cake on top, lining it up to make a sphere. Smooth exposed ganache sides with an offset spatula.
- Roll a strip of black fondant to 21 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Place the strip around the center of the cake on the exposed ganache.
- Heart: Roll out the light pink fondant. Using a heart cookie cutter, cut a heart and attach it to the upper dark pink cake using water as an adhesive.
- Roll out a small amount of white fondant and cut strips 1/4" wide. Place strips around the heart and place a small white oval shape in the center.
- Button: Using a 2 1/4" round cookie cutter, cut out a circle in the front middle of the cake. Remove any fondant on the inside of the circle, exposing the ganache underneath.
- Roll out a small piece of black fondant and cut out a circle with the 2 1/4" inch circle cutter. Place the black fondant circle on the exposed fondant.
- Roll out the white fondant. Cut out a 1 1/2" circle and 1" circle. Attach them using water an an adhesive to the black circle to make a button.
- Optional: Using an even mixture of corn syrup and water, brush the whole 10" cake board. Roll out a 12-inch circle of black fondant and cover the cake board. Trim off excess. Using a non-toxic glue, spread glue around edge of the board and attach the black ribbon.
Written By Rosanna Pansino
