Arthur’s cake (or the weirdest Mickey Mouse you've ever seen)

We went to Joao’s nephew’s birthday party a while ago and I was responsible for baking the cake.
After finishing the cake I decided I was NOT going to post it – that Mickey Mouse looked so weird…
After hearing all the guests’ comments at the end of the party, I changed my mind. J

I used store-bought rolled fondant to make Mickey Mouse.

The cake and sugar syrup recipes I got from the teacher I took two cake decorating classes with.
It’s not a decadent and rich cake – in my opinion, its simplicity makes it perfect to be paired with many types of fillings and icings.

The filling is a very traditional candy here in Brazil called beijinho – made with coconut and condensed milk and rolled in ball shape, it is a big hit in birthday parties. This is a creamier version of it.

The glaze was taken from here – let it dry completely before adding the rolled fondant decorations (I was short on time and skipped this, but this is important advice).

Arthur’s cake

Cake:
5 eggs
200g caster sugar
230g all purpose flour
50g cocoa powder
200ml hot milk
1 heaped tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling:
1 can sweetened condensed milk (395g)
50g unsweetened desiccated coconut
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons milk

Sugar syrup:
50g caster sugar
240ml water
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Hard chocolate glaze:
115g unsalted butter, softened
280g dark chocolate, chopped

For the cake:
Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Grease and flour 3 round cake pans, 20cm each.
Sift the flour and the cocoa powder and set aside.
Beat the eggs and the vanilla extract until they double in volume. Add the sugar and beat well.
Start adding the dry ingredients and the milk and beat well.
Gently fold the baking powder, pour into prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the cakes come away from the sides of the pans. If you prefer, test with a skewer – if it comes out clean, the cakes are ready.
Cool in the pans.

For the filling:
Mix the condensed milk, the coconut and butter in a small saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly – when the bottom of the pan starts to show, remove from heat, pour in a greased plate and set aside to cool.
When you are ready to fill the cake, add the milk and beat well so you’ll have a runnier consistency.

For the sugar syrup:
Mix sugar and water in a small saucepan and cook over high heat. When it boils, remove from heat and add the vanilla extract. Set aside to cool.

For the glaze:
Place chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over gently simmering water and melt. Mix well to combine.
Use immediately because it hardens pretty fast.

Assembling the cake:
Place one cake in a plate and brush it lightly with the syrup. Spread half the filling. Place another cake on top, brush it lightly with the syrup and spread the remaining filling. Top with the last cake and brush it with syrup, too.
Chill the cake for a couple of hours to make icing easier.
Prepare the glaze and spread on the cake evenly, using a spatula. Let it harden.
You can smooth the icing again: dip a palette knife into hot water, dry it quickly with a tea towel and run it around the cake.
Let it harden again before placing

Serves 16-18.

Make Mickey:

Roll out a sausage of black rolled fondant, fold it in half and cut into equal lengths for the legs. Place them on the cake.Roll two small balls of yellow rolled fondant and then give them an egg shape - they're the shoes. Stick them to the legs using a tiny drop of water. Press them lightly with the back of a small knife, marking the heels - that will make them more attached to the legs, too.

Using red rolled fondant, make a square - you'll make the shorts, now. Cut half the square in order to separate the legs. Fold it a little and stick it to the legs.
Make two small holes with a toothpick and brush it really lightly with water. Make 2 tiny balls with yellow rolled fondant and stick them to the holes, making buttons.

Roll black rolled fondant into a ball and then into an egg shape. Stick it to the shorts using a little water.
To hold everything together, insert a barbecue skewer and sink it until the end of the cake, touching the plate. Cut off the excess leaving a bit to hold the head.
Roll out another sausage of black rolled fondant, this time a little thinner, fold it in half and cut into equal lengths for the arms. Stick them to the body.
Grab two small amounts of white rolled fondant and roll into two ball shapes - these will be the gloves. Flatten them down a little, mark the fingers using a small knife and stick them to the arms.

Don't forget Mickey's tail! :)

For the head, roll a ball of peach rolled fondant and set aside. Roll a black portion of rolled fondant thinly and cover half the peach ball with it, making the back of Mickey's head. Finish the details around the face with a small brush and black paste food coloring - this is difficult, I must confess. :)
Roll some white rolled fondant into two very small balls, then into egg shapes, flatten them a little and stick to the face to make the eyes. Finish them by sticking to tiny black balls.
Make 2 balls with black rolled fondant, flatten them a little to form the ears. Stick them to the head - I secured them with toothpicks to hold them firmer.
Make a tiny black ball and stick to the face to make the nose.
With a small knife, make Mickey's mouth. Paint it on the inside with a small brush and paste food coloring.