Fault Line Cake Recipes

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottom and sides of three 6-inch cake pans with cooking spray or butter. Line each with a 6-inch parchment round, spray with cooking spray and dust with flour.
• Place the cake mix, water, oil and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Increase the speed to medium for 2 minutes. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
• For the buttercream: Beat the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the confectioners' sugar and milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, alternating between the two until no lumps remain. Add the vanilla and salt and mix until incorporated.
• Put 1 cup of the buttercream in 2 separate bowls and transfer the remaining buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip or a ziptop bag with the tip cut off.
• Add 2 to 3 drops of the purple food coloring gel to the first bowl and stir to completely combine. Add 3 to 4 drops of the purple food coloring gel to the second bowl and stir to completely combine. Transfer the colored buttercreams to 2 piping bags fitted with a large tip or a ziptop bag with the tip cut off.
• Place the first cake layer on a 6-inch cardboard round and place on a rotating cake stand. Pipe a layer of about 1/2 cup buttercream on top and use an offset spatula to spread into an even layer. Place the second cake layer on top of the buttercream and pipe another 1/2 cup buttercream on top. Spread into an even layer, then top with the third cake layer.
• To apply a crumb coat, pipe about 2 cups buttercream on the top and sides of the cake and use an offset spatula or bench scraper to make smooth. Remove excess buttercream and scrape into a bowl. Transfer the cake to the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes.
• Remove the chilled cake from the refrigerator. Pipe about 2 tablespoons buttercream onto the center of a 12-inch cake drum or plate; this will help hold the cake in place while you frost. Place the cake drum on a rotating cake stand. Place the cake on top of the buttercream.
• Pipe an outline of your fault line with buttercream on the top and bottom of your cake, leaving a large portion of the stripes still visible. Fill in the outline with more buttercream. Smooth with a bench scraper. Smooth the top or leave a textured edge. Chill in the fridge for another 30 minutes.
• Paint the edges of the fault line with edible metallic paint.

Steps:

• Place the cake on your cake board in the center of a turntable cake stand. Using your hands, press the crumbs into the side of the cake in a strip around the center of the cake. Create a horizontal strip of crumbs around the center of the side of the cake.
• Place your chocolate icing in a piping bag and cut a small tip. Ice the top and bottom of the cake leaving the crumbed area exposed. Smooth out the icing using your offset spatula and a bench scraper to make the sides smooth. Cover the top of your cake in crumbs to resemble dirt. Chill for 30 minutes.
• If you would like to add an extra dimension you can use copper or gold petal dust to paint the edges of the fault line. Place a small amount of dust in a small bowl and dilute with a few drops of vodka or other alcohol. Using a paint brush, paint along the edges where the icing meets the crumbs (this will be easier to execute if the cake has been chilled).
• To make the decorations, warm the modeling chocolates by kneading them in your hands. Marble some gray, brown and black modeling chocolate together to create a stone color and press into a tombstone mold. (If you do not have a mold you can sculpt the shape using a picture for reference.) Roll long tubes of white modeling chocolate and wrap them around toothpicks. Manipulate the end of the tube to resemble a skeleton hand. Place all your decorations on the top of the cake to create a scary graveyard scene.

Steps:

• Put half the milk and half the golden syrup in a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Stir until combined, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Or, heat the mixture in a heatproof jug in the microwave for 1 min. Meanwhile, oil two 20cm loose-bottomed cake tins, and line the bases with baking parchment (if the tins are less than 4cm deep, line the sides with a tall ring of baking parchment, too). Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
• For the sponges, you'll need to use half the ingredients for the first batch of cakes, then the remaining ingredients for another batch, to make four sponges in total. For the first batch, tip 250g flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 250g sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon and 2 pinches of ground cloves into a large bowl with ¼ tsp fine salt. Whisk together, breaking up any large lumps of sugar to create an even, sandy mixture.
• Whisk together 150ml of the oil, 200ml buttermilk, 2 eggs and 1 tsp vanilla in a large jug. Add the cooled milk and syrup mixture, and whisk again. Gradually whisk the wet ingredients into the dry until smooth. Divide between the tins. Bake for 25-30 mins, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of each sponge comes out clean.
• Leave the sponges to cool in the tins for 10 mins, then invert onto a wire rack (so the bases become the tops), peel off the parchment and leave to cool completely. Clean, oil and line the tins again as described in step 1, and repeat steps 1-3 to make two more sponges. Leave all four sponges to cool completely. Once cooled, the sponges can be wrapped and stored in a cool place for up to three days, or frozen for up to two months.
• To make the buttercream icing, put the butter and half the icing sugar in a large bowl. Mash roughly with a spatula, then beat with an electric whisk until smooth and pale. Add the remaining sugar, the vanilla, and the milk to loosen the mixture to a spreadable consistency, if needed. Beat again until smooth. Transfer half the buttercream to a second bowl and set aside.
• Working with the first bowl of of buttercream, spread a few tablespoons in the centre of a 20cm cake board or stand, and put one of the sponges on top, upside-down, so the flat base is on top. Spread over a quarter of the buttercream, followed by a third of the caramel. Top with another sponge, then another layer of buttercream and caramel, then repeat the process with a third sponge. Place the final sponge on top, upside-down, so you have a flat surface. Cover the entire cake in a very thin layer of the buttercream, using what remains from the first bowl - don't worry about making it neat, as any crumbs trapped in the icing will be covered in the final coat. Chill the cake for 30 mins until the icing is firm.