How to Make a Death Star Cake

Posted by Smurfesque

This Death Star Cake was such fun to make that you just won't know when to stop! It is made of Dark Chocolate Mud Cake and filled and covered in Dark Chocolate Ganache then grey Sugar-paste. Use two 8.5" or 9" metal kitchen bowls to bake the cakes.

List of Materials

• Dark Chocolate Mud Cake Ingredients to fill two 8.5" metal bowls 500g unsalted butter 500g dark chocolate 2 tablespoon instant coffee 2-2/3 cups warm water 3 cups self raising flour 2 cup caster sugar 1/2 cup cocoa 4 eggs 2 teaspoon vanilla
• Dark Chocolate Ganache Ingredients 1.2 kg dark chocolate 500ml pure cream
• Sugarpaste 750g in grey to cover Death Star 350g in black to cover board 360g in dark grey for stick on blocks
• Royal Icing to decorate the blocks 250-300g pure icing sugar, sifted 2-4 drops acetic acid (white vinegar) 1 egg white

Line tins with greaseproof paper and add a collar of around 20 cms.

1. Grease and line base and sides of bowls with one thickness of baking paper, bringing paper 5cm above side of pan. 2. Combine chopped butter, chopped chocolate, coffee, and water in a saucepan. Stir over low heat until chocolate is melted. Cool 15 minutes. Transfer mixture to bowl of mixer. 3. Add caster sugar to mixture and beat well until dissolved. Add sifted flour and cocoa, lightly beaten eggs and vanilla. 4. Pour mixture into prepared bowls. 5. Bake at 150C for 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Test with skewer. Cool cake in bowls. 6. Place cakes on 9" round thin cake boards. 7. Make sure that the bottom half of the cake has a flat bottom to sit on. To make the Ganache Heat the cream until it just starts to bubble, pour over chocolate (which you have blitzed in the food processor to coffee granules size) and let it sit for about a minute to melt. Use a hand whisk to blend it all together then set aside to cool. Your ganache at this point will be thin. You will have to let it set overnight until it thickens to a slightly thicker peanut butter consistency. Since I dont have the patience to wait, I just let it cool to room temperature and then pop it in the fridge (dont cover because you might get condensation). It would usually set in the fridge in about an hour or two. If it sets too hard, just microwave it in 10 second intervals (keep mixing it whenever you take it out). For more information on ganaching your cake visit my blog page http://cutesweetthings.blogspot.com.au/2011/03/how-to-make-ganache-and-cover-your-cake_24.html

Cover with sugar-paste. If you would like to find out how to colour sugarpaste and use it to cover your cake visit my blog pagehttp://cutesweetthings.blogspot.com.au/2011/01/how-to-make-115-ben-10-dark-chocolate.html

Insert 4 thin plastic dowels as shown and one thick one in the middle which will fit over the small wooden dowel which has been inserted into the base board by first drilling a hole in the middle of the board. These plastic dowels can easily be cut with scissors. Do not assemble the cakes on the base board until all decoration is fully complete.

Roll out the dark grey sugar-paste as thin as you can and cut out all the shapes that you think you will need. Glue them onto the cakes with edible glue (or a little water). To make the Royal Icing beat icing sugar, acetic acid and egg white with electric beater on medium-high speed for 4 minutes for 'soft peak'. Add extra sugar if the icing is too soft. Achieving the right consistency for Royal Icing can be difficult but practise makes perfect, so if icing is too thick or too thin just empty your piping bag and add more water/vinegar or icing sugar. You will soon work it out. Add black edible colour until the correct shade of grey is achieved. Fill a pipping bag fitted with a number 1 tip. and pipe with the Royal Icing making up your designs as you go. Use the pictures of the finished Death Star as a guide only.

Roll out the black sugar-paste making a little hole in the centre. Slip the hole over the dowel in the centre and cover the cake board. Lift up the sugar-paste and paint on a little water underneath to help the sugar-paste stick to the board. Add a little icing or edible glue around the wooden dowel. Slip the bottom half of the Death Star onto the dowel. To attach the top half of the Death Star apply PVA glue to the cake boards or use a knife to spread on some icing. Make sure the concave circle is facing forward and is centralised.

Add lettering to the cake board if you wish. White or pale grey would look nice.