Cake
1 cup boiling water
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbsp chocolate or vanilla extract
Cooking spray
2 1/4 cups unsifted cake flour (not self-rising)
1 tsp baking
powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1-1/2 cups granulated
sugar
3 large eggs
1-1/2 (1-lb) cans vanilla frosting
Fondant Topping
1 (24-oz) ready-to-use pure-white rolled fondant
4 drops
liquid yellow food coloring
Cornstarch, for dusting
Decorations
Marzipan Ballet Slippers (see directions below)
24 (1-in.)
white sugar-candy daisies
1 tube white decorating icing
Cake:
1. In small bowl stir boiling water into
cocoa powder until smooth; stir in extract. Preheat oven to 350F . Coat 2 (8 x 2) in round cake pans with cooking spray. Line
bottoms with waxed paper; coat with spray; dust with flour. In medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
In large bowl, on high speed, beat butter and sugar, 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after
each. On low, beat in flour mixture ( in quarters) alternating with cocoa mixture ( in thirds), ending with flour; beat until
smooth. Spread batter evenly in prepared pans. Bake 36 to 38 minutes until pick tests clean. Cool pans on wire rack 10 minutes.
Invert; remove pans and paper. Turn cakes over; cool.
2. Place 1 layer on cake plate; spread
top evenly with 1 cup frosting. Top with second layer. Frost sides and top of cake with thin layer of frosting. Place remaining
frosting in pastry bag fitted with 1/4-in. star tip.
3. Topping: Unwrap fondant; knead
in coloring to an even pastel shade (if fondant gets sticky during kneading, rub hands with cornstarch). Roll fondant into
16-in. round. Gently roll up onto rolling pin. Carefully unroll over cake to cover. Smooth fondant with hands to adhere to
cake; trim bottom edge with knife ( discard scraps, or use to make small flowers). With frosting in pastry bag, pipe border
around bottom edge of cake, as shown in photo.
4. Decorations: Place slippers on
top. Decorate cake randomly with sugar-candy flowers, using tube icing to stick flowers in place
