Step 1Method Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/Gas 4. Make the sponge for the lower level. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and whisk all the wet ingredients together in another large bowl. Add the dry ingredients wet and whisk until smooth and freshly combined.
Step 2Pour the mixture equally into the 3 largest cans and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centers comes out clean. Immediately invert the sponges on a rack and remove the baking paper. Let cool.
Step 3Mix the sponge ingredients for the smaller, top-tier cakes, as before, and bake for 15-20 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centers comes out clean. Invest in a rack and let cool.
Step 4Meanwhile, make the lemon curd. Beat the cornmeal and 100 ml of water until a smooth paste is obtained. Place in a small skillet and add the sugar and lemon juice.
Step 5Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until all the sugar has dissolved, then keep stirring until the mixture has thickened and you can no longer taste the cornmeal.
Step 6Lower the heat to low and add the soy milk and coconut oil. Stir vigorously until the oil has melted and the mixture is soft, then pour into the shallow metal tray, cover with adhesive film and freeze for about 45 minutes.
Step 7Make the cookies. Add all the dry ingredients and vanilla to a bowl, then rub the coconut oil. Add 20-25ml of water and combine in a ball of dough.
Step 8Spread the dough on a floured countertop to a thickness of about 6 mm. Trim 3 forms of mushrooms and 3 forms of fox. Place on a lined baking sheet and bake for about 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned at the edges. Transfer to a rack for cooling.
Step 9In the meantime, do the actual frosting. Place 75 ml of aquafaba in the container of a standing mixer equipped with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until foamy, then add half of the icing sugar and mix at medium-low speed until smooth.
Step 10Add the remaining icing sugar and mix to combine and until thick enough that it takes 20 to 25 seconds to reincorporate a frosting tape that is dropped from a spoon. Add more icing sugar if the mixture is too liquid.
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11Pour about two-thirds of the actual frosting into a medium bowl, then divide this into 3 unequal servings; you’ll need a little more than 1 serving than the other two
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Step 12Color the larger portion with orange coloration and a small amount of orange color to make orange with a golden brown tint. Add the brown food coloring and cocoa powder to 1 of the smaller portions for a deep brown color. Leave the remaining portion white.
Step 13Divide the colors of the frosting into piping bags as follows, and set aside:
• Orange: 1/4 in 1 piping bag and 3/4 in another.• Brown: all in 1 piping bag.• White: 1/4 in 1 piping bag and 3/4 in another.
Step 14Add enough orange coloring to give a bright orange color to the remaining frosting in the blender bowl, and add 1 tablespoon of aquafaba at a time, until the frosting is liquid enough for a controlled “drip” on the side of a cake can. Cover with transparent film and set aside.
Step 15Make the buttercream. Place the margarine in the clean container of a standing mixer equipped with the paddle attachment and mix at low-medium speed until smooth. Mix in the vegetable butter until smooth and combined.
Step 16Mix one-third of the icing sugar until combined, then add the remaining icing sugar, gradually increasing the speed each time, until the buttercream is white and soft. Put half of the buttercream in a large disposable pastry bag. Divide and color the rest as follows, and set aside:• About 150 g of buttercream colored with pink coloring.• About 150 g of dark green buttercream.• About 2 tablespoons of light green buttercream.• Leave the rest in the bowl.
Step 17Mount the base. Place the largest cake board on the icing turntable. Cut a large tip into the white buttercream piping bag and place a drop on the cake board. Top with 1 large sponge.
Step 18Spread some buttercream from the bowl on the surface of the cake and, from the piping bag, place a white buttercream “dam” around the top edge of the cake (this is to prevent the lemon curd from seeping out). Pour 2-3 tablespoons of lemon curd on top and spread evenly. Repeat with a second large sponge and then cover with the third large sponge.
Step 19Spread the white buttercream from the bowl on top of the cake and around the sides. Spread a few pink buttercream stains here and there on the sides. Smooth the top, then smooth the sides with an ice scraper. Point to a thin layer of crumbs. Insert the pegs into the cake and transfer them to the fridge.
Step 20Assemble the top level. Place the smaller cake board on the turntable and stack and ice the smaller sponge layers just as you did for the base level, except this time use dark green icing on top and a combination of white buttercream and dark green on the sides.
Step 21Mark the outline of a fox shape on top of the cake with the toothpick.
Step 22Cut a very small hole in the piping bag containing the least amount of orange royal icing and cut a small-medium tip into the bag containing the most orange royal icing. Repeat for the white royal frosting. Cut a small tip into the brown royal frosting.
Step 23Use the orange and white royal icing small tip piping sleeves to channel the fox’s outline. Use the larger tipped bags to “flood” the orange and white areas. Working quickly, use a toothpick to mix the white and orange by the tip of the tail. Let stand, then add the legs, nose and mouth.
Step 24Meanwhile, start putting the cookies, tubing the foxes exactly as you did for the cake. Place orange over mushroom cookies (contour first, then flood) and place white dots while the orange frosting is still wet.
Step 25Remove the first level of cake from the fridge and place the second level on top. Using a large spoon, pour the orange glaze diluted in carefully controlled drops on the lower level side of the cake.
Step 26To make the roses and swirls, marble the pink buttercream with some of the remaining white buttercream, but don’t mix too much, then divide it in half and place each half in a large pastry bag, one equipped with the 2D tip and the other with the rose nozzle. The pipe swirls around the base of each level and the pipe roses at the top.
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27Color any remaining white buttercream with lime green, place it in a small piping bag, cut the V-shaped end and place small green leaves between the roses
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Step 28Garnish the cake with the fox and mushroom cookies.
