When I think of my daughter Claire, I think of sunflowers. When she was about thirteen, she gave me a sunflower and a little stuffed bear that said Best Friends Forever. It was during a difficult time in my life and her sweet gift meant the world to me. I've never forgotten it. Plus Claire is a sunflower herself, so bold, and bright, and beautiful. So as her birthday approached, I knew just what flower should grace her cake.
It was a three day project.
Day one I played around with fondant and cutouts until I found what worked best for me. I used daisy cutouts, made two layers per flower overlapping them, and then placed a circle of brown in the center. With a decorater tip, I pressed little holes all over the brown centers.
Day two was high altitude baking day! I'd heard that cakes often rise quickly and then collapse, so I researched what changes were needed at 5,000 plus feet. I decreased the sugar and baking powder, increased the butter and milk, and set the oven at just a tad higher: 360 F. To my relief, all went well.
Day three I iced the cake with chocolate ganache and let it set in the fridge for about an hour.
Then I covered it in chocolate fondant and decorated with the fondant sunflowers and leaves.
To my relief, it survived the drive down the mountain.
Happy Birthday Claire!
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