Gravity-Defying Gluten-Free Snowman Cake

Despite what you might think, gravity-defying cake kits are very reasonably priced and you should find one in the shops for under £10. They’re also reusable so you’ll be able to make more masterpieces over the years as the mood takes you. This cake is an alternative to a rich fruit cake at Xmas and will be real hit with children (and the big kid in you!), and as an added bonus, it’s dairy and gluten-free too!

6 Snowman standing on jetstream

Gravity-Defying Snowman Cake

By Ali Walsh (www.thebristolbakehouse.com)

GF DF

Ingredients:

Cake:

  • 675g caster sugar
  • 285 vegetable oil
  • 1 tbspn vanilla extract
  • pinch salt
  • 8 large free-range eggs, beaten
  • 375ml soya milk
  • 600g self-raising gluten-free flour

To Decorate:

  • 1 jar of jam or dairy-free frosting
  • 1kg ready-to-roll fondant icing in light blue
  • Small amount of white, orange, brown & black fondant
  • Cornflour

Tools

  • 3 x 9” sandwich tins
  • 1 gravity-defying cake kit
  • Cake smoother
  • Snowflake cutters
  • Cocktail sticks
  • Apple corer
  • Rolling pin
  • Small paintbrush
  • Cornflour duster (or small sieve)
  • Water sprayer (optional)
  • Piping nozzle (optional)

Method

To bake the cakes:

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius (170 fan).
  2. Line the baking tins.
  3. Put all the ingredients except the flour into a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
  4. Sieve the flour and add a spoonful at a time to the mixture, beating as you go.
  5. Make sure the cake mix is properly beaten and there are no lumps of flour.
  6. Pour into the cake tins evenly.
  7. Bake for 25-30 mins until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
  8. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

To assemble and decorate the cakes:

  1. Assemble the base of the gravity-defying kit as per the manufacturer’s instructions and screw in the rod in the centre.
  2. On a separate board, stack the cakes on top of one another and measure the centre of the cakes.
  3. Plunge an apple corer through the centre and remove the cake inside.
  4. Place one cake over the rod of the cake kit.2 First cake on top
  5. Spread jam or frosting over the top and add the second layer. Repeat.
  6. Lightly spread a thin layer of frosting (or jam if you have no frosting, but make sure there are no lumps in it) over the outside of the cake.
  7. On a rolling mat (or work surface), dust a small amount of cornflour.
  8. Knead and roll out a large ball of light blue fondant so that it is at least 16” in diameter in all directions.
  9. Pick up the fondant with the rolling pin underneath and roll it over the cake.
  10. Smooth the fondant into place and cut away any excess. Mist the cake with water (this can be done with a damp piece of kitchen towel if you don’t have a water spray).
  11. Roll out a small piece of white fondant.
  12. Cut out several snowflakes using your cutters and attach them to the cake.
  13. Add a ribbon to the base (securing it in place with more water if it won’t stick – just make sure you use a small amount so it doesn’t leak through!).
  14. Add the top rod of the gravity-defying cake kit.5 Tube in place
  15. Cover in white fondant.
  16. Wet the fondant with a small paintbrush and add snowflakes to stick to it.

To make the snowman:

  1. Roll 3 balls of white fondant and stick them to one another with a cocktail stick, making sure it doesn’t peek out of the top.
  2. Using the back of your paintbrush, make indents in the top ball for eyes and a nose, and three indents further down. Brush each with water.
  3. Put a cocktail stick through the middle of the snowman for arms.
  4. Cover the stick with a small amount of brown fondant to make them look like twigs and add a snowflake onto the ends.
  5. Roll 5 tiny amounts of black fondant to look like lumps of coal. Secure them in place for the eyes and buttons on the snowman.
  6. Roll a tiny amount of orange fondant into a cone shape to look like a carrot and secure in place as a nose.
  7. Cut a smile into your snowman using either the end of a piping nozzle or a knife.
  8. Push the snowman onto the end of the cake kit rod.
  9. Add more snowflakes to hide the rod.
  10. Admire your efforts and expect your family and friends to be wowed!

8 Final shot