Toad Bombe Cakes

No, seriously.

A couple of months ago I was contacted by one of my readers requesting a Toad cake from Mario. Of course I couldn’t refuse! Now, cake is pretty awesome; you can never go wrong with cake. But how does one take cake to the next level? What really makes cake ‘the bomb’? Bombe cake! But what exactly is a bombe? According to research a la Google:

bombe

bäm(b)

noun

noun: bombe; plural noun: bombes

1. a frozen dome-shaped dessert.

   • a dome-shaped mold in which a bombe is made.

These ultra cute Toad bombes have a hard candy shell hat filled with two different kinds of mousse, Nutella and (because it’s summer and I’m craving fruit) peach. Not only do they look super fancy, they’re easy to make, too! Ready? Let’s go.

Gamers, grab your mats:

• 1 box white cake mix, plus 1 extra egg
• white Candy Melts
• red Candy Melts
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
• 1/2 cup Nutella
• 1/2 cup canned sliced peaches
• ~4 tablespoons sugar
• red and black decorating icing (not pictured because derp)

NOTE: You could use melted milk chocolate in place of the icing, but I have a ton of icing to use up.

Also today we learn the joys of using silicone molds.

First, prepare your box cake mix according to package instructions, with the addition of one extra egg. Bake cake, set aside to cool. I took pictures but, come on, really? Really?

Let’s tackle the shells. You’ll need some special equipment for this: a hemisphere silicone mold (I got mine from Amazon, about $8 for two; you’ll only need one.) and a pastry brush.

I don’t know why the lighting’s weird in this one.

Melt about half a bag of white Candy Melts according to package instructions. Using a pastry brush, brush mold cavities with a thin layer of white. Refrigerate for a few minutes to allow candy shell to set between layers.

Brushing the first layer.

You’ll want to do 2-3 layers of Candy Melts:

This is what 3 layers look like. I was a little heavy-handed with my brush and should have only done two layers.

Next, the mousse filling. We’ll start with the chocolatey, hazelnutty goodness that is Nutella. Beat one cup of heavy whipping cream in a medium bowl on high speed until soft peaks form and whipping cream becomes whipped cream.

Oh, that large bowl.

Kinky.

Measurements given for the mousse will actually be enough to fill all six molds. Since we’re doing half and half, you’ll have extra for fancy mousse desserts. Slap that shit into wine glasses and top with shaved white or dark chocolate. Boom. Instant date night dessert. Or, y’know, you’re going to have quite a bit of cake left over after cutting your cake rounds. Make trifles. Trifles are also fancy. You could halve the mousse recipes but that would be kind of awkward. So put on your damn top hat and do it like a sir.

Probably you’ll need to microwave your Nutella a bit to get it a little more liquidy – I microwaved mine in two 10-second intervals and it was perfect: liquidy without being hot. Add a spoonful or two of Nutella into your whipped cream:

Proceed to wipe spoon off with finger. Lick finger. Also like a sir.

Fold in Nutella. This prevents the whipped cream from deflating.

Not so pretty.

Add the rest of the Nutella and fold in until fully incorporated.

Do not taste. You’ll take a fingerful and next thing you know you’ll be looking into an empty bowl.

Add a dollop of mousse to half of your candy shells. You’ll want them almost full. Refrigerate.

Something like that.

Now for the peach mousse. Whip one cup of whipping cream plus the sugar until you have whipped cream. Blend peaches in your blender or food processor.

You’ll want to measure out about 1 cup of sliced peaches as it will reduce in the blender a bit.

Once the peaches are blended, fold into whipped cream the same as you did for the Nutella.

The smell is out of this world!

Add peach mousse to the other half of your shells. Refrigerate.

Don’t mind the white flecks; I had to trim the shells a bit because I was messy.

Back to the cake; it should be fully cool by now. Gently trim the top of the cake to make it level.

Don’t throw away your extra cake! You could make trifles, cake pops, all kinds of things.

Cut out six cake rounds with a small cup or round cookie cutter. It’s important that the diameter of the cakes matches the diameter of the shells.

Literally the smallest cups I could find without resorting to using a shot glass.

If the cake becomes stuck in the mouth of your cup gently shake it loose. It will happen.

Yeah, this’ll happen.

Place cake round white-side-down over your mold.

Or would bottom-up read better? Meh.

Unmold shell. Be careful to touch the shell as little as possible to prevent fingerprints on the shell.

Glossy.

Glue 5 red Candy Melts to the shell with icing or melted chocolate. Like so:

If you don’t get the placement quite right initially you’ll be able to wiggle the disc into a better position.

A finished shell:

Dig that chipped Candy Melt. What was I thinking?

Toad needs eyes! Pipe a small amount of black icing or melted chocolate onto the cake to each side of one of the ‘polka dots’. That’s it!

It is now sentient and too cute to eat. Fuck.

Don’t ask me which flavor is which. I kind of forgot where I put them on the tray.

World’s most perfect dessert is served.

And a cross section of the bombe.

So darling. I recommend getting a bite with cake, mousse, and a bit of candy shell fragment. So moist (I’m sorry) it practically melts in your mouth! I’ve tried both flavor variations and I must warn you: I can’t pick a favorite. They’re both that good. Readers, feel free to continue submitting your recipe requests. Chances are, you’ll see your request featured! Remember, voting for the featured September recipe is ongoing through the end of the month. Get your vote in!

Want more Mario? Why not check out these star cookies or this ‘toadstool’ radish salad? Both recipes are also excellent dishes to make for summer.

Coming Up Next: Half Life 2 Head Crab Crab Cakes. You only have one of my high school art teachers to blame.

Cheers,

Leisel

Remember, cooking IRL doesn’t have to be a Feat of Strength!

Entry for #WeeklyChallenge for #FoodBloggers