Monster Pumpkin Cake

Instructions

FIRST DAY

Make the marbled sponge cakes.

1. Grease the moulds and sprinkle with flour removing the excess, set aside. In my case I have used small bundt moulds 3,9 inch/10 cm in diameter, brioche moulds 10 cm in diameter and small pandoro moulds.
2. Preheat the oven to 345ºF/175º C.
3. Sift the flour together with the baking powder and salt, set aside.
4. In a medium bowl mix 45 g of sugar together with the cocoa powder and water, mix until completely homogenized and set aside.
5. In the bowl of Kitchen Aid or in a large bowl if we are going to do it by hand, incorporate the butter along with 190 g of sugar. Mix with the flat beater at medium-high speed until a creamy and aerated mixture is obtained.
   If we do it by hand we will help ourselves with a whisk to obtain this result.
6. Add the vanilla and mix again for a few seconds.
7. Incorporate the eggs one by one, mixing well after each addition and without adding the next until it has been completely integrated.
8. To add half of an egg, what we will do is pour it into a bowl, beat it and add only half to the bowl of KitchenAid. Mix again until homogenized.
9. Once we have the eggs incorporated beat at medium-high speed about 2 minutes to soften the mixture.
10. We will begin to incorporate the dry ingredients and milk alternately. We will do it in 3 batches and we will not add the next one until the first one has been completely integrated.
11. Once we have the mixture ready we will distribute in two bowls. We must take into account the amount of chocolate mixture.
12. The total batter weighs about 860 g, the cocoa mixture weighs about 115 g, so in the cocoa bowl we will incorporate 315 g of white batter to be proportional.
13. Mix the cocoa mixture and the white batter until a homogeneous mixture is obtained.

Fill the moulds and bake.

1. With the help of a spoon, put a small amount of vanilla batter in the mould and, on top of it, chocolate batter.
2. Tap the mold on a work surface to settle the batter.
3. Repeat the process alternating one of vanilla and another of chocolate trying that a disc remains inside another one.
4. Repeat the same process in all the moulds.
5. In my case I have filled 2 bundt moulds, two pandoro moulds and 3 brioche moulds.
6. Place in the oven at half height and leave for 35 minutes or until inserting a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
7. Remove and let cool inside the molds on a rack.
8. Unmould, wrap in film and refrigerate until the next day.

Make chocolate ganache.

1. Chop the chocolate, set aside.
2. Pour the cream into a heat-resistant bowl and place in a water-bath. Leave until it acquires temperature but without reaching boiling point. Remove from the heat.
3. Add the chocolate and let stand for a few minutes.Mix until completely homogenized.
4. Pour the ganache into an airtight container and let it cool down to room temperature. It will take about 2 hours.
5. We need it to have a spreadable consistency, we can refrigerate it for 2-3 hours once it has cooled. If it's very cold outside, it's likely to get that consistency sooner.

Make chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream.

1. In a heat-resistant bowl, add the egg whites along with the sugar.
2. Place on a water-bath at medium low heat. Stirring constantly, leave until the egg whites reach 165ºF/74ºC. For it we will help ourselves of a digital thermometer.
3. Remove from the heat, pour the egg whites into the bowl of the KitchenAid or a stand mixer and whip at medium high speed until a firm and shiny meringue is obtained.
4. Once we have the firm meringue, begin to add the butter cut into squares little by little and at the same time the mixer continues whipping.
5. Once we have all the butter added, increase the speed and finish whipping.
6. Stop, scrap the cream with the help of a spatula and add the chocolate.
7. Whip again at high speed until the ingredients are completely integrated.
8. Set aside.

Prepare the modeling chocolate.

1. Add the chocolate in a water-resistant bowl and melt in a water bath.
2. Remove from the heat and add the corn syrup. Mix very well until completely integrated.
3. We will obtain a dense and slightly oily paste. Don't worry about the latter.
4. Store the pasta in a freezing bag. Stretch lightly, remove all the air from inside and refrigerate for 2-3 hours or until next day.

SECOND DAY

Assemble the cake.

1. With the help of a saw knife, cut the base of the sponge cakes. Make sure that they are as straight as possible and that, when they are joined together, they seal well.
2. Take one of the cakes and spread it generously with the chocolate ganache.
3. Place another cake on top and press lightly.
4. Refrigerate for 30 minutes so that the ganache hardens slightly.
5. Place a first layer of SMBC on the entire surface of the cake. Make sure it is as smooth as possible. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
6. Cover the entire surface with a second layer of SMBC. On this occasion we will try to shape the pumpkin in a rounded shape.
7. Refrigerate for 30 minutes for the SMBC to harden.

Stretch modeling chocolate.

1. Take, more or less, 2/3 of modeling chocolate. The rest is kept in the bag to prevent it from drying out.
2. Place inside a Teflon sheet and stretch with the help of a roller. Try to stretch the chocolate paste until it slightly exceeds the size of our biscuit. The dough should not be thick, but rather thin.
3. Place the chocolate sheet on top of the cake and adjust.
4. With the help of a long wooden stick, make folds in the corners (this part is better seen in the video).
5. Model the moldable chocolate to give the shape we want.
6. With the help of a toothpick, we create the characteristic grooves of the surface of the pumpkins.

Create the details to decorate the pumpkin.

1. Model all the decorative parts of the pumpkin. In the video I show you how I have carried them out, but you can make your own.
2. To join them I use melted and cooled chocolate.
3. Cut the upper part giving a serrated shape without cutting it all.
4. Carefully lift and fill the inside, corresponding to the mouth, with crumbled chocolate sponge cake.
5. Place the teeth inside, so that they are united, we will spread the base with melted chocolate.

Paint the monster pumpkin.

1. Paint each part of the pumpkin as I show you in the video. Just like each of the details.
2. Refrigerate until serving time.
   

Notes

• If you want the cake to have a zebra-like appearance instead of being marbled, you have to add the butter previously melted and cooled into the mixture instead of using it at room temperature. In my case I preferred to do so to introduce air into the butter, beating it, and get a very smooth and spongy result.
• You can use the molds that you have at home, they do not have to be these in concrete. The important thing is that they have similar sizes.
• I have used several moulds so that you can see that they can be made in different sizes and formats.
• The filling, in my case, is a chocolate ganache. You can use SMBC if you want, some homemade or purchased chocolate cream or other type of ganache or cream that ensures that we will keep well after assembling the pumpkin.
• To make the modeling chocolate you can use chocolate for desserts, coating, black chocolate...
• Respect the rest time of the modeling chocolate to be able to work with it. If it is very cold, you can give it warmth with your hands or a slight heat stroke in the microwave (1 or 2 seconds).
• Remember to cover every piece of chocolate paste. When they are in contact with the air for a long time, they begin to dry out.
• The modeling chocolate can be stretched between two sheets of Teflon to work better with it. In addition it will help us to contribute final texture. If you do not have Teflon sheet, stretch it with baking paper or some material that allows us to work in this way.
• To paint it I have used metallic powder food colorant, but another type of food colorant can be used.
  

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