Drip and sprinkles cake

You will need:

For the cake:

• 13cm (5in) and 18cm (7in) sponges of your choice, crumb-coated and ganached
• To decorate
• sugarpaste (I used Couture)
• flower paste or CMC added to sugarpaste
• 100 and 1000's sprinkles
• piping gel
• edible lustre dusts (colour of your choice)
• rejuvenator spirit or vodka
• royal icing

Equipment:

• flexi smoothers
• large tin to hold sprinkles
• large brush
• 10cm (4in) cake card
• 23cm (9in) cake drum
• clean sponge
• 20 gauge floral wire/lollipop sticks
• Patchwork Cutters large number cutters of your choice
• jumbo straws
• spoon

Method:

1. Crumb coat and ganache your sponge cakes ensuring nice sharp edges.
2. Cover the cakes with sugarpaste, easing it over the top and sides with your hands. Using the upside down method to cover the cake, use flexi smoothers to ensure nice sharp edges. Cut off any excess paste, then chill the bottom tier cake.
3. Prepare your coloured sprinkles by pouring them into a container big enough to fit your cake.
4. When the cake has chilled and is firm to touch, cover with piping gel using a large brush.
5. Carefully roll the cake in the sprinkles ensuring an even coverage.
6. Using jumbo straws, dowel the bottom tier. Insert one straw, mark to the correct height, remove from the cake and cut. Using this straw as a guide, cut the remaining straws to the same height to ensure a level cake. Set the cake aside.
7. Now move onto the top tier. Mix your chosen colours of edible lustre dust with rejuvenating spirit or vodka to a liquid form. With a clean sponge, using one colour at a time, dab over the cake. Build up the colours until the desired effect is achieved, then leave to dry.
8. Using either flower paste or sugarpaste with CMC added for extra strength, roll out and cut two each of your desired numbers. Due to the shape of the number decide if a lollipop stick or wire is required to support the number. With '30' I decided to insert wire between the two pieces of sugarpaste. Glue the numbers together and set aside until completely dry.
9. When the numbers are completely dry and firm, cover them in piping gel and dip into the sprinkles. Leave to dry.
10. Add the top tier to the cake with cake card in between. Mix up a fairly runny consistency of royal icing, to the colour of your choice. Using a spoon, gently pour royal icing over the top of the cake and allow parts to drip over the sides.
11. Insert the numbers into the top tier by inserting wires into drinking straws, then insert them into the cake.
12. Step back and admire your creation!