Panda cake

Method

1. Put a sponge on your serving plate, then use a palette knife to spread a little buttercream over the top. Add another sponge, cover that with a little more buttercream, then place the final sponge on top. Use a little more buttercream to completely cover the cake in a very thin layer to create a crumb coat, then put it in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up.

2. Spread a thicker layer of buttercream all over the cake, making it as smooth as possible.

3. Put 5 of the Oreos in a food processor and whizz into a crumb (or put in a strong clean plastic bag and bash them with a rolling pin). Use these crumbs to create a ring around the very bottom of the cake by pressing them into the buttercream – you want it about 5cm high. Cover the rest of the cake with the coconut, being careful not to let any of it knock off the biscuit crumbs.

4. Split the remaining Oreo in half and scrape off the cream. Stick them into the top of the cake to create ears.

5. Roll out the black fondant icing on a surface dusted with icing sugar until around 2-3mm thick. Cut out 2 patches for the eyes and put them on top of the cake. Cut out a triangle shape for the nose, then roll out 2 very thin lines for the mouth. Put these on the cake too.

6. Top the eye patches with the chocolate truffle halves, then top each half with a small disc of black fondant and a tiny ball of white fondant.