Fairy Circle Cake
Chocolate sponge, vanilla bean cake soak, dark chocolate espresso ganache, peach jam, fig leaf buttercream, matcha Biscoff crumbles, meringue mushrooms. A perfect offering for the fae or other guests.
Hi, everyone! I have a very fun bake to share with you today that has been rolling around my head for a few weeks now! I don’t typically do realism cakes as I find them sometimes gauche or tacky, but I made an exception to bring this vision to life.
A “fairy circle” or “fairy ring” is a naturally occurring circle of mushrooms found in wooded or grassy areas during the spring and summer. Dozens of mushroom species grow in this peculiar way, and even after much research, there is no definitive reason as to how or why this happens. The most widely accepted scientific explanation is that each fairy circle is a singular subterranean fungal colony.
Due to the unusual, whimsical appearance and lack of explanation sans the scientific method, fairy circles have a longstanding place in the folklore of Western Europe. Some believe them to be portals, meeting places for fae or nymphs, or even the handiwork of witchcraft and sorcery. Inspired by the charming shape, I of course had to cake-ify one.
The base of this cake is my Fluffy Chocolate Sponge. This sponge is both rich and light, perfect for carrying both decadent and fruit fillings! For decadent, we have a whipped dark chocolate espresso ganache. This is a very basic chocolate ganache infused with espresso powder for a bitter, earthy punch. The ganache is then whipped to incorporate air, making it light and spreadable. For fruit, we have to showcase some of July’s best: Palisade peaches! Because this is a cake designed to look like a chunk of earth, I went with a fig leaf buttercream. This is the same buttercream used for this cake, and is an absolute showstopper: mellow, herbaceous, sweet but grounded.
There are multiple methods for making edible moss. You can make a green cake and tear it to bits, crush pistachios, or dye crumbs. Because I do hold a hard “no artificial food dye” rule in my kitchen, I turned to the obvious first choice for creating edible green: matcha.
By combining matcha and crushed Biscoff cookies (the warm brown from the Biscoff pairs perfectly to create that natural moss green shade!), we have stunning, delicious edible moss. I used the Barista Matcha from Rishi as my matcha powder of choice for this task. I am an organic supporter of this brand, but, in the spirit of full transparency, I am also a Rishi Tastemaker! So, if you’d like to purchase anything from Rishi, please use my code CEILIDH95200 for 15% off any order.
This would not be a fairy circle cake without the fairy circle of meringue mushrooms! These meringue mushrooms use a Swiss meringue and are coated in cocoa powder to soften their natural stark white appearance. But, of course, always decorate how you see fit!
I had so much fun developing, constructing, and eating this cake! As always, I’d love to hear from you with any questions, comments, concerns, and especially photos of your creations! Happy baking!!
