Order up! This hamburger party cake is fun to make and doesn’t require lots of frosting or intensive decorating. However, it is a lengthy recipe. Spread the work out over the course of two days. Bake and glaze all of the cake layers on the first day. Make the buttercream and fondant decors, then assemble it on the second day. Also, add a dozen eggs to your grocery list. Savarin is an egg-heavy cake, so you'll need 12 large eggs for just the savarin layers. Make room in your refrigerator for all of the cake layers. They’ll be sturdier for assembly when chilled. Bring the cake to room temperature before serving
Mix the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the milk, eggs, and zest. Beat until a thick batter forms, about 5 minutes.
With the mixer running, add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time until the batter is smooth.
Coat an 8 inch half ball cake pan with flour-based baking spray. Also coat one 8x3 inch round cake pan (or two 8x2 inch pans). Divide the batter evenly between the pans. Spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until the cake is puffed to fill the pan about 2/3 full, 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how warm your kitchen is.
Meanwhile preheat the oven to 350°F. When the cakes are raised, bake them until well set and golden brown. About 40 minutes for the 8x3 inch pan, and 50 minutes for the ball pan. Rest the cakes in the pans while you prepare the syrup.
Savarin syrup
In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, water and lemon juice. Stir to combine.
Cook over medium-high heat until the sugar is dissolved. Remove and pour in the orange liqueur or orange juice. Remove to cool slightly.
Turn the savarin cakes out of their pans onto a wire cooling rack. Level the cakes with a serrated knife if they have crowned. Place 1 cup of syrup into each of the pans and return the cakes to the pans. Let stand 5 minutes. Pour the remaining syrup over each cake. Cover and let rest until the syrup has absorbed. Cover the cake pans and refrigerate overnight.
Chocolate cakes (meat patties)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat two 8-inch cake pans with flour-based baking spray and lined the bottoms with parchment rounds (or grease and flour and line).
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk well to combine. Add the eggs milk, oil, and vanilla. Mix well. Stir in the hot water or coffee. Mix well; batter will be thin. Divide the batter evenly between the pans.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick tester inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes, and then turn them out to a wire rack to cool completely.
Chocolate ganache glaze
Place the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a large microwave-safe bowl. Heat the mixture in the microwave for 1 minute at 100% power. Let the mixture stand for 1 minute. Use a whisk to stir the two ingredients together until a thick consistent chocolate ganache forms. Stir in the corn syrup. Fold in the almonds with a rubber spatula.
Place the chocolate cakes on the wire rack over a large baking sheet. Pour the glaze over the cakes, allowing the chocolate ganache to spill over the sides of the cake. Use an offset spatula to place chocolate in bare spots. Refrigerate the cakes on the rack until the ganache is set, about 1 hour.
Assemble and decorate
Knead the red fondant well on a lightly confectioners’ sugar-dusted work surface. Roll into a ball and cut into 6 wedges. Flatten wedges to half-moon shapes; transfer to a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside.
Knead the white fondant well on a lightly confectioners’ sugar dusted work surface. Add a drop of orange food color and two drops of the yellow food color on the fondant. With gloved hands, knead the color into the fondant. Add more food color as needed to achieve the hue of sliced American cheese. Roll the fondant flat to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into two 4-inch squares. Cut each square in half to create two triangle shaped pieces of ‘cheese”. You should have a total of four ‘cheese’ triangles. Transfer to a plate and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside.
Mix the buttercream frosting as directed in the linked recipe. Tint the buttercream with neon green food color to create a bright green hue. Transfer to a disposable piping bag fitted with the large petal tip. Set aside.
Carefully cut (torte) the 8-inch round savarin cake horizontally in two. Do this while the cake is chilled so the cake is firm and holds together well. These two pieces will be the bottom and middle buns. Place one piece on an 8-inch cake board. Run a small sharp knife around the bottom edges of the chocolate glazed cakes. Lift one from the wire rack and onto the first layer of savarin. Place two ‘cheese’ triangles overhanging the edges of the chocolate cake to the front and back of the cake. Pipe a thick undulating ribbon of green buttercream around the top edge of the chocolate cake and over the ‘cheese’. Do this with the small end of the piping tip pointed toward you, with the large open end pointing toward the middle of the cake. Top the chocolate cake ‘meat patty’ with the second savarin round.
Place the remaining two cheese slices to the left and right side of the chocolate cake, overhanging the edges as before. Pipe two rows of ‘lettuce around the top edge of the cake. Place ‘tomato’ wedges well-spaced, over the lettuce.
Finally, place the dome savarin on top. Sprinkle on toasted sesame seeds. Dowell the cake all the way through the top middle down to the bottom with the 12” skewer.
Refrigerate the cake until about one hour before serving. Bring to room temperature or serve slightly chilled.
Notes
The corn syrup in the chocolate ganache gives it a shine. It can be optional, but it’s such a small amount I’d recommend using it for the best effect.If you're not a fan of fondant, ready-made marzipan or modeling chocolate will work in its place. Sesame seeds can be purchased pre-toasted, or you can toast them in a saucepan over medium heat for about 3 minutes until golden brown.
Keyword american buttercream, bbq cake, dark chocolate cake layers, hamburger cake, savarin pan, savarin syrup, summer cake, white chocolate ganache