Winter Hat Cake

Ingredients:

• Two packs (430g each) of chocolate sponge cake mix and the necessary ingredients
• Four containers (450g each) vanilla white cake icing (8 cups)
• Blue food grade gel paint for glaze
• 2 cups white and blue glazed chocolate candies, such as M&M's
• 200 g sweetened coconut flakes
• Special equipment: cone-shaped cake pan; 10cm round cutter; piping bag with adapter; large star tip; small star tip; and small round tip.

Preparation:

1. Prepare the sponge cake mix according to package directions and bake in a cone-shaped cake pan. Let cool for 10 minutes.
2. While the cake is still in the pan, trim the top using the edge of the pan as a guide. This will give you a flat surface. Invert the cake onto a wire rack and cool completely.
3. Meanwhile, place the icing in a large bowl and mix with an electric mixer on medium speed, adding a couple of drops of food coloring, adding the food coloring gradually to achieve the desired shade of blue.
4. Using a long serrated knife, cut the sponge cake horizontally into 4 layers. Use a 10-centimeter round cutter to cut a hole in the center of the bottom two wide layers. Set aside the cut-out portions of the sponge cake.
5. Place the bottom layer on a cake stand or plate and frost the top. Place the second sponge layer on top, matching the cut-out holes. Fill the indentation with chocolate candies.
   
   Frost the top of the second layer and place the third layer on top. Frost the final sponge layer. Using a small amount of frosting, spread a thin layer along the sides of the cake. Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes. Frost the cake with additional frosting.
6. Attach the adapter to a pastry bag (or use multiple pastry bags). Fit a large star tip to the adapter and fill the bag with icing. (See chef's tip.)
   
   Using a butter knife, mark five evenly spaced vertical lines along the sides of the cake. Using a pastry bag with a large star tip, and following the marks, pipe frosting from top to bottom in 5-centimeter diagonal lines, alternating directions, creating a braid.
   
   

   Chef's advice

   
   The adapter is a two-piece plastic device that allows you to change tips while working with the same pastry bag.
7. Switch to a smaller star tip. Starting at the top of the cake, pipe spiral semicircles between the five braids.
   
   Attach the small round tip to the nozzle. Press out thin stripes on both sides of each semicircle line. Next to these, make lines of dots, starting from top to bottom.
8. Make a pompom on top of the cakeIn a medium bowl, combine the remaining cake with 1/4 cup frosting until smooth. Form into a baseball-sized ball and chill on a plate in the freezer until firm, about 10 minutes.
9. Place the coconut flakes in a 1-liter resealable bag and add 2 drops of blue food coloring. Shake the bag to color the coconut. Pour half of the coconut flakes into a shallow bowl. Add another 6 drops of food coloring to the remaining coconut flakes in the bag. Shake the bag and pour it into another bowl.
   
   Roll the sponge ball in dark blue coconut, then completely cover it with light blue coconut. Place the ball on top of the cake. Use the remaining coconut to create a border around the bottom of the cake.