This Mermaid Cookie Cake is a stunning and whimsical dessert perfect for a special celebration. The combination of almond sable pastry, white chocolate cream cheese ganache, and cotton candy buttercream creates a fantastic flavor and texture experience. With simple yet elegant chocolate decorations and meringue kisses, this cake will surely be a hit. Follow this detailed recipe to create your own magical mermaid cake.
SUMMARISE AND SAVE THIS RECIPE
The Viral Story of the Number/Letter Cake!
Adi Klinghofer, known as @adikosh_123 on Instagram, made letter and number cakes popular in 2018. Her cakes, decorated beautifully in the shapes of letters and numbers, quickly went viral. Inspired by her creative designs, I made the mermaid cookie cake as a fun twist on her concept.
Adi's cakes, known for their intricate decorations and unique shapes, grabbed attention and started new trends in cake design, making her a significant influence in the baking world
What you will need for the Mermaid Cookie Cake
Almond Sable Pastry Ingredients
- All Purpose Flour: Provides the base structure for the pastry.
- Almond Meal: Adds a nutty flavor and tender texture.
- Powdered Sugar: Sweetens the pastry while giving it a fine texture.
- Cold Unsalted Butter: Creates a flaky texture in the pastry.
- Large Egg: Binds the ingredients together.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds a rich flavor to the pastry.
Chocolate Decorations Ingredients
- Melted Chocolate: Used for creating decorative shapes.
- Gold Edible Lustre Dust: Adds a shimmering effect to the chocolate decorations.
- Vodka or Lemon Extract: Acts as a medium to mix with the luster dust for painting.
Additional Ingredients Needed
- Whipped White Chocolate & Cream Cheese Ganache: A rich and creamy filling made from white chocolate and cream cheese.
- Condensed Milk Cotton Candy Buttercream: A sweet, fluffy frosting with a unique cotton candy flavor.
- Mini Meringue Kisses: Small, crispy meringue cookies used for garnish.
- Edible Pearls: Decorative edible pearls used to enhance the cake's appearance.
How To Make a Mermaid Cookie Cake
Almond Sable Pastry
Preheat and Prepare: Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F. Prepare a baking tray and line it with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
Mix Dry Ingredients: In a food processor, combine flour, almond meal, powdered sugar and cold cubes of butter. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, which helps create a flaky texture in the finished pastry.
Incorporate Wet Ingredients: Add the egg and vanilla extract to the mixture. Pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Be careful not to overmix, which could make the pastry tough.
Form Dough: Place the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and pat it down to about ½ inch thick. Roll it out to approximately 4mm thick using spacers to ensure uniform thickness throughout.
Chill Dough: Transfer the dough to a baking tray and refrigerate it for 20 minutes or more to let the butter set. This makes the dough easier to cut and helps maintain the shape.
Cut Out Shapes: Remove the top parchment layer and place a mermaid tail template on the dough. Cut out the shape and smooth the edges. Repeat to cut a second tail.
Bake: Bake one tail at a time in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Cool completely on a cooling rack before handling.
Chocolate Decorations
Prepare Chocolate: Melt the chocolate and pour it into a mermaid tail mold or other desired shapes. Use a spatula to smooth the tops for an even finish.
Smooth and Set: Refrigerate the molds for 10 minutes to allow the chocolate to set properly. This step ensures the decorations hold their shape.
Remove and Decorate: Carefully remove the chocolate pieces from the molds. Mix gold edible luster dust with vodka or lemon extract to create a paint and decorate the chocolate pieces. Let them dry completely.
Assembling Your Mermaid Cookie Cake
Prepare Base Layer: Pipe a line of ganache on the underside of one pastry tail helping to secure it to the cake board. Place the pastry tail top-side down on a cake board or serving platter. Pipe White Chocolate Cream Cheese Ganache in large dots/kisses all over the pastry tail, starting from the outer edge to ensure a neat appearance.
Add Second Layer: Place the second pastry tail on top and press gently to secure it. This layer should align perfectly with the bottom layer for a clean look.
Top Layer Decoration: Pipe Cotton Candy Buttercream in dots/kisses over the top tail, starting from the outer edge. This creates a uniform and decorative finish.
Final Decorations: Add the chocolate decorations, meringue kisses, crushed meringue kisses, and edible pearls. These garnishes enhance the cake's visual appeal and add texture.
Final Steps
Chill: Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve. This helps set the ganache and buttercream, making the cake easier to slice and serve.
Storage: The cake can be made one day ahead and stored in an airtight container or cake box in the refrigerator. This keeps the cake fresh and maintains its decorations.
Fay's Top Tip for Mermaid Cookie Cake
The most important tip for making the Mermaid Cookie Cake is to keep the dough cold throughout the preparation and cutting process. Using cold butter and chilling the dough before cutting helps maintain the dough's structure, making it easier to handle and ensuring cleaner cuts for the mermaid tail shapes. This results in a flakier texture and more defined shapes after baking. Additionally, chilling the dough prevents it from spreading too much during baking, which is crucial for maintaining the detailed shapes of the mermaid tails.
Variations on the Mermaid Cookie Cake Theme
Shape Variations
- Themed Shapes: Change the shape to fit the party theme, such as dinosaurs, unicorns, or stars. Use themed cookie cutters or templates to create these shapes.
- Seasonal Shapes: For holidays, try shapes like Christmas trees, pumpkins, or hearts to suit the occasion.
- I've also made a letter "A" Cookie Cake and an LOL Surprise Cookie Cake using the same pastry recipe.
Flavor Variations
- Buttercream Flavors: Experiment with different buttercream flavors, such as white chocolate buttercream, raspberry, or lemon. Simply substitute the cotton candy buttercream with your preferred flavor.
- Ganache Flavors: Use various ganache flavors, like dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or even a flavored white chocolate ganache.
- Filling Variations: Try using fruit preserves, Nutella, or curds drizzled over the first layer.
Decoration Variations
- Color Themes: Change the color of the buttercream and decorations to match your party's color scheme.
- Edible Decorations: Add different edible decorations, such as sprinkles, edible glitter, fresh fruits, or fondant shapes.
- Candy Garnishes: Use a variety of candies like gummies, chocolates, or candy bars to decorate the cake.
Common Questions
Yes, you can prepare the dough up to two days in advance. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator. You can also freeze the dough for up to two months.
You can find mermaid tail templates online by searching for "Mermaid Tail Template" or "Mermaid Tail Printout." Print the template on an A4 sheet of paper and cut it out to use as a guide.
Absolutely! Feel free to use any buttercream or ganache flavor you prefer. Chocolate, raspberry, or lemon buttercream can be great alternatives. You can also experiment with different ganache flavors.
Keeping the dough cold is key. Refrigerate the dough before cutting out shapes and after placing the shapes on the baking tray. This helps the pastry maintain its shape during baking.
Yes, you can make the chocolate decorations in advance. Store them in an airtight container in a cool, dry place until you're ready to use them.
Store the assembled cake in an airtight container or cake box in the refrigerator. It can be made one day ahead and kept refrigerated until ready to serve.
If your dough is too crumbly, try adding a small amount of cold water, one teaspoon at a time, until the dough comes together.
Mermaid Cookie Cake Recipe
INGREDIENTS
Almond Sable Pastry
- 300 g (2½ cups) all purpose flour
- 75 g (¾ cups) almond meal
- 75 g (⅔ cups) powdered sugar
- 200 g (7 oz) butter unsalted. cold and cubed
- 1 (egg) egg large
- 2 teaspoon (2 teaspoon) vanilla
Chocolate Decorations
- 90 g (½ cups) white chocolate melted
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) edible gold luster dust
- lemon extract or vodka (a few drops)
You will also need
- Whipped White Chocolate & Cream Cheese Ganache
- Condensed Milk Cotton Candy Buttercream
- Mini Meringue Kisses
- Edible Pearls
INSTRUCTIONS
Almond Sable Pastry
- Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F.
- Add flour, almond meal, powdered sugar, and cold cubed butter to a food processor.
- Mix until crumbs form, then stop.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract, then mix again until the dough starts to come together. Do not overmix.
- Place the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and pat down to about ½ inch thick.
- Roll to approximately 4mm thick (use spacers for uniform thickness).
- Place on a baking tray and refrigerate for 20 minutes or more to let the butter set.
- Remove the top parchment layer and place the mermaid tail cut-out on the pastry.
- NOTE: You can easily find a template for a mermaid tail online. Simply search for "Mermaid Tail Template" or "Mermaid Tail Printout" on Google. Once you find a design you like, print it out on an A4 sheet of paper. Carefully cut out the template, and you're ready to use it for your Mermaid Biscuit Cake. This template will help you achieve a perfect mermaid tail shape for your cake layers.
- Smooth the edges of the cut-out tail, then lightly re-roll the pastry and repeat to cut a second tail.
- Bake one tail at a time in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until edges brown.
- Cool completely on a cooling rack before moving.
Chocolate Decorations
- Pour melted chocolate into a mermaid tail mould and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Make extra decorations using shell or pineapple moulds or any shape you like. Silicone Ice Cube Trays are great for this!
- Refrigerate for 10 minutes, then remove from the molds.
- Paint with edible luster dust that has been mixed with vodka or lemon extract to form an edible gold paint. Let dry completely.
Assembly
- Place the first pastry tail top-side down on a cake board or serving platter using some of the Ganache as "glue".
- Pipe White Chocolate Cream Cheese Ganache in large dots/kisses all over the pastry tail, starting from the outer edge.
- Place the second pastry tail on top and press gently.
- Pipe Cotton Candy Buttercream in dots/kisses over the top tail, starting from the outer edge.
- Garnish with chocolate decorations, meringue kisses, crushed meringue kisses, and edible pearls.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve. The cake can be made one day ahead and stored in an airtight container or cake box in the refrigerator.
NOTES
- Use cold butter to prevent the pastry from becoming too soft.
- Refrigerate the pastry before cutting to get cleaner cuts.
- Make extra chocolate decorations in case some break.
- Start piping from the outer edge for a neat and uniform look.
- Store the cake in an airtight container to keep it fresh.
Leave a Reply