MAGNOSCOPIC WORMS

PREP TIME 1 HOUR (+ REFRIGERATION) SERVES 12

EQUIPMENT

40cm round cake board

CAKE

85g packet create-a-jelly crystals

(see tips on page 90)

1 teaspoon orange essence

600g packet white chocolate mud cake 1 quantity buttercream

(see recipe on page 94) 2 tablespoons cocoa powder 2 chocolate rollettes

DECORATIONS

3 Killer Pythons

2 yellow jelly snakes

1 purple jelly snake

1 Make the jelly following packet directions; stir in essence. Pour jelly into a shallow dish; refrigerate for 30 minutes or until jelly is the consistency of unbeaten egg whites.

2 Meanwhile, using a small serrated knife and a tablespoon, scoop out a recess in centre of cake about 3cm deep, leaving a 2.5cm border around edge. Secure cake on cake board with a little buttercream.

3 Reserve a third of the buttercream. Stir cocoa powder into remaining buttercream. Spread inside of recess with reserved plain buttercream.

4 Attach rollettes to one end of cake with a little buttercream to make a magnifying glass handle; spread chocolate buttercream over handle, and top and side of cake.

5 Cut pythons in half; discard tail end. Position pythons in recess of cake. Spoon enough jelly over pythons to cover them and come up to the rim of the cake. Refrigerate cake until jelly is set.

6 Cut heads from snakes; discard. Attach snakes to outside of cake to match pythons, as pictured, to give the illusion of “worm” tails.