7 Steps to a Fun Football Fondant Cake

Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/350F/gas 4 and line two 8-inch (20cm) round tins. Beat 225g softened butter and 225g caster sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then add the 4 eggs one at a time. Fold in the 175g self-raising flour, 50g cocoa and 1 tsp baking powder, then loosen with 2 tbsp milk to a soft dropping consistency. Divide between the tins and bake for 25-30 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean and the tops spring back. Cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely before touching them.

Level both sponges with a serrated knife, then sandwich them with a 1cm layer of buttercream to build one tall, roughly 10cm-high round. For a ball-inspired dome, hold your knife at a shallow angle and shave the top edges all the way around, turning the cake as you go, removing thin slivers until the top curves into a smooth half-sphere. Carve conservatively, because you can always take more off but you cannot glue crumbs back on. Aim for a rounded mound rather than a flat-topped drum, and sweep away all loose crumbs before you move on.

Beat 250g softened butter for 5 minutes until almost white, then add the 500g sifted icing sugar in two batches and beat until smooth and spreadable. Spread a thin, tight crumb coat over the whole dome with a small palette knife, pressing frosting into any gaps so the surface is one continuous curve with no crumbs showing. This first layer traps crumbs and glues the shape together; it does not need to look pretty. Chill the crumb-coated cake for 20-30 minutes at fridge temperature (4C/39F) until the buttercream is firm to a gentle touch.

Spread a second, thicker layer of buttercream over the chilled dome, then smooth it with a warmed palette knife or a bench scraper held against the curve as you rotate the cake. The fondant will only ever look as good as this layer, so chase out every lump, bump and dimple now. Fill any low spots with extra buttercream and skim again until the dome is glassy and even. Chill once more for 15-20 minutes so the surface is cold and firm, which is what stops the fondant sagging later.

Knead the 700g white fondant for about 2 minutes until warm and stretchy, then roll it out on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar or on a silicone mat to an even 4-5mm (3/16 inch) thickness and roughly 40cm across. Lift it over a rolling pin, drape it centrally over the chilled dome, and quickly smooth from the top down with cupped hands, easing out any pleats before they set into folds. Work a fondant smoother in circles to polish the surface, then trim the excess neatly at the base with a pizza wheel or sharp knife. If a crack appears, rub a little vegetable shortening over it with your fingertip until it disappears.

Roll the 150g black fondant to 3mm and cut pentagons with a 4cm (1.5 inch) five-sided cutter; you need about 12 for a full ball-inspired pattern, but even 6 across the top reads clearly as a football. Brush the back of each pentagon with a thin film of water or edible glue, then place one at the very top pole and arrange five more around it so their points nearly touch, following the geometry of a real ball. Continue around the sides, keeping the gaps between panels even, and press each one gently so it hugs the curve without lifting at the edges. Wipe your fingers between panels so you do not smear black dye onto the white.

Tidy the base by pressing a thin rope of leftover black or green fondant around the bottom seam, or pipe a shell border in buttercream to hide the join. For extra realism, use a tracing wheel or the back of a knife to press faint stitch lines along the panel edges. Set the cake somewhere cool and dry, uncovered, for 1-2 hours so the fondant firms and the surface loses its tackiness before boxing. Serve at room temperature, slicing with a warm, dry knife so the fondant cuts cleanly rather than dragging.