Checkerboard Cake

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Baking the Cake:

10lbs Yo’s Ultimate Vanilla Cake dyed red

10lbs Black Chocolate Cake

Icing the Cake:

1 batch of Simple Syrup

1 batch of Italian Meringue Buttercream

Decorating the Cake:

3lbs red fondant

4lbs black fondant

1lb dull yellow fondant

Gold lustre dust

Food grade alcohol

½ bag (6oz) red candy melts

½ bag (6oz) black candy melts

Item Name:	Availability:
2 x 12x18" Rectangular Cake Pan
Sir Squeeze A Lot Bottle	Add to Cart - $19.99
Parchment Paper	Add to Cart -
Xacto Knife	Add to Cart -
Checker Piece Chocolate Mold
Piping Bag	Add to Cart -

Checkerboard Pieces

Melt your red candy melts then add it to a piping bag. Pipe it into cavities of your check piece chocolate mold. Allow them to set then repeat the same steps with black candy melts.

Bake Your Cakes

Line your pans with parchment paper then preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake your cakes as follows:

12x18” rectangular cake pan → 10lbs red vanilla cake → 1 hour and 30 minutes

12x18” rectangular cake pan → 10lbs black chocolate cake → 1 hour and 20 minutes

TIP: Let your cakes cool completely in their pans and chill them.

Level & Decaramlize

Remove your cakes from their pans then level each of them. Remove the caramelization from the red cake.

Cubes

Use a large serrated knife to carefully cut each cake into 32 cubes (2x2”). Try to make each one as even as possible.

Keep It Simple!

Use Sir Squeeze A Lot to soak each of your cubes with simple syrup.

Assembly

Assemble your cubes on a cake board like a checkerboard (alternating the cake colors). Use a bit of IMBC to glue each cube down.

TIP: I used masking tape as a border guide.

Crumb Coat & Chill pt. 1

Use a small offset spatula to crumb coat the sides of the entire cake and let it chill in the fridge.

Re-Level

Remove your cake from the fridge then re-level the top to ensure that each cube is the same height and is completely flat.

Crumb Coat & Chill → Ice Ice Cakey

Crumb coat your entire cake now then place it back in the fridge to chill. Remove your cake and ice the entire cake once more and chill it again.

FUNdant Prep

Roll your red and black fondant into two sheets. Measure the sides of your cake then measure out 4 bands (long enough to wrap around). Cut each band to the same width of the sides of the cake.

Black FUNdant

Add the fondant to the sides of the cake and smooth it out. Trim away any excess.

IMBC

Once all the four sides are on, use an offset spatula to fill and level the top of the game with IMBC.

Red FUNdant

Roll out a sheet on fondant large enough for the surface of your cake then lay it on top.

Measure out the Grid

Mark a grid pattern on the top of your cakes - halfway lines first then horizontal and vertical lines.

Grid Marks

Roll out thin dull yellow fondant then cut it into ⅛” strips. Lay the strips onto the grid lines you made and glue them down with clear piping gel. When laying the lines in the opposite direction, trim the lines where they overlap with an Xacto knife so the lines lay flat. Chill your cake if necessary.

Add a Little Gold

Mix some gold lustre dust together with some clear food grade alcohol then paint the yellow strips and allow them to dry. Don’t worry if you get the paint on the fondant because you will be covering it in the next step.

Borders

Measure the width of the borders (around the yellow grid lines) then cut strips from black fondant of the same width. Cut away the excess red fondant then add the black strips around the four sides. Trim the corners in an angle.

Colored Squares

Measure the space between the gold lines then cut square from your red and black sheets of fondant. Glue the squares down with clear piping gel in between the gold lines in a checkerboard pattern. You may need to trim the squares as you go.

NOTE: Make sure that your red and black fondant are the same thickness as the yellow grid lines so they lay flat together. You may have to reroll the fondant like I did.

Time to Play!

Pop your candy melt checkerboard pieces out of the molds and it’s time to play!