Start by making 24.5lbs of Ultimate Chocolate cake. This cake will be made up of five cakes in different sizes all being baked at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for varying amounts of time. To begin, line two 12” round pans with parchment paper and pour 4lbs of batter into each then bake for 50 minutes. Pour 3.5lbs into a 10” round pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Line two 9” round pans pouring 3lbs of batter into each and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes as well. Next, line two 8” round pans pouring 2.5lbs of batter into each pan then bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Lastly, pour 2lbs into a lined 7” round pan baking for 1 hour.

To begin with the bottom of the Giant Movie Night cupcake, level one 12”,10”, 9”, and one 8” cake.

Use Sir Squeeze-A-Lot to soak all of your leveled layers with simple syrup then let them sit for a few minutes to absorb.

Begin building your cake starting with the largest layer at the bottom working your way up to the smallest at the top and filling each layer with chocolate ganache. Let the cakes chill until they are firm enough to carve.

Smooth out the layers by carving them into an A-line shape replicating an upside-down base of a cupcake.

Crumb coat the cake with chocolate ganache then let it cool in the fridge until firm.

Ice your cake with some more chocolate ganache using a bench scraper to smooth

Add a foam board cut to the size of the smallest layer and add it to the top of the cake.

Brush the surface of the cake with a little bit of water then cover with golden yellow fondant making sure you smooth it out then trim off the excess. Because the cupcake base will be flipped over, cut off the circular layer of fondant on the very top above the board by holding the knife horizontal flush to the board.

Take a paper measuring tape and wrap it around the base of the cake making marks at equal measurements. Count how many spaces you have created then make a paper template that is the same size as the top of the cake then fold it into however many spaces you counted at the bottom of the cupcake. Connect the lines with a long ruler and press it into the fondant creating an indent from the bottom edge to the top.

Mix together gold luster dust and some clear food grade alcohol then paint the whole cupcake bottom. If you don’t think your cupcake is gold enough yet, wait for that layer to dry then paint on another coat.

Moving onto the top of the Movie Night Cupcake, remove and level the last 12”, 9”, 8”, and 7” round cakes.

Carve the 12” cake by rounding off the top – this will act as the bottom layer of the cupcake top. Next, cut the 7” cake in half making it shorter (you will only be using one half). Now carve all of the layers (except for the already done 12” one) by rounding off both the top and bottom edges. Take all your leftover humps that you took off the other layers and stack them up with the smallest on top then carve them into a small peak.

Use Sir Squeeze-A-Lot to soak all of your leveled layers with simple syrup then let them sit for a few minutes to absorb.

Cut a chamber out of the 12”, 9”, and 8” layers using a circle cutter.

Crumb coat the top three layers of the cake with chocolate buttercream and let it cool in the fridge until firm. Place the largest and last layer onto a foam board cut to size then crumb coat it with chocolate ganache letting it sit in the fridge as well until it is firm.

Ice the top cakes again with more chocolate buttercream using my invention (a small piece of acetate) to smooth it out. The tip of the cake may be difficult so take your time to ensure the shape is maintained. Ice the last 12” layer once more with ganache using the invention to smooth it out.

Cover the exterior of the last 12” layer covered in ganache with M&Ms. Make sure to do this really quickly before the ganache dries out so that the M&Ms stick to it.

Place a board on top of the cupcake bottom and flip it over so that the smaller end is on the bottom. Insert dowels into the center in a circular formation to add extra support to the cake. Spread some royal icing onto the cake then add the M&M covered layer onto the top.

TIP: Using royal icing to glue layers in place helps because it dries hard making it more secure.

Fill the secret chamber with M&Ms until the candy reaches the top – both plain and peanut.

Add the largest chocolate buttercream layer to the cake then continue to fill the chamber. Repeat this until you reach the top of the cake and the chamber is full then add the top peak layer.

This is the fun part of this cake. Cover the rest of the cake with all of your extra candy and treats until you are satisfied with it! There is no such thing as too many treats on movie night so load your cake up!