EXPLODING POPCORN CAKE

I'll admit that the title is a tad dramatic, but let's roll with it :p
I got the idea for this cake when my sister told me that she wanted a popcorn-themed cake for her birthday this year - kinda like the tie-dye cake with popcorn frosting I made for my mum back in April. As I'm not a big fan of making the same things twice, I decided to create a variation and reverse the structure, which led to this popcorn-filled cake.

To recreate this cake, you'll need to start with three basic sponge cakes, and you can feel free to use any gel food colouring in the batter to make the inside more eye-catching. I already have a recipe for sponge cake, so simply quadruple the quantities.

I also used ready-roll fondant icing to cover the cake, and this can be found at supermarkets/online, or you can try making your own from scratch by following a reliable recipe.

You can also use shop-bought popcorn, but I like making it fresh. Follow my tips from this recipe for making perfect popcorn every time. Sprinkle some icing sugar over the popcorn for sweetness.

To achieve the gold sheen, I used a gold edible lustre spray like the one below (available on Amazon):

You'll need:
- 3 sponge cakes (click for full recipe)
- gel food colouring (optional)
- popcorn (sprinkled with icing sugar for a sweet finish)
- chocolate ganache (200g dark chocolate; 200g cocoa powder; 1-2 cups almond milk)
- 2 packs of fondant icing
- piping bag

Steps
1. Trim and level your three sponge cakes, making sure they are all the same size.

2. Take one of the sponges and cut a hole in the middle of it, using a small bowl as a guideline to trace around.

3. Place one of the full sponges on a cake board, spreading a little chocolate ganache on the bottom to help it stick in place. Place the second sponge layer on top - the one with the hole in the middle - making sure it aligns well. Spread some chocolate ganache between layers if you wish.

4. Fill the empty space with a generous helping of sweet popcorn. Then place the final layer on top. If necessary, use a serrated knife to trim around the cake to get an even surface all the way around.

5. Cover the entire cake with the rest of the chocolate ganache.

6. Roll out your fondant icing on a surface dusted with some icing sugar. Lay it carefully over the cake and smooth around the edges. Trim off any excess and use to create any additional design you'd like - I went for a simple leaf pattern all the way around. Spray the entire cake with the edible gold sheen and allow to dry completely before adding any final touches such as a ribbon or piped lettering/designs.