Sushi Illusion Cake Toppers – World Sushi Day
Learn how to create makizushi (sushi rolls), nigirizushi (finger sushi), gunkan (battleship sushi) cakes as well as wasabi and pickled ginger using Renshaw Creamy Vanilla Soft Icing and Various Ready to Roll Fondant Icings.
Uploaded by Freya Mowbray
Baking ingredients
- Spare sponge cake/cut offs.
- 400 g Renshaw Creamy Vanilla Soft Icing (1 Pot)
Decorating ingredients
- 250 g Renshaw Fondant Icing Jet Black
- 250 g Renshaw Fondant Icing Pink
- 250 g Renshaw Fondant Icing Tiger Orange
- 250 g Renshaw Fondant Icing Yellow
- 250 g Renshaw Fondant Icing White
- 250 g Renshaw Fondant Icing Emerald Green
- 250 g Renshaw Fondant Icing Poppy Red
- Rainbow Dust Edible Glue
- White vermicelli sprinkles/sugar strands (matt)
- Edible Glaze
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Instructions
You will need the following equipment:
Step 1
Spatula, Spoon, Mixing Bowl, Knife, Scissors, Piping Bags, Strip Cutter, Ruler, Cake Pop Scoop or Small Ice Cream Scoop, Icing Sugar, Small Rolling Pin and an Icing Smoother.
Preparing the cake & icing mix:
Step 3
Mix Icing well in pot. Add just enough Icing to the cake crumb (approximately 1/3 of the weight) and mix well until fully incorporated. The mixture should just hold together and not be too wet or greasy.
Step 4
Place the remaining Icing into a piping bag and snip off the end to reveal a small opening.
Step 5
Scoop out the mixture using the cake pop scoop and form into rounded rectangle shapes for the nigiri and gunkan and rounded square shapes for the maki. Chill in the fridge until firm.
Preparing the maki and gunkan sushi:
Step 6
Knead the Jet Black Icing until smooth and pliable. Lightly dust the surface with icing sugar and pin out into a long rectangle approximately 1mm thick for the seaweed.
Step 7
Measure the height of the pieces of maki and nigiri and cut strips of Icing approximately 1cm wider to leave space to “fill” the sushi. Flip the Icing over and brush with a little Edible Glue. Line the bottom of the sushi up with one length of the Icing and wrap, trim to size.
Preparing the nigiri:
Step 8
Coat the chilled nigiri shaped cake with a thin layer of Vanilla Icing, decant the white vermicelli sprinkles into a bowl and dip in each side of the nigiri until fully coated.
Cucumber Maki:
Step 9
Make a pastel green by mixing together White and Emerald Green Icing. Roll a small amount into a 1cm round sausage and square off using the smoothers. Reserve a piece for the wasabi
Step 10
Roll another thicker sausage of Emerald Green and pin out to 1-2mm thick. Brush with a little Glue and lay the pastel green Icing on top. Trim the Emerald Green to size. Cut the cucumber slices into 1cm chunks. Soften the cut edges by rolling between the fingers.
Step 11
Coat the top surface of the maki cake with a thin layer of Vanilla Icing and place the cucumber chunk in the centre. Sprinkle in the white vermicelli around the cucumber. Brush or spray over with edible glaze.
Yellow, Green and Red Pepper Maki:
Step 12
Knead the Yellow, Emerald Green and Red Icings until smooth and pliable. Roll into 1cm round sausages and square off using the smoothers. Cut each into 1cm cubes. Soften the cut edges by rolling between the fingers.
Step 13
Coat the top surface of the maki cake with a thin layer of Vanilla Icing and place the pepper chunk in the centre. Sprinkle in the white vermicelli around the pepper. Brush or spray over with edible glaze.
Avocado Maki:
Step 14
Take the remaining pastel green and mix with an equal amount of White and half the amount of Yellow Icing to make an avocado green. Roll into a 1cm round sausage and square off using the smoothers. Cut into 1cm cubes. Soften the cut edges by rolling between the fingers.
Step 15
Coat the top surface of the maki cake with a thin layer of Vanilla Icing and place an avocado chunk in the centre. Reserve the rest for the avocado gunkan and salmon and avocado nigiri. Sprinkle in the white vermicelli around the avocado. Brush or spray over with edible glaze.
Avocado Gunkan:
Step 16
Coat the top surface of the gunkan cake with a thin layer of Vanilla Icing and stack in the avocado chunks from above. Brush or spray over with edible glaze.
Salmon Nigiri:
Step 17
Mix equal amounts of Tiger Orange and White and half the amount of Pink to make a salmon colour. Roll into a thick sausage, cut into 6 or 7 pieces. Roll a little white into a thinner sausage and cut this into pieces of equal length. Line up the pieces alternating the two colours and press together.
Step 18
Roll out lengthways to 3-4mm thick then cut into strips of the same width as the nigiri making sure the stripes are horizontal across the length. Cut each strip so it is slightly longer than the nigiri. Soften the cut edges by pressing between the fingers.
Step 19
Cut some of the remaining Icing into 1cm wide strips and reserve for the salmon gunkan. Soften the cut edges by pressing between the fingers. Briefly knead together the excess Icing so it remains marbled and reserve for the salmon maki.
Step 20
Pipe a small dot of Vanilla Icing onto the top of a piece of prepared nigiri and lay the strip of salmon on top.
Step 21
Roll out a long sausage of Black Icing to 1mm thick and cut a 1cm wide strip for the seaweed wrap. Turn over and brush with Glue, wrap around the middle of the sushi from the top and cut to size with the seam at the bottom. Brush or spray over the salmon and seaweed with edible glaze.
Salmon Maki:
Step 22
Roll a small amount of the reserved marbled salmon Icing into a 1cm round sausage and square off using the smoothers. Cut into 1cm cubes. Soften the cut edges by rolling between the fingers.
Step 23
Coat the top surface of the maki cake with a thin layer of Vanilla Icing and place the salmon chunk in the centre sprinkling in the white vermicelli around the outside. Brush or spray over with edible glaze.
Salmon & Avocado Maki:
Step 24
Roll a small amount of the reserved marbled salmon Icing into a 1cm round sausage and square off using the smoothers. Cut into 1cm cubes. Soften the cut edges by rolling between the fingers
Step 25
Coat the top surface of the maki cake with a thin layer of Vanilla Icing and place the salmon and an avocado chunk in the centre sprinkling in the white vermicelli around the outside. Brush or spray over with edible glaze.
Salmon Gunkan:
Step 26
Coat the top surface of the gunkan cake with a thin layer of Vanilla Icing. Lay the 1cm wide salmon strips over the top creating a pile. Brush or spray over with edible glaze.
Plain Gunkan:
Step 27
Coat the top surface of the gunkan cake with a thin layer of Vanilla Icing. Sprinkle in the white vermicelli sprinkles until they come just above the seaweed.
Tuna Nigiri:
Step 28
Mix Poppy Red with half the amount of Tiger Orange and quarter the amount of White Icing to make a deep coral colour. Roll into a thick sausage, cut into 6 or 7 pieces. Roll a little white into a thinner sausage and cut this into pieces of equal length. Line up the pieces alternating the two colours and press together.
Step 29
Roll out lengthways to 3-4mm thick then cut into strips of the same width as the nigiri making sure the stripes are horizontal across the length. Cut each strip so it is slightly longer than the nigiri. Soften the cut edges by pressing between the fingers. Reserve any excess Icing and follow steps above to make a tuna gunkan or maki if desired.
Step 30
Pipe a small dot of Vanilla Icing onto the top of a piece of prepared nigiri and lay the strip of tuna on top.
Step 31
Roll out a long sausage of Black Icing to 1mm thick and cut a 1cm wide strip for the seaweed wrap. Turn over and brush with Glue, wrap around the middle of the sushi from the top and cut to size with the seam at the bottom. Brush or spray over the tuna and seaweed with edible glaze.
Egg Nigiri:
Step 32
Mix White with half the amount of Yellow Icing until pale but still marbled in colour. Roll out to 3-4mm thick and cut into strips of the same width but slightly longer than the nigiri. Soften the cut edges by pressing between the fingers.
Step 33
Score a swirl into the top of the egg with the back of a knife. Pipe a small dot of Vanilla Icing onto the top of a piece of prepared nigiri and lay the strip of egg on top.
Step 34
Roll out a long sausage of Black Icing to 1mm thick and cut a 1cm wide strip for the seaweed wrap. Turn over and brush with Glue, wrap around the middle of the sushi from the top and cut to size with the seam at the bottom. Brush or spray over the egg and seaweed with edible glaze.
Wasabi:
Step 35
Take the reserved pastel green from the cucumber sushi and roll roughly into rounds. Indent lightly with your finger in several places and place next to the sushi.
Pickled Ginger:
Step 36
Mix together equal amounts of Tiger Orange and Pink to double the amount of White Icing to create a pale salmon pink colour.
Step 37
Pin out to 1mm thin and cut into thin 1cm strips. Lay into a small pile and glaze to create the pickled ginger. Serve with the sushi.
Top Tips:
Step 38
Add 1/2tsp of Tylo Powder per 250g Ready to Roll Icing to make it a little firmer if needed.
Step 39
Serve the sushi on a board with chopsticks and a small bowl of soy sauce to create the ultimate illusion.
Step 40
If you don’t have a cake pop or ice cream scoop, take a piece of the cake mixture and form it into a life-size piece of sushi. Weigh this piece and use as a guide to ensure all the other pieces of sushi are the same size.
Step 41
Use matt vermicelli/sugar strands for a more realistic effect.
Step 42
If you can’t find white vermicelli sprinkles try using desiccated coconut instead.