I'm teaching myself cake decorating, so my coworkers get to eat the results of my experiments. This Pocky cake was for a coworker who loves Pocky, the yummy Japanese cookie.

Step 1: Make the Cake!

The cake was an Italian Cream Cake, but could be any cake you like. I made a 13x9 cake, and torted it (cut it into 3 horizontal layers). I filled between the layers with vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream. At this point it's a good idea to refrigerate the cake to prepare for cutting and carving. Wrap the cake in a few layers of plastic wrap to keep the cake from absorbing refrigerator odors and chill for at least an hour.

The diagram shows how the cake was torted and filled.

Recipe for a doctored cake-mix Italian Cream Cake
courtesy cakecentral.com

1/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup oil
1 cup sour cream
4 whole eggs
1 box white cake mix
1 small box instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup sweetend flaked coconut
2/3 cup pecans or walnuts

Combine buttermilk, oil, sour cream and eggs in mixer bowl. Add cake mix and pudding mix and beat on low speed to combine, about 2 minutes. Add coconut and pecans (or walnuts), mix another 2 minutes. Batter will be very thick. Spoon batter into prepared 9 x13" pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Recipe for Swiss Meringue Buttercream
courtesy The Joy of Cooking

4 large egg whites (Whisk together in a large stainless-steel bowl)
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter
1 to 2 tablespoons liqueur (optional)

Set the bowl in a wide, deep skillet filled with about 1 inch of simmering water. Make sure the water level is at least as high as the depth of the egg whites in the bowl. Beat the whites on low speed until the mixture reaches 140 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Do not stop beating while the bowl is in the skillet, or the egg whites will be overcooked. If you cannot hold the thermometer stem in the egg whites while continuing to beat, remove the bowl from the skillet just to read the thermometer, then return the bowl to the skillet. Beat on high speed just until the mixture reaches 160 degrees, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove the bowl from the skillet and add:

1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat on high speed for 3 to 5 more minutes, to cool. The mixture should hold glossy marshmallowy peaks. In another large bowl, beat until creamy, about 30 seconds:

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter

Beat a large dollop of the meringue into the butter until well combined. Continue to beat in about half of the meringue in large dollops. Scrape the remaining meringue into the mixture and beat until smooth and fluffy. Beat in:

1 to 2 tablespoons liqueur (optional)

This keeps, refrigerated, for up to 6 days. Or freeze for up to 6 months.

Step 2: Cut and Carve

After chillin in the fridge for an hour or so (you can even freeze the cake, just let it thaw completely while covered in plastic to avoid condensation), unwrap the cake and cut into long thirds, 13" x 3", as indicated in the diagram.

Lay them end to end on a cake board. I made my cake board with several layers of thick cardboard, glued together and covered with food-safe freezer paper.

Step 3: Carve!

Using a serrated knife, carve the general shape of the Pocky. Basically just round the edges, and make a portion of one end smaller as seen in the photo. Let the knife do the work, and don't push too hard, be gentle and use a sawing motion to cut the cake. The colder the cake, the easier it is to carve. You should do the carving shortly after it comes out of the fridge, because you won't be able to fit it in the fridge after it's put together. (Unless you have some kind of crazy massive industrial refrigerator).

I'm about halfway done carving in this photo. the scraps make yummy snacks!

Step 4: Cover the Cake With Buttercream

I didn't have a photo of this step, but you'll want to cover the whole cake with a layer of buttercream. Don't put it on too thick or the weight of the fondant will push it out the sides and bottom. I'd aim for no more than 1/8" to 1/4" of buttercream.

In this step, use your buttercream to fill in the gaps and dips between the sections, or wherever your carving wasn't perfect. If it's thicker in those spots than 1/4" that's probably going to be fine.

You should do this in a cool room, since you won't be able to refrigerate it the cake. The middle of the summer with no A/C is not a good time to make your Pocky cake!

Step 5: Roll Out Fondant

I made my own chocolate marshmallow fondant, but you can buy it too. I do not recommend the Wilton brand, as it doesn't taste very good. You'll get the best flavor making your own or buying some from a specialty cake shop. You're actually better off making your fondant in advance and letting it sit, but if you can't let it sit, it won't be the end of the world - I used mine right away.

I first made this recipe with dutch process cocoa and it went horribly wrong (see photo), so I tried it again with regular cocoa and it was much better.

Roll the fondant out to approximately 1/8 to 1/4" thick. You can either roll it on a mixture of cornstarch and powdered sugar or on a surface covered with vegetable shortening to prevent sticking. Pick the fondant up and turn it periodically while you're rolling - also to prevent sticking. Roll it long and wide enough so it will cover the tops and sides of the cake, with at least an inch or two overage.

Recipe for Chocolate Marshmallow Fondant
courtesy cakecentral.com

15 oz. mini marshmallows
2 T water
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
2 tsp light corn syrup (helps w/ pliability)
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 to 3/4 C cocoa
6 C confectioner's sugar, sifted
1/2 C Crisco or vegetable shortening

Grease microwave proof bowl w/ Crisco. Also grease wooden or heat proof spoon. Pour marshmallows and water into bowl. Microwave for approximately 2 minutes stopping and stirring at 40 second intervals. Mixture should be soupy.

Take out of microwave and immediately add corn syrup, cocoa, lemon juice, salt and extract. Stir well. Sift confectioner's sugar into mixture, one cup at a time. After approximately 5 cups, grease your hands well with Crisco and knead the mixture in the bowl. Add the sixth cup and continue to knead. Now grease your work surface well and turn mixture out of bowl onto counter and knead well. If mixture seems soft, add one additional cup of powdered sugar.

Shape into a mound and put a coating of crisco on outside. Double wrap in cling wrap and insert into ziplock bag. Press air out of bag and seal. Allow to rest overnight, but, can be used after sitting for a few hours.

Step 6: Cover Cake With Fondant

To get the fondant on the cake, roll it up loosely onto a rolling pin, then lay it gently over the cake - unrolling as you go. Immediately begin smoothing the fondant by rubbing your clean hands over the fondant to adhere it to the buttercream and smooth it. You can also use a fondant smoother for this. trim the excess on the bottom with a pizza cutter.

I had a small amount of plain marshmallow fondant left over from a previous cake that I colored a light brown color and used to cover the "handle" portion of the pocky.

Step 7: Fondant Lettering

I found a copy of the Pocky logo and printed it out the size I wanted. I cut the letters out and used them as a template to cut out letters from a small amount of red fondant (plain fondant colored with red gel food coloring). I rolled the fondant out about 1/8" thin and cut the letters using an xacto knife.

I adhered the letters to the cake with a small amount of water and with a dry brush, dusted on "luster dust" (available at cake supply stores) to achieve the groovy sparkly finish.

Step 8: Admire and Enjoy

That's it - hope you liked it! I sure enjoyed making it - and eating it. One other great thing about this cake is that it's perfect for cutting - just cut it into 1-2" slices and you've got an instant party. Enjoy!