The things you’ll need

• ¼ cup butter, unsalted
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup sour cream
• ¼ cup whole milk
• 1 ½ teaspoons red gel color
• White buttercream frosting in a decorating bag
• Red & white fondant
• White royal icing in a decorating bag with a #2 tip

• Large bowl
• Medium bowl
• Small bowl
• Hand mixer with attachments
• Rubber spatula
• Whisk
• Ro’s Ball Pan, greased
• Baking sheet lined with parchment paper
• Large fondant roller
• Sharp knife
• Mario template

Let’s get started!

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a medium bowl mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In a small bowl, mix together milk and sour cream and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy using an electric hand mixer.
5. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition.
6. On low speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk mixture to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
7. Pour 2/3 of the batter into a greased ball pan and 1/3 of the batter into the 8-inch cake pan.
8. Bake the cake in the ball pan for 55 minutes and the 8-inch cake for 25 minutes.
9. Remove the cakes from the oven and cool completely.

Time to decorate!

1. Using a template, cut the 8-inch cake into the shape of the bill of Mario’s hat.
2. Frost 8-inch round cake and attach the half-sphere cake.
3. Frost the entire cake with a thin layer of frosting and chill the cake for 30 minutes.
4. Roll out red fondant to a ¼ inch thick and cover entire cake.
5. Use the Mario Hat Template to make a fondant logo.
6. Attach the logo to the front of the cake.