FALLOUT FANCY LAD SNACK CAKES INSPIRED BY FALLOUT 76

For the Cake

Start by creaming your softened butter and granulated sugar together on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of your bowl.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, making sure everything’s fully incorporated. Then, pour in the vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, whisk together your cake flour, baking powder, kosher salt, and that unusual but intriguing allspice until homogeneous.

Now, add your dry ingredients in thirds to the butter mixture, alternating with half of your whole milk. Scrape those sides of the bowl often.

After the last third of dry ingredients, stir in the Greek yogurt and mix until smooth.

Pour the batter into a greased and parchment-lined 9x13-inch (23x33 cm)casserole dish, smoothing the surface for an even bake.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

For the Baking

Pop that into a preheated 350°F oven for about 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown and the edges start pulling away from the pan. Let it cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the Marshmallow Cream Cheese Frosting.

For the Marshmallow Cream Cheese Frosting

Combine the cream cheese, marshmallow fluff, and softened butter. Whip until fluffy and smooth.

Add powdered sugar, then vanilla extract, and continue mixing until you have a fluffy frosting.

For the Assembly

Once the cake is cool, level off the domed top with a serrated knife. Trim edges if you want neat squares.

Cut the cake into roughly 2.5-inch (6 cm) squares. Then carefully slice each square horizontally to create two thin layers.

Pipe or spread a generous amount of marshmallow frosting on the bottom halves and sandwich with the tops.

Apply a thin “crumb coat” of frosting on the sides for a smooth finish. This is your sticky canvas for the fondant.

For the White Chocolate Fondant Coating

Set up a double boiler and gently melt the white chocolate candy melts with the vegetable shortening until silky and smooth.

For the Coating

Following the Fallout cookbook's suggestion, dip the sides of each cake first and let them harden completely before moving on to the top and bottom. This step requires some patience and dexterity, so get ready for a little game of musical baking sheets.

Trim any rough edges for clean lines, and fully coat each cake in that glossy white chocolate fondant.

Let the cakes sit until the fondant sets, about 2 hours.

For the Decoration

If you have leftover white chocolate, pipe on some designs or go classic with a dark chocolate drizzle for a “Zebra Cake” vibe Fallout-style.

For the Sponge Cake Batter

Preheat oven to 400 °F.

Combine room temperature eggs and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat using the wire whisk attachment for 4-6 minutes or until doubled in volume.

On medium speed, slowly stream in melted butter.

Then, in a separate bowl, whisk together flour, ground cinnamon, cardamom, freshly grated nutmeg, and kosher salt.

Slowly sift the dry mixture into the wet mixture a little bit at a time, very gently folding each addition into the batter using a rubber spatula. Be very gentle during this process making sure to incorporate all of the dry mixture without deflating the fluffy egg mixture.

Once no dry pockets remain, prepare a rimmed baking sheet with a generous spray of Pam or cooking oil, parchment paper, then another spray of Pam.

Then, carefully pour the cake batter onto the baking sheet keeping it as smooth as possible using an offset spatula.

Transfer to the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until it’s lightly brown and no longer bubbling.

Set aside and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, make the Whipped White Chocolate Ganache.

For the Whipped White Chocolate Ganache

Finely chop white chocolate using a food processor and transfer to a heatproof mixing bowl.

Bring heavy cream to a bare simmer, then gently pour over the chopped white chocolate. Mix to distribute, then cover and let rest for 5 minutes.

Whisk until smooth, cover with plastic wrap, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until consistency of yogurt.

After 2 hours, transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment and whip on medium-high speed for 45 seconds to 1 minute until its consistency is a stable whipped cream.

Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a round tip and prepare for snack cake assembly.

For the Assembly

Carefully remove the entire sponge cake sheet from the baking pan by lifting the parchment paper.

Then, cut out individual cakes using your cookie cutter mold.

Very carefully slice each cake in half using a very sharp knife and transfer the individual halves to a wire-racked baking sheet, insides up.

For the Spiced Cake Soak

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine granulated sugar, water, and star anise pods. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes until slightly thickened.

Remove star anise pods, then once the mixture is slightly cooled, add vanilla extract.

For the Assembly Continued

Delicately brush each cake half with the Spiced Cake Soak.

Then, pipe a dollop of Whipped White Chocolate Ganache on the bottom halves. The ganache should squish out the sides a bit when the top halves sandwich the ganache. Adjust as necessary and repeat with all cakes.

Then, transfer to the freezer for 20 minutes to firm up.

Remove from the freezer once firm, then apply a thin “crumb coat” of frosting on the sides for a smooth finish. This is your sticky canvas for the fondant.

For the Fondant Coating

In a mixing bowl, combine powdered sugar, light corn syrup, hot water, and melted white chocolate.

Beat with a wire whisk until thick but still pourable.

For the Final Assembly

Prepare a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet.

Place the cakes one at a time on the prepared baking sheet.

Then pour the thick fondant over top, draping it around the outsides first and then finishing the top.

Allow the fondant to set, around 1 to 2 hours. You can speed the process by placing the cakes in the fridge but that can dull the coating.

Using leftover melted white chocolate, pipe on some designs or go classic with a dark chocolate drizzle for a “Zebra Cake” vibe Fallout-style.

Remove from the wire rack using an offset spatula to scrape extra fondant off, plate, and serve.