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1
To make cake topper, outline a template of GEEK in a relatively thick font on a paper. Place a parchment paper over it.
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2
Place candy melts in a microwaveable Ziploc bag. Microwave on high for 20 to 30 seconds to completely melt the candy melts. Add oil if it's too thick to pipe. Push the melted candy toward one corner of the bag. With a pair of scissors, snip off a very small opening.
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3
Start piping the candy over the template, starting with the outline. Then fill with zigzags inside the outline.
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4
Let it dry completely before peeling the cake topper off the parchment paper.
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5
Preheat oven to 325F. Grease three 5-inch cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.
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6
In a standing mixer with a whisk attachment, whisk eggs and sugar on high speed for 5 minutes, until light and triple in volume.
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7
In a large bowl, sift together the flour and salt.
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8
Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture on low speed, and mix until just incorporated.
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9
Spoon about 1/2 cup of the cake batter into a bowl, and stir in the melted butter and vanilla. Add the mixture back to the cake batter and gently fold with a spatula until blended.
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10
Pour the batter into the prepared pans evenly and smooth the top. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the centre of the cakes spring back when gently pressed. Let cool completely in the pans.
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11
Run a pairing knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Peel off the parchment paper circles.
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12
To prepare pastry cream, cook milk, vanilla and salt in a saucepan over medium heat to bring the mixture just to a boil. Stir occasionally.
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13
While the milk is cooking, in a bowl whisk together egg and sugar until the mixture becomes pale. Add cornstarch and mix until smooth.
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14
Slowly add 1/3 of milk mixture to egg mixture, whisking continuously. Pour the milk-egg mixture back to the saucepan. Cook over low heat and whisk continuously until the custard is thickened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
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15
Pour the custard through the sieve and into a bowl to make it super smooth.
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16
Let cool for 15 minutes. Put a plastic wrap right on top of the cream to prevent skin forming. Refrigerate until cold and set, at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.
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17
To prepare ganache, place the chocolate, heavy cream and corn syrup in a medium heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Stir the mixture using a wooden spoon until melted and smooth, about 5 minutes.
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18
To assemble the cake, sandwich each cake layer with a thick layer of pastry cream. Top with a final layer of chocolate ganache.
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19
Gently slice an opening on the top cake layer, but not too deep, just enough to hold the cake topper. Carefully place the cake topper on the cake.
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20
Chill in refrigerator. Leave it in room temperature for 15 minutes to soften the ganache before serving.
