Half a chocolate sandwich cake - help!

[SkunkButRug]

Trying to make a chocolate sandwich birthday cake but only 1 out of the now 4 sponge layers I have made is holding together. I don't have time or ingredients to make another one. What do I do?
Options, I think are:

1. ice and decorate as a single layer cake
2. cut in half and sandwich as a half moon but this will look exactly like half a cake 😔
3. split the cake and style it out with whipped cream and strawberries in the middle
4. give in and buy a bloody cake

I think if it tastes good try option 3, if it's not that great then option 4!

Just shove loads of cream and fruit in between the layers, then blame the moisture content! Style it out.

1 I think. But eat the other three layers, you need something to help you cope with the trauma

When you say they won’t hold together, what condition are they in? You can jigsaw a base layer, cover with buttercream/ganache and put the intact top layer on and that should work, even if you need to cannibalise a couple of layers to make it work.

Can you stick the broken bits together with buttercream? Once it's iced you won't be able to tell.

Bing messy cake required!

Can you serve it with cream/chocolate buttons etc in bowls and not as a formal cake?
Yes i would like some, thank you for asking

Can you use the broken layers - cut circles using a cutter or glass, then sandwich together with cream as mini cakes?

It tastes good so I have saved the spare layers to eat with ice cream another day They are totally shredded as it's quite a light cake so I don't think patchwork is going to work.
It does need to be a proper cake really.
Ok, I am going to try to split it, and if that cocks up then I am buying a cake! And gin. And wine.

Make cake pops with the broken bits? Or, cut it into a half moon shape, turn it on its side like a rainbow, ice/decorate and claim it as a design statement.

Id probably just buy a cake though.

Make the half moon cake and use the crumbled cake to make cake pop type things.

I've seen various recipes where you crumble the cake to breadcrumbs and mix with buttercream/ cream cheese / or peanut butter to make it all stick. Shape into balls and roll in hundreds and thousands / chocolate shavings

Link to a similar recipe but this baked again
brooklynfarmgirl.com/chocolate-peanut-butter-cake-balls-aka-what-to-make-when-a-cake-falls-apart/

I'd go with 3, and perhaps turn the broken layers into trifle/tiramisu and serve it as an alternative dessert?

I would use the good layer as a base, break up the broken cakes into quite small pieces, mix with whipped cream and strawberries or raspberries to hold it together and pile on top artfully, then drizzle with a chocolate sauce and scatter with chocolate buttons/pieces. Maybe pipe whipped cream around the base too with grated chocolate like a black forest gateau.

Or do the same with chocolate buttercream and maltesers, white and milk chocolate buttons etc. You could even make a chocolate "cage" using a pudding basin and melted chocolate.

Use the one good layer , half, and make a hedghog cake (butter icing and chocolate buttons to look like a hedghog)

@forestsmurf

Use the one good layer , half, and make a hedghog cake (butter icing and chocolate buttons to look like a hedghog)

Or a cat or a dinosaur

www.wikihow.com/Make-a-3D-Dinosaur-Birthday-Cake

Use the shredded layers mixed with buttercream (like you would for cake pops) to make the head and tail.

Eat the disaster to cheer yourself up and go and buy a caterpillar cake from M and S.

Bravo Norman you nailed it.

Split it, filled with strawberries and cream, and let the 6yo go mad with smarties & buttercream. Did catch her basically punching the smarties on whilst I washed up but cake has survived and looks not too bad, all things considered.
I'm buying one next time though

Looks great!

Looks great. Enjoy eating it! 😋

Looks wonderful - and a thousand times nicer than shop-bought!

Thank you! That's a nice thing to say x

If someone made that for my birthday I'd be well pleased OP. Lot of love went into that cake and it looks beautiful.

That looks lovely! Now go and self medicate with Gin and Wine🤣

Use it as a base for an ice cream cake. Top it with scoops of ice cream, fruit, chocolate sauce, nuts, whipped cream etc.

I'd rather have that than a shop bought one any day. Delicious