My dear Mother-in-Law (affectionately known around here as “Nani”) had a birthday this month and I wanted to do something special for her. Since Autumn is her favorite season, I used that as my inspiration.

This is an 8-inch square double-chocolate cake frosted with salted caramel buttercream. All of the decorations are made from homemade fondant except for the sticks, which are modeling chocolate. The multi-colored leaves are made by marbling 2 or 3 colors of fondant before rolling it out, giving the effect of fall colors (as my daughter collects them constantly, I’ve studied many fallen leaves over the weeks!).

Happy birthday, Mom, I hope you enjoy your special cake…It definitely was made with love!