How CUTE are these Totoro toppers? My bride brought them to me a couple of months ago, & they had been sitting on my desk looking adorable & keeping me company. I hated to give them up! She wanted a traditional cake with a nod to the Japanese Anime genre, so we went with the beautiful cherry blossom theme.

Top tier is my ‘cake-free cake ’! LOL! Gluten, soy, dairy, egg, & nut free, but still delicious, and the first time I’d ever made vegan ganache. Vegan chocolate and coconut milk……yum!!! (Big thanks to my girl Sharon Athanasiou of Not Your Average Cupcake for her amazing vegan advice & saving the day!)

Middle tier is Hot Chocolate Chip cake with chocolate chip cookie dough filling. And bottom tier is Southern Italian Cream cake.

The decor is a mix of hand-painted elements and 3D. Gumpaste cherry blossoms & chocolate fondant branches.