Do you remember what it was like as a child to open a book of fairy tales and believe that it really exists? To see all those fantasies in your mind and know that there is a place where everyone lives, in a real life fairy tale. Well, I am here to tell you that it is here on this planet in all its whimsical truth.

The castle of a sleeping princess invites you with its light pastels to welcome all who wish to come with as much joy and imagination as they can bear. Peter Pan is flying to your right, Mr. Toad is riding the roads with his crazy cars and Alice is having a tea party at the pavilion. Talking trains and a mountain holding an ancient monster await those who are ready for adventure. When you think you’ve seen it all, the world’s greatest dream comes true. All the children of the world come together in total peace and harmony.

The sounds are beyond reality and yet right in front of you. Behind the light and whimsical music came the sounds of the carousel enchanting the day. The trains, the boats, the characters and the music make you believe that all the sounds you heard as a child came together to manifest in this reality.

Are you surprised by the feeling of the sword within your hands pulled out of a rough stone by the future king? Each texture changes and rotates to make each fairy tale its own book. Mosaics of dreamy fairy tales and rough stones that feel like the adventures you knew within yourself in an earlier time. You know that you can meet any of your heart’s desires at your calling and through the power of your own fantasy.

Candy apples, hot dogs, and popcorn float in the wind. Your heart soars with all the joy and sweetness of childhood. It was a time when the sun was coming through the curtains and mom was baking cookies in the kitchen. It was all a game and one day another exciting story to tell.

Enter Gepetto’s Restaurant and the smells become a taste. From cheeseburgers and fries to cookies, your head is spinning. So he tastes the cake. A fruit cake of a light delicacy filled with fruits and spices naturally sweet and hearty. Delicate and powerful at the same time, she completes the picture.

Do you think that it only exists in your head, that maybe you have made it all up? Wouldn’t it surprise you if one day while walking through California you come across a Fantasyland that I told you about? Give it a try, you might be surprised.

“Dundee Cake from Fairy Tale Fantasyland”*

Ingredients: ¼ cup margarine, 2/3 cup blanched whole almonds, ¼ cup light brown sugar, 2 tablespoons rum, 3 eggs, zest of 1 lemon, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup whole wheat flour , ½ cup chopped blanched almonds, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ¾ cup chopped mixed rind, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¾ cup candied cherries halves, ½ teaspoon ground cloves, 1 cup raisins, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg and 1 and 1/3 cups of golden raisins.

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch round cake pan then line bottom and sides with wax or parchment paper and grease the paper.

2) Beat margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3) Sift together the flours, baking powder and spices and mix into the creamed mixture alternately with the remaining ingredients (except the 2/3 cup blanched whole almonds) until all ingredients are evenly incorporated.

4) Pour into the prepared mold and smooth the surface, making a small dip in the center. Start decorating the top of the cake with the rest of the almonds.

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5) Continue decorating the cake by pressing the almonds in decreasing circles over the entire surface. Bake for about 2 hours, but check after one.

6) Remove cake from oven, allow to cool in pan for 30 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool.

7) Enjoy the rich and delicate fantasy of this cake.

*Cake recipe base and then I molded it from there.