Speckled Egg Malted Milk Cake

Wow guests at your Easter get-together with this impressive cake inspired by malted milk candy eggs.

Ingredients:

Cake:

1        box Betty Crocker™ SuperMoist™ white cake mix

1/2     cup malted milk powder

1 1/4  cups water

1/3     cup vegetable oil

3        eggs

Frosting:

1 1/2  cups unsalted butter, softened

4        cups powdered sugar

1        teaspoon vanilla

          Dash salt

          Liquid blue food color

Speckling Chocolate:

1        tablespoon unsweetened baking cocoa

4 1/2  teaspoons vanilla

Phyllo Nest:

1/3     cup kataifi (shredded phyllo dough)

1        tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

3        speckled candy-coated malted milk egg candies 

Directions:

• 1 Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 3 (8-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray; set aside.
• 2 In large bowl, stir together cake mix and malted milk powder with whisk. Add remaining Cake ingredients; beat with electric mixer on low speed until well combined. Divide batter evenly among pans.
• 3 Bake 22 to 28 minutes or until cakes spring back when touched lightly in center. Cool cakes in pans on cooling racks 5 minutes. Turn cakes out onto cooling racks; cool completely, about 30 minutes. Level cakes using large serrated knife or cake leveler, if needed.
• 4 To make Frosting, in large bowl, beat softened butter and powdered sugar with electric mixer on low speed until incorporated; beat on high speed 3 minutes. Add vanilla and salt; beat 1 minute longer. Add blue food color 1 drop at a time, beating until a light blue color is achieved.
• 5 Fill and frost cooled cake. Refrigerate frosted cake 1 hour or until frosting is dry to the touch.
• 6 In small condiment bowl, mix baking cocoa and vanilla. Load unused (new) stiff-bristle paint brush with cocoa mixture. Using fingers, flick loaded brush bristles toward cake creating a splatter pattern. Re-load brush; cover entire cake with chocolate speckles. Refrigerate cake 30 minutes.
• 7 To make Phyllo Nest, heat oven to 375°F. Butter 1 muffin cup in regular-size muffin pan. Tear off 1/3 cup portion of kataifi; place in muffin cup in a circular nest shape. Gently brush phyllo nest with melted butter. Bake 15 minutes or until phyllo is golden brown around edge. Gently remove nest with fork; cool on cooling rack. Attach cooled nest to cake with dot of frosting. Place 3 speckled egg candies inside nest.
• 8 Before serving, bring cake to room temperature. Store cake loosely covered with plastic wrap.

Source:  Heather Baird

Teapot Cake

Make a cake that doubles as a centerpiece. Bake two small pound cakes and stack to create the base, then decorate with fondant to create a spout, handle, daisies, butterflies, and anything else "Spring" you can think of. Decorating can take some time, but the result is well worth the effort.

Ingredients:

• 1 recipe Pound Cake Batter
• Violet food-coloring paste
• Creamy Frosting, divided
• Lime green food-coloring paste
• 3 (6-inch) wooden skewers
• Fondant Teapot Spout, Fondant Teapot Handle, Fondant Daisies, Fondant Butterflies

Directions:

1. Pour batter evenly into 2 (1.5-liter) greased and floured ovenproof bowls.
2. Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 5 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in bowls on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from bowls; let cool completely on wire racks, large flat sides down. Using a serrated knife, carefully cut domed tops (about 3/4 to 1 inch) off each cake to make level. Cut 1 cake top with a 3-inch round cutter, and reserve for teapot lid.
3. Stir together violet food-coloring paste and 3 cups Creamy Frosting until well blended, and set aside.
4. Stir together lime green food-coloring paste and remaining 1 cup Creamy Frosting until well blended; set aside.
5. Transfer 1 cake half, large flat side up, to a serving platter; spread sides with 1 cup violet frosting; spread top with 1/2 cup violet frosting. Top with remaining cake, large flat side down. Spread top and sides with 1 1/4 cups violet frosting. Place reserved round cake lid on top of cake. Spread with 1/4 cup violet frosting.
6. Insert 1 wooden skewer halfway horizontally into middle side of cake; attach Teapot Spout, pressing gently. Insert 2 wooden skewers, 3 inches apart on opposite side of spout; attach Teapot Handle, pressing gently. Pipe border of dots around bottom edge of cake and cake lid with lime green frosting. Press Fondant Daisies and Butterflies onto cake as desired.

Note: 

Though the butterflies are made of fondant, the finished versions contain plastic stamens and should not be eaten.

Source: Shirley D. Culbertson, Hartford, Alabama, Southern Living
APRIL 2004

Coconut Layer Cake

This moist, 2-layer Coconut Layer Cake is worthy of any special occasion. With sweetened flaked coconut in the filling and sprinkled on the top and sides of the  cake, it makes a striking presentation.

Ingredients: 

• Cake:
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
• 2 cups sugar 
• 4 large eggs 
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• Frosting:
• 4 sticks (2 cups) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 8 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1 tablespoon coconut extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 2/3 cups sweetened flaked coconut (1 7-oz. bag)

Directions:

1. Make cake: Place a rack in center of oven and preheat to 350ºF. Grease and flour 2 9-inch round cake pans.
2. In a bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until light, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Reduce speed to low; beat in half of flour mixture. Beat in coconut milk and extract, then beat in remaining flour mixture until just combined. Divide batter between cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cakes cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Turn out onto racks to cool completely.
3. Make frosting: Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter until light, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually beat in sugar until fully incorporated. Beat in extracts. Chill 15 minutes.
4. Assemble cake: Place 1 cake layer on a serving platter. Spread with 1 1/2 cups frosting. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup coconut. Top with second cake layer. Spread remaining frosting on top and sides. Sprinkle remaining coconut over top and sides of cake, pressing to adhere. Chill for at least 2 hours and up to a day. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.

All You
DECEMBER 2011