 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
INGREDIENTS
2 boxes dry cake mix & what they require to prepare
2+ cans prepared frosting, white or chocolate
gel food coloring if desired
jimmies, bar chocolate to shave, toasted coconut or cotton candy for hair
MATERIALS
2 loaf pans about 9 x 5
2 round 10 inch pans
bread knife or knife with long serrated blade
large rigid portable surface-to place finished cake on
frosting spatula
wire cooling rack
wax paper, aluminum foil
Arrange your empty cake pans on your transport/presentation surface to see if it'll fit. This is a big cake that could easily serve 20+. Cover the surface with aluminum foil-securing the foil on the reverse side with tape.
Prepare cake as directed. Bake 2 round cake and 2 loaf cakes. Cool prepared cakes on wire racks completely. Following the diagrams below, cut your cakes with the serrated knife.
The goal with the loaf cakes is to remove the ends, where the cake hasn't risen as much, so when you butt the 2 cut ends together it makes an even join, without an obvious dip. Place one of the cut ends at the tip where the shape of the cake echoes the actual shape. See diagram. See photos.
When you cut the circles, keep one of the trimmed edges to lay over the shaft seam as shown. (in the photo it looks like a twinkie.) The loaf pan can be used to measure the piece you need to cut out of the joined round cakes.
Roughly assemble the cake on the surface you'll be transporting it on (foil covered plywood, masonite, oven rack or whatever). Once assembled, place pieces of wax paper between the cake and the foil, to protect the surface from frosting. Brush crumbs from cake or place a thin layer of frosting all over it, to seal in the crumbs. If you do the light frosting-it's called a crumb coat. Let the crumb coat dry completely before frosting.
Prepare frosting, and have fun. The cake shown was 2 cans white frosting, with 1/4 of a can of chocolate frosting, 1/4 cup cocoa powder and several drops of gel coloring in yellow and red. More chocolate will make a swarthy look. Using all red food coloring could make Barbie's buddy, all white would look dead, and all chocolate may not be bad, just VERY dark.
The frosting was applied on a warm humid day with long even strokes. It was frosted over a thin crumb coat.
The round cakes can be decorated in a variety of ways. Shown is a simple technique where the frosting was applied in smooth strokes and then tapped with the spatula to give texture. Chocolate shavings were than applied to evoke hair. Chocolate jimmies, toasted coconut (which can be tinted easily by placing in a plastic bag with food coloring or cocoa powder and shaking to distribute color), cookie crumbs or even cotton candy could be also used.
After frosting the cake, remove the wax paper. If you want to cover the cake, put a few toothpicks or bamboo skewers in the cake, this will keep the wax paper, plastic wrap or aluminum foil from touching the surface of the cake and disturbing the frosting.
Over The Top Tip Cream Filling
Use the recipe for white fluffy filling from the Mostess Cupcakes. Before rough assembly cut the loaf cakes in half horizontally. Lay a thick ribbon of frosting down the middle of the bottom half. Place the top half on top and proceed as above. When the shaft is sliced a thick white filling will be in the middle of each slice, or you could use yellow or pink or blue.
