When I asked soon-to-be 12 years old Ryann what sort of birthday cake she wanted she said, “Either a cookie cake or a chocolate cake”. After deliberating which to produce, I chose both! I topped a chocolate-chip cookie cake using a rich chocolate cake, topped all this with chocolate buttercream frosting and, of course, birthday candles!
Unlike my pal Marianne Getz (Wolfgang Puck’s pastry chef), I am NOT an excellent baker. However, I believe that Birthday Cakes needs to be made in your house, with love, instead of commercially made so…I caused it to be myself…using mixes! Plus, rather than wasting $3.99 for the pre-made decorative colored frosting, I spent $.99 on white frosting and improvised. Unless you are getting fancy, you can do it my way utilizing the vanilla frosting, food coloring, convection a baggie!
Here’s what to buy:
- 1 Krusteaz Chocolate Chunk cookie mix
- 1 Betty Crocker Devils Food Cake Mix
- 2 large tubs Betty Crocker Rich and Chocolate Buttercream-Style Icing
- 1 regular tub Betty Crocker Rich and Creamy Vanilla Frosting
- All ingredients to generate the cookie and the cake mix; eggs, oil, etc.
- 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
- food coloring for decorative writing and edging.
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375-degrees and grease the bottom of two 11 x 13 non-stick pans.
Make the cookie dough based on the box directions and spoon to the pan. Wetting your hands with regular faucet water, flatten the dough evenly through the bottom of the pan. Put in the preheated oven.
Make the dessert mix in line with the package directions and pour it into the other prepared pan.
Bake the cookies for 18 minutes or until it is lightly golden. Take the cookies out and place the cake in. Let the cookies cool within the pan for quarter-hour before carefully flipping onto a cake platter.
Bake cake for your period directed on the box or before sides is merely beginning to take away from your walls from the pan. Remove from oven and let cool inside pan until just barely warm. Use a long bakers spatula, and another long flat tool, to loosen the wedding cake in the pan so as not to break it when removing.
When the cookie cake is cool, before you add the chocolate cake at the top, frost it with 1/2 of 1 tub of the Chocolate Butter Cream Icing. Carefully position the almost-cool chocolate cake on the top and let cool completely. Use the remaining icing to pay for the most notable and sides of the cake; I had about 1/3 of a container leftover but use up to you would like.
To decorate the wedding cake, first, choose how many colors you’ll use and they divide the tubs of frosting into separate bowls to support each color. Blend the frosting using the confectioner’s sugar; I used 1/4 cup of confectioners sugar to 1/2 of the tub of frosting but adjust as need to create the frosting thick but moist and spreadable. Add a few drops of food coloring, if desired, and mix well.
Using a pint-size freezer bag, spoon the frosting into one corner after which barely snip off the tip from the bag. The bigger the opening, the harder frosting is released so I recommend starting small, practice with a plate or napkin and trim when needed to get the proper amount of frosting to write down smoothly. Later, cut the opening bigger to perform the edges, edges, or accents.
Again…I’m no Marianne Getz but hey, it’s a 12-year-old’s birthday! My cake was yummy and brought big smiles and full mouths saying… Best. Birthday Cake. Ever. That’s all I need!
