Monday, May 28, 2012

Surprise Inside Cake - More Hidden Polka Dots

And the saga continues . . .
These are the cones I showed you last time we met.
surprise-inside-cake-polka-dots-cones-deborah-stauch
 While this cake was baking I had lots of time to tidy up
the scraps and was wondering if I should toss them or 
save them for another project. Save. Nice save.
surprise-inside-cake-polka-dots-cones-deborah-stauch
The trimmed tops were punched with my latest invention,
a small corer made from a bubble straw.
surprise-inside-cake-polka-dots-donuts-deborah-stauch
 Here's a closer look. I already had something in mind for these cute little cylinders.
surprise-inside-cake-polka-dots-cones-deborah-stauch
 The mini corer was made by trimming a length from a bubble straw.
Bubble straws are fatter than regular drinking straws and
are sold for milkshakes at Bed Bath and Beyond for about $2.
They are also perfect for use as cake supports since
they cut so much easier than wooden dowels.
You'd be amazed at their strength.
Back to the project . . . 
A second piece a little longer than the first segment was cut from the same straw.
This longer piece was then cut down the entire length.
The cut straw naturally rolls itself into a smaller diameter
that fits perfectly inside the first cut piece.
I sprayed a bit of Pam inside so that the cored cake wouldn't stick.
The corer was then used just like the fatter versions for cupcakes with the
center straw used to push the mini cake cylinder out.
So if you're wondering what they were used for . . .
surprise-inside-cake-polka-dots-donuts-deborah-stauch
 . . . yet another fun shape to go inside a cake layer!
I had some colored batter left over from the cones and
the polka dot baking a few days before.
The mini donut pan was the perfect size to use up
small bits of batter and them pop them in a freezer bag for later.
surprise-inside-cake-polka-dots-donuts-deborah-stauch
 You can find Wilton's mini doughnut pan online or at Michael's and other craft stores.
surprise-inside-cake-polka-dots-donuts-deborah-stauch
Thirty four little donuts with bright colored centers
filled this 10 inch square along with some thinned white cake batter.
surprise-inside-cake-polka-dots-donuts-deborah-stauch
I couldn't decide how to decorate the square so I opted for some simple texture.
surprise-inside-cake-polka-dots-donuts-deborah-stauch
 A long cross section revealed only the outer donuts to have color inside.
So I cut some pieces from around the edge.
surprise-inside-cake-polka-dots-donuts-deborah-stauch
And here's what they looked like.
There was of course, left over batter . . .

See you next time!



28 comments:

Amanda said...

I think this cake is absolutely fantastic. I love that you are thinking of wonderful and creative and unique ways to share your cakes! The color and fun surprise is just awesome. Kudos to you!

Deborah Stauch said...

Thanks Amanda! You are an amazing inspiration to all of us!

Anonymous said...

How do the colorful pieces affect the taste? Do the twice-baked cake pieces have the same texture as the rest of the cake?

Deborah Stauch said...

I think they taste just like . . . cake. I'll be the first to admit that my taste buds aren't as developed as some so you may have to do a taste test yourself. Just to be sure, I'm doing a blind taste test later today when my red, white and blue batters are done. Since we eat with our eyes first, this much color will strike some folks as unappetizing from the start. You can find some less colorful but natural ways to color your batter here:
http://blog.hwtm.com/2012/04/tutorial-rainbow-cake-with-homemade-all-natural-dyes/
The twice baked pieces have exactly the same texture. In fact, with your eyes closed, you wouldn't know the twice baked from the other cake. This might solve the problem for the colors too - eating with your eyes closed. lol : ) Just tell the guests that you have a surprise for them and they have to keep they're eyes closed. I'm a kidder. Hope this helps. Thanks for looking!

Mrs D said...

Wow! Your ideas and work are absolutely fantastic - thank you for sharing!

Tiffiny Felix said...

I'm totally cracking up going through your peek-a-boo cake posts! What a fantastic idea!! Some people are *so* clever! I'm not one of them...I have to copy the clever ones ;) If you have a minute, will you tell me what you used to make the texture on this square cake? I *love* it! Thanks!!

Deborah Stauch said...

Mrs D & Tiffany: Thanks for the kind thoughts! The texture on the square cake was done using a knife blade in buttercream via random slashes. Hope this helps!

Anonymous said...

What is your frosting recipe used here? It looks amazing!

jlsst190 said...

This is so cute....so I was wondering...do you think you could use one of those silicone molds and actually put shapes into a cake like this? Will cake bake up in the silicone molds and be removed easily? I would love to do this for my sons birthdy party and have a few molds I am using for other items. What do you think? Have you ever tried it?

Thanks so much!

Annie's Kitchen Creations said...

Kudos to you, love the bright colours. Perfect for a child's birthday cake. They would be so in awe forget the topping, but the surprise inside and I have my two son's birthdays coming up. Brilliant. Wonderful ideas.

a mom's life said...

I wonder if this same idea would work with little heart shaped cakes inside the big cake?? You would have to lay them on their sides though when baking into the big one or else you wouldn't be able to see the shape when cutting into the cake though I guess.

Anonymous said...

Did you try to take the cones and set them up in a batter so it looks like Tiger stripes along the botom of the cake or top if you flip it...when you cut into it?

Deborah Stauch said...

The frosting recipe is snow white buttercream from Wilton using shortening instead of butter.

Deborah Stauch said...

jlsst190: As long as the silicone molds are oven proof, this idea works great. Be sure to follow directions on greasing/flouring your silicone pans on their packaging. Details will be included in my book but feel free to give it a try and let me know how it worked for you. Happy Caking!

Deborah Stauch said...

Thanks Annie! Hope you'll post your photos to our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Polka-Dot-or-Twice-Baked-Cakes-with-Hidden-Surprises/

Happy Caking!

Deborah Stauch said...

Anonymous: Tiger stripes will be included in the book along with some other animal ideas. Thanks for stopping by!

Deborah Stauch said...

a mom's life: Hidden hearts have been done by several others so I didn't try them. Wilton even has a pan for exactly that. Hidden shapes seem to be everywhere these days, even bread. Happy Caking!

Brandi said...

So, so clever! Your are a genius. I found your polka dot cake through Pinterest and almost ordered a cake pop pan when I clicked over and found that you were able to achieve a similar look with a mini donut pan, which I already own. Thank you so much for sharing. I can't wait to make this with my kids!

Deborah Stauch said...

Brandi: Thanks for stopping by! So happy to hear that you'll be giving it a try. Hope you'll post pics when you're done. Happy Caking!

Lindsay said...

I have to try this!!!

Deborah Stauch said...

Lindsay:
Best of luck! Can't wait to see what you come up with.
Happy Caking!

Kristi Cary said...

I tried this last night with white balls and chocolate cake, but I had to bake and BAKE the cake! Do I need to use a 9x13 recipe in a smaller pan so my white circles don't pop out of the top of the cake?

kkc718 at gmail.com

Ruvi said...

Fabulous!! I'm going to bake this for my fiance for his birthday.. he's a kid at heart.

Deborah Stauch said...

Ruvi:
He's going to love it!

Happy Caking!

Jackimama said...

Hi, I was looking for an idea for my grandson's first. I plan to make the larger cake with mini doughnuts and filled ice cream cones on the outside.His little smash cake will be a mini chocolate lava cake. I would love to send you a picture. Thanks for the great idea!

Jackimama said...

Sorry, I'm Jackimabear, unknown ...��

Jackimama said...

Sorry, I'm Jackimabear, unknown ...😊

Jackimama said...

I forgot to give my name.😱Its I Jackimabear. I left the previous message about my grandson.