No-Bake Birthday Cake
This kid-pleasing marshmallow-and-crisp-rice cereal confection has a sweet secret: chocolate-marshmallow icing inside. Cereal bits give it a festive trim. Candies in cupcake liners decorate each plate. Prepare the Basic Crisp-Rice Treats, then follow the molding instructions below to make the cake.
SERVINGS:
INGREDIENTS
- Vegetable-oil cooking spray
- Crispy Cake Basic Recipe
- Chocolate-Marshmallow Frosting
- Flower- and ball-shaped cereal pieces
DIRECTIONS
-
STEP 1
Coat two 8-by-2-inch round cake pans with cooking spray. Prepare crisp-rice mixture; before pouring into pan, reserve 2 tablespoons for patching cake, and set aside, covered. Divide remaining crisp-rice mixture among prepared cake pans. Press into pans with greased fingers to level. Let cool until set, at least 30 minutes.
-
STEP 2
Run a knife around edges of cakes to loosen; unmold onto parchment paper.
-
STEP 3
While frosting is still warm, pour onto center of 1 cake layer, and spread evenly to edges. Let stand 10 minutes. Place second cake layer on top; press down gently. Using reserved pieces of crisp-rice mixture, patch edges where frosting is visible.
-
STEP 4
Decorate with cereal, arranging pieces around top,middle, and bottom edges. Let cake stand until firm enough to slice, at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. After 2 hours, wrap cake in plastic wrap to prevent it from getting too hard to slice.
Bouncing Ball Cake
INGREDIENTS
- Swiss Meringue Buttercream for Cupcakes
- Red, yellow, and blue gel-paste food coloring
- Yellow Cake, baked in two 8-inch round cake pans
COOK’S NOTE
DIRECTIONS
-
STEP 1
Place 1/4 cup buttercream in each of 3 bowls; tint buttercream in one bowl red, another yellow, and another blue. Transfer each color to a pastry bag fitted with a coupler and a small plain round tip (such as Ateco #4); set aside.
-
STEP 2
Using a serrated knife, trim tops of cakes level. Place 1 cake layer on a cake stand or a cardboard round wrapped in parchment paper. Spread with 1 1/2 cups buttercream. Top with remaining layer. Thinly coat top and sides with buttercream. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Remove from refrigerator, and frost with 2 cups buttercream. Using a toothpick, make an outline of dashed arches on side of cake. Pipe red, yellow, and blue buttercream dashes over the outlines. Switch to a 1/4-inch plain round tip (such as Ateco #12) to make “balls” of frosting at end of each dashed line. Pipe 6 “balls” around top edge of cake. Cake can be refrigerated up to 6 hours.
Tiniest Birthday Cake
Fancy buttercream flourishes topped with nonpareil gumdrops make this dainty cake look grand. Fill a five-inch cake pan with two cups of your favorite batter, then cut finished cake in half horizontally to form layers. Bake leftover batter into mini cupcakes.
Leave a Reply