Never have I professed to be perfect. Not as a person, a vocalist nor a kitchen wench. I love sharing my successes in the kitchen because I want others to know how simple it is to prepare really good food. If I can do it, certainly most anyone else can too. I'm not magic.
For the most part, I'm a "from scratch" kid of gal. But in this case, I wanted to prepare a cake that anybody else, also pressed for time, could prepare for the specific purpose of completing the menu on which I was working; a "
Cater Your Own Graduation Party" menu. It's graduation season and many parents are expected to host parties this time if year. Not all parents have the means to hire caterers and event staff and not all parents know where to begin in regard to planning their own event. So it was intended as a self help guide. In the spirit of the story, I decided that my "School Colors Cake" would be made from a mix. (gasp!!) And I know, just as you know, that many of us resort to mixes despite our prowess in the kitchen, simply because we can. I'm just ballsy enough to admit my kitchen diva transgression to the world.
I believe that the ensuing fiasco was the Gods of kitchen karma telling me not to be a lazy ass.
Here's the cake when it was first assembled
Here's the story of the cake, omitted in editing from the original story in the Pittsburgh Tribune Review.
School Colors Layer Cake
It would
be easy for me to just share some recipes and pretend that everything I attempt
cook works out exactly as planned. However, there is no blunder-free magic
bubble surrounding my kitchen. The truth is that I’ve never been very good with
cakes. Cakes, cookies and other fussy decorative things are not my forte.
Cobblers, pies and puddings I can handle. Cakes-not so much. So after spending
several hours baking, cooling, cutting and decorating this cake a day in
advance, I put it in the back up fridge then went to retrieve it the next day
only to discover that the top half of the cake had toppled over. In order to
preserve the cake for the photo you see here, my solution was to squish it all
together, stick in a few leftover, takeout chopsticks to stabilize it and add
another big layer of frosting. Problem solved. I was just as happy to accept
the accolades for the delicious, if not picture perfect cake. The other secret I feel compelled to share is
that I cheated a bit as a time saving measure and used store bought cake mixes
and store bought cream cheese icing. Any time I use a store bought cake mix, I
add an extra egg and replace 1/4 cup of water with additional oil. This makes
the cake very moist. The most important thing to remember is that you don’t
have to tell anybody you used a mix. Just accept their praises and say “Thank
you!”. Of course, you can always just order a cake from your favorite bakery
too. A cake like this will require significant refrigerator space, so do what
will work best for you.
2 boxes
generic white cake mix
2 boxes
generic yellow cake mix
green food
coloring (or food coloring of your choice)
6
containers generic cream cheese frosting
“DIY” tube
of dark green decorator frosting and tip attachments
Mix one box of yellow cake
mix, adding an extra egg and substituting 1/4 cup of oil for water. While
mixing, add the food coloring until the batter reaches the desired color.
Grease a 9x13 pan, pour in the cake mix and allow it to settle into the pan on
a flat surface. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mix the other box of mix the same way
and also add it to another greased 9 x 13 pan, allowing it about 5 minutes to
settle into the level pan. Bake as per the directions on the box, making sure
to turn and switch the pans on the oven racks halfway through the baking time.
Follow the same steps with the white cake mixes, with or without adding color.
My colors were green and white so I chose to leave the white cake batter alone.
After the cakes have cooled, use a long, straight edged carving knife to level
them while still in the pan, using the edges of the pan as a leveling guide.
Cut the cakes in half, then remove them from the pans. Use wax paper to
separate the pieces. Stack one piece on the other to cut them into the same
size and shape. Repeat that process until they’re all cut. Remove the frosting
from the containers and whisk it in a bowl until slightly creamier. It will be
easier to spread after it is whisked. Set some frosting aside and add food
coloring to it if desired. Frost the cake and assemble it on the platter on
which it will be served. Put a little icing on the platter before you lay down
the first layer of cake. Frost the layers, adding alternate colors, one at a
time. You can use chopsticks or cake stabilizing spindles (available at craft
stores and cake decorating stores)to hold your layers together. After you've stacked and frosted the layers, frost the outside of the cake and decorate as
desired. Do this a day or two ahead of time. Lightly cover and refrigerate the
cake. Remove it from the refrigerator shortly before serving.
And here's the cake after the squishing and icing process-
And guess what?
It was freakin' delightful!
