Celebration Piñata Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Coat two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans with cooking spray; line with parchment, leaving an overhang. Prepare the cake mixes as directed. Fill the pans about two-thirds of the way with batter (you' ll have a little left over).
• Bake the cakes 45 minutes, then remove 1 cake from the oven and insert the top 1/2 inch of an ice cream cone 1 1/2 inches from an end as shown. Continue baking both cakes 10 to 15 more minutes. Let cool, then lift out of the pans.
• Use a serrated knife to trim the domed top of the cake without the cone; set trimmed-side down on a work surface. Use frosting to attach 4 ice cream cones to the 4 corners for legs. Transfer to the freezer.
• Trim the bottoms of the 2 remaining cones with a serrated knife to make pointed ears.
• Cut the cake with the baked-in cone in half to form the head (you won't need the other half). Set cut-side down. Use frosting to attach the "ears" to the top of the head; transfer to the freezer.
• Divide the coconut among 5 zip-top bags. Add a few drops of food coloring to each bag, then shake and massage to mix. Add more food coloring as needed until the colors are bright.
• Remove the cake with legs from the freezer. Cover the cones with frosting and press purple coconut around them. Frost half of the body as shown and cover with yellow coconut.
• Invert the cake so it stands on the cone legs. Frost the rest of the body and cover with blue coconut on the sides and orange coconut on the top, leaving a square bare as shown. Return to the freezer.
• Frost the head, ears and snout; cover with stripes of purple, blue, pink and yellow coconut. Place on top of the body as shown. Use the remaining white frosting and the black icing to make eyes and nostrils.

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease four 6-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cayenne. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, vanilla and eggs. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and then stir in the coffee.
• Pour the batter into the cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Begin checking for doneness at 23 minutes. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn the cakes onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
• For the frosting: Beat together the powdered sugar and butter in a large bowl until creamy. Add the heavy cream, vanilla, cinnamon and salt and beat to combine.
• For the assembly: Once the cakes are cooled, use a biscuit cutter to cut out 2- to 3-inch circles from the centers of 2 of the layers. (Use these circles to make a mini cake or just eat them.) Place one of the uncut layers on a plate or cake board and spread on a layer of frosting. Stack up the 2 cut layers on top of that with a layer of frosting in between. Fill the hole to the top with the candy-coated sunflower seeds or your favorite candy. Frost the top of the cake, then top it with the remaining uncut cake layer and frost it all over.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and base line a 20cm round cake tin with baking parchment. To make the chocolate cake, put the butter into a bowl and beat until soft. Add all the remaining ingredients and beat well until light and creamy. Spoon into the tin and spread level. Bake in the oven for about 45 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool. When cold, slice the top off the cake to make it level.
• To make the mint cake, grease and base line your 20cm cake tin with baking parchment. Put the butter into a bowl and beat until soft. Add the remaining ingredients and beat well until light and creamy. Spoon into the tin and spread level. Bake in the oven for about 45 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool. Do not slice the top level as it needs to be rounded.
• To make the butter icing, put the butter into a bowl and beat until soft. Gradually beat in the icing sugar. Slice the chocolate and mint cakes in half horizontally so you have four layers. Using an 8cm round cutter, stamp a circle from the centre of each layer. Place the bottom layer of chocolate cake on a 25cm cake board. Spread with a little butter icing. Place the bottom green layer on top. Spread with butter icing and place the other chocolate layer on top. Spread with more icing and place the rounded green sponge on top.
• Fill the centre hole with sweets, almost to the top. Take one of the 8cm green sponge pieces and slice in half horizontally. Place one piece on the cake to cover the hole containing the sweets. Spread the top with the remaining butter icing. Roll out about 300g of the white fondant icing to a 20cm circle and place on top of the cake.
• Brush the sides of the cake with apricot jam. Measure the circumference of the cake and the depth. Add 2.5cm to the depth measurement. Using these measurements roll out the green fondant to a long strip. (You may find it easier to do two shorter strips). Attach the strip around the cake. Use scissors snip around the top edge to represent grass.
• Make a cardboard template of a pentagon (5 sides). Roll out the black icing and cut out six pentagons. Place them on the cake as for a football. If you wish to stick them in place use a little icing sugar mixed with water.
• With the remaining white icing trimmings make a scarf and paint with food colouring in your team colours. Drape the scarf over the edge of the cake. Add candles as desired.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and lightly flour four 9-inch cake pans.
• Whisk flour, 1 teaspoon salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a bowl.
• Beat 1 1/2 cup butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until creamy, about 1 minute. Beat in white sugar on high speed, scraping the bowl with a spatula as needed, until fully incorporated, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-high; beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in 1 tablespoon vanilla extract.
• Mix flour mixture into the creamed butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk, until batter is smooth and slightly thick.
• Divide batter evenly among 4 bowls. Tint each portion of batter with green, blue, purple, or pink food coloring; stir until smooth. Pour batter into the prepared baking pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Set baking pans on wire racks and let cakes cool completely, about 25 minutes.
• Beat 1 1/2 cup butter and cream cheese in a stand mixer fitted with a clean paddle attachment until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners' sugar, heavy cream, and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract; beat on low speed for 30 to 60 seconds.
• Increase speed to high and beat frosting until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in 1/8 teaspoon salt.
• Cut a 4-inch circle out of the center of 2 cake layers using a round cookie cutter.
• Place one of the intact cake layers on a cake stand or serving plate. Frost the top using an offset spatula or butter knife. Position one of the cake rings on top. Spread frosting over the top and inside the circle. Repeat with second cake ring. Fill the hole with candies and sprinkles. Place remaining cake layer on top. Frost the top and sides of the entire cake.
• Tint any remaining frosting with pink food coloring and pipe decoratively over the cake. Cut cake into slices; spoon any candies that spill out over the slices.