Maypole Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees with two racks evenly spaced. Butter two 9-by-2-inch round cake pans; line with parchment paper; butter again. Dust bottoms and sides with flour, and tap out excess. Set aside. Into a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt three times. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on low speed to soften. Increase speed to medium, and beat until fluffy and light in color. Keep beating while gradually adding sugar; beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla.
• Gradually drizzle in beaten eggs, beating between additions until the batter is no longer slick, scraping down the sides twice. With the mixer on low, alternate adding reserved flour mixture with milk; starting and ending with the flour. Mix until just incorporated after each addition. Scrape sides of the bowl; mix 10 seconds longer.
• Divide batter evenly between the pans. Bake in lower third of oven until a cake tester inserted into the center of each comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans, remove parchment, and return to the rack to cool, top-sides up.
• To assemble, turn cakes upside down. Using a long serrated knife, slice each cake in half horizontally. Place a layer on a cake round or cake stand. Spread top of layer with 1 1/2 cups frosting. Stack the second layer over the frosted layer; spread another 1 1/2 cups of frosting over top of this layer; repeat with third layer; cover with top layer. Using a dry pastry brush, gently brush any loose crumbs away from cake. Frost cake thinly to seal in crumbs. Use 3 cups frosting for final coating.
• To decorate, evenly distribute cream-colored sprinkles over the top surface of the cake.Using an 1 1/8-inch gum-paste petal cutter, cut petals out of jellied citrus slices -- you will need 84 petals. Gently press 14 small gumdrops around the perimeter of the cake, spaced evenly apart; arrange 6 jellied petals around each drop to form flowers. Transfer to a large cake stand -- ours measures 19 inches across.
• To make the maypole, you will need a wooden dowel, painted white, and six pieces of 1/8-inch satin ribbon, each three times the length of the dowel. Gather the ribbons together, and pin them through their centers to one end of the dowel. Gently press a Lifesaver over the pinned ribbons, and top with a small gumdrop. Insert the maypole into the center of the cake, and fan the ribbons out around the cake stand, taping in place and letting the ends trail over the table.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 6-cup jumbo (1 3/4-inch deep, 4-inch diameter) cupcake pans with baking cups, and set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the mixer set on medium, add eggs, one at a time, then vanilla.
• With the mixer on low speed, add one-third of the reserved flour mixture, and mix until combined. Add 1 cup buttermilk, and mix until combined. Add another third of flour mixture, then the remaining 1/2 cup buttermilk. Add the last third of flour, and mix until smooth.
• Divide batter among cups, and bake until golden, about 30 minutes. Transfer muffin tins to a wire rack to cool. Remove cupcakes from tins.
• To decorate, frost each cupcake with 3 tablespoons Seven-Minute Frosting. Place sprinkles in a shallow bowl. Fill a small, shallow bowl with cream-colored sprinkles and another with green sprinkles Gently press each frosted cupcake into the sprinkles, rollingthe cake around so the entire surface is coated. Alternate colors so that you have 6 green and 6 cream-colored cupcakes.
• For flowers, use a 2 to 2 1/2-inch gum-paste petal cutter to cut petals from the jellied citrus and grapefruit slices -- you will need 72 petals. Using scissors or a sharp knife, cut off the lower one-third of 12 large gumdrops, and discard. Gently press a gumdrop into the center of each cupcake, and arrange 6 jellied petals around each gumdrop to form a flower. Place the cupcakes around the larger cake on the cake stand.

Steps:

• In a small heavy saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups sugar, corn syrup, and water. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Rub a bit between your fingers to make sure there is no graininess. Raise heat to bring to a boil. Do not stir any more. Boil, washing down sides of pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water from time to time to prevent the sugar from crystallizing, until a candy thermometer registers 230 degrees, about 5 minutes. (Depending on the humidity, this can take anywhere from 4 to 10 minutes.)
• Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 2 1/2 minutes. Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Remove the syrup from the heat when the temperature reaches 230 degrees (it will keep rising as pan is removed from heat). With the mixer on medium-low speed, pour the syrup in a steady stream down the side of the bowl (to avoid splattering) containing the egg-white mixture.
• Beat frosting on medium until cool, 5 to 10 minutes. The frosting should be thick and shiny. Use immediately.

Steps:

• Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan; line with parchment, and butter parchment. Dust with flour, tapping out excess. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, maple syrup, and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition; mix in vanilla.
• Reduce mixer speed to low. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with 2 batches of sour cream; beat until just combined. Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top with an offset spatula. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool 10 minutes. Turn out cake onto rack to cool completely.
• Make the icing: Combine maple syrup and butter in a bowl. Sift in confectionersâ?? sugar, and whisk until combined. Adjust consistency with more syrup or sugar, if necessary. Spread maple icing over top of cake. Let set, at least 15 minutes, before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9-by-2-inch round cake pans, and dust with flour. Tap out any excess flour, and set pans aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until creamy. Add the maple syrup, and beat until combined. Add the eggs, and beat until combined.
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and ginger. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, and beat to combine. Beat in the milk and vanilla extract until combined. Stir in 3/4 cup chopped walnuts.
• Divide batter between the two prepared pans. Bake until golden and a cake tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 40 minutes; rotate the cake pans halfway through baking time to ensure even baking. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool.
• Turn out cakes, and place one, top-side up, on a cake stand or platter. Spread 1 1/2 cups maple buttercream frosting evenly over the top. Place the second cake layer on top, and spread the remaining 2 1/2 cups frosting around the sides and over the top. Using your hands, gently press the remaining 3/4 cup walnuts onto the sides of the cake.