Piñata Cake Recipes

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:

• 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:

• 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.

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans with butter and line the bottom of each with parchment.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk the milk, vanilla, eggs and egg yolk together in another medium bowl. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium high until light and fluffy. Add about a third of the flour mixture and beat on medium low until incorporated. Now add a third of the egg-milk mixture and continue to beat on medium low until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Repeat with the remaining flour and egg-milk mixtures, finishing with the flour.
• Divide the cake batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake until the cake bounces back when pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely in the cake pans on a rack.
• For the frosting: Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a saucepan that can hold a heatproof stand mixer's bowl above the water.
• Add the sugar, lemon juice, salt and egg whites to the mixer bowl and whisk together by hand. Set the bowl above the boiling water and whisk until the mixture is warm to the touch and the sugar completely dissolves. Transfer to the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat at medium-high speed until cool and the whites hold stiff peaks, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Toss in a couple of chunks of butter at a time, making sure the pieces are incorporated before adding more. After all the butter is added, continue beating on medium-high speed. The mixture will deflate and appear curdled. Continue beating until the frosting comes back together to a smooth and spreadable consistency. (If the frosting is very soft or begins to break, refrigerate until set but still spreadable, then beat until light before using.)
• For the filling and decoration: Dye the coconut: Have ready 5 resealable plastic bags or plastic containers. Put 1 1/2 cups of the coconut in one container with 6 to 8 drops of blue food coloring. Put 1 cup of coconut in the second container with 5 to 6 drops of orange food coloring, 1 cup of coconut in the third with 5 to 6 drops yellow food coloring and 1 cup of coconut in the fourth with 6 to 8 drops purple food coloring. Put the remaining 1/2 cup coconut in the fifth container with 4 to 5 drops pink food coloring. Seal each container and shake vigorously until the coconut is evenly dyed. Add more food coloring 1 drop at a time as needed to get bright, vibrant colors.
• Assemble the cake: Cut a 4-inch circle out of the center of each cake (reserve the small cut-out cake rounds). Put one of the cake rings on a cake stand or serving platter and frost with about 1 cup of frosting. Put the other cake ring on top and push down slightly. Fill the hole with candy. Cut one of the reserved cake rounds in half horizontally to make 2 thinner rounds. Use one to fill the hole on top of the cake. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting.
• Cut a strip of parchment about 30 inches long and 3 inches wide. Wrap this parchment around the cake like a collar, leaving 1 inch of frosting exposed around the bottom perimeter of the cake. Pack some of the blue coconut onto the exposed frosting to make your first strip of color. Lift the collar up another 1 inch and do the same with the orange coconut. Remove the collar and fill the remaining inch of frosting with the yellow coconut. For the top, make 1-inch-wide rings, starting on the outside and working your way in, with the purple, pink, blue and orange coconut until the top is completely covered. Let sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour before serving.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F. Grease 2 (1 1/2-quart) ovenproof glass bowls (8 inches across top) with shortening; coat with flour. Place a small circle of cooking parchment paper in bottom of each bowl for easier removal of cake.
• In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In large bowl, beat sugar, butter, vanilla and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 5 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat flour mixture into sugar mixture alternately with milk on low speed, beat just until smooth after each addition. Pour into bowls.
• Bake 60 to 70 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in bowls 20 minutes; remove from bowls to cooling racks. Remove parchment paper. Cool completely, about 2 hours.
• Using serrated knife, cut rounded top off cakes to make a level surface. Use 2 1/2 to 3-inch round biscuit cutter to hollow out a small hole in the center of one of the cakes (do not go all the way through the cake). For second cake, use biscuit cutter to cut a hole completely through the cake layer. Place first layer, cut side up, on cake stand. Fill cut out portion of cake with assorted multi-colored candies. Frost cut side of cake with 1/4 cup frosting and top with remaining cake to make a round cake. Fill hole to the top with remaining candies.
• Thinly frost side and top of cake with 1 cup of the frosting. Divide remaining frosting among 4 small bowls, and mix frosting with pink, blue, yellow and green food colors, one color in each bowl. Place frosting in 4 separate pastry bags fitted with couplers. Rotate ruffle tip between bags as you work. Frost cake, working in horizontal circles, alternating colors every row.

Steps:

• To make the bottom-tier cake, heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line a 23cm cake tin with baking parchment. Put 250g of the butter and 250g sugar in a large bowl and, using an electric hand whisk, cream until light and fluffy. Add 4 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in 250g of the flour, 1 tsp lemon extract, and the zest of 1 lemon until you have a smooth batter. Spoon into the tin and smooth the surface. Bake for 40 mins or until a skewer poked into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack, remove the parchment and cool completely. Repeat with the remaining half of the ingredients, so that you have 2 large cakes.
• Meanwhile, make the icing for the bottom tier. In a large bowl, beat the butter with a quarter of the icing sugar. When fully combined, add the rest in 3 additions, beating between each. When the icing is smooth, add the milk, zest and juice, and curd, then whisk until fluffy. Set aside until needed, or chill, but bring to room temperature before using.
• Now make the top tier. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 (if not already on). Grease and line a 15cm cake tin with baking parchment. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in the flour and extract until you have a smooth batter. Transfer to the tin, smooth the surface and bake for 20 mins, then reduce the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3 and cook for a further 25 mins. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack, remove the parchment and cool completely.
• To make the icing for the top tier, cream the butter and 100g icing sugar together until smooth, then gradually incorporate the rest. Add the milk and strawberry powder, then whisk thoroughly until light and fluffy.
• When the larger cakes are completely cool, slice each in half horizontally so that you have 4 sponge layers. Using a 10cm cutter, cut a hole in the centre of each of the lemon sponges for the bottom tier. Sandwich the 4 sponges together on a cake stand, using the lemon buttercream, then cover the whole cake in a thin layer of the remaining lemon icing. Put in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hrs to firm up.
• When completely cool, slice the small top tier cake horizontally so that you have 3 sponge layers. Use the strawberry buttercream to sandwich them together on a chopping board, then use the remaining strawberry icing to cover the outside. Leave in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hrs to firm up while you ice the bottom tier.
• Now start to make the pale blue icing. Dust your work surface with a little icing sugar. Knead a little blue food colouring into 1.5kg fondant icing until it's an even colour. Remove 500g, wrap in cling film and set aside for the top tier. Roll out the remaining 1kg to a circle wide enough to cover the bottom tier - you can check this with a piece of string. Gently roll up your fondant onto your rolling pin and unfold onto your cake. Smooth the icing on the outside with your hands, then trim off the excess at the bottom. Cut a small cross in the centre of the fondant where the hole sits and push the remaining fondant carefully onto the inside of the hole, trimming any excess. Fill the centre with sweets of your choice. Place the 4 dowels into the cake at 3, 6 and 9 and 12 o'clock, just next to the hole in the middle, then trim so they are flush with the cake.
• Cover the top tier cake in the remaining blue fondant in the same way, then mount onto the bottom cake, enclosing the sweets. Transfer the icing glue to a small piping bag and snip off the end. Use to pipe a drizzle of icing around the base of each tier. Place pearlescent or silver balls around the base of each cake to cover any rough edges.
• To make the balloon decorations, divide the remaining 500g of fondant into the number of colours you are using. Use different food colourings to colour each piece of fondant. Roll out on a surface dusted with icing sugar and, using small cookie cutters, cut out circles of fondant. Use the icing glue to stick the balloons onto the cake. Decorate with colourful candles. Will keep for up to 3 days.