Shamrock Pound Cake St Patricks Day Recipe 445

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans, line with parchment and butter the parchment; set aside. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Whisk the buttermilk, food coloring and vanilla in a spouted measuring cup; set aside.
• Beat the granulated sugar and butter in a stand mixer (or a large bowl if using a hand mixer) on medium speed until very light in color and fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the mixer still running, slowly add the eggs and beat until fully incorporated. Reduce the mixer speed to the lowest speed; with it running, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, then 1/2 of the buttermilk mixture, then 1/2 of the remaining flour mixture, then the remaining buttermilk mixture, then the remaining flour mixture. Scrape down the sides and beat until well mixed. Divide the batter evenly among the three prepared pans. Bake until slightly puffed and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes in the pan, then turn out to cool completely.
• For the frosting: Put the flour in a small saucepan. Vigorously whisk in about 1/2 cup of the milk, making sure to get the whisk into the edges of the pan, until you have a smooth, thick paste. (This step keeps the flour from clumping.) Slowly whisk in the remaining milk until fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Cook over medium heat, whisking continuously, until the mixture is very thick, about 5 minutes. (Toward the end of the process, the mixture will become a thick paste; it may seem to be forming lumps, but whisk vigorously and the lumps will disappear.) Scrape the frosting into a bowl, press plastic wrap onto the surface and refrigerate until cool, about 45 minutes.
• Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a hand mixer), beat the butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the cooled flour mixture a tablespoon at a time and beat until smooth. Switch to the whisk attachment (or continue with the hand mixer), add the vanilla, salt and 3 to 5 drops food coloring if using and whip until very light and fluffy, like thick whipped cream, up to 10 minutes with a stand mixer or 12 minutes with a hand mixer.
• To assemble: Place one layer on a cake plate, spread frosting on top and repeat with the 2 remaining layers. Frost the sides and decorate with candies and sanding sugar if using.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9x5" loaf pan. Prepare your green pound cake: Beat together with a hand mixer, 1 box of the cake mix, 1/2 stick (1/4 c) softened butter, 2 eggs, and 2/3 cup milk in a large mixing bowl for time listed on package. Beat in food coloring until you reach the desired color. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for time listed on box. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then loosen edges with a thin knife and remove cake to the rack to cool completely. Cut cooled cake into slices the same thickness of your cookie cutter. Using the cookie cutter, cut shapes from the slices of cake and stack in stacks of about 4 slices each, aligning them evenly. Set aside. Prepare your second box of pound cake mix the same as the first, except omit the food coloring. Grease and flour a 9x5" loaf pan; spoon just barely enough batter to cover the bottom of pan. Align your stacks of green cake clovers down the center, keeping them tightly together and pressing them slightly into the batter. Spoon (or pipe) in enough batter to fill in the sides and to cover the clovers, being careful to not overfill so the batter won't overflow. Bake 50-60 minutes or until cake is done. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes then loosen sides with a thin knife and remove cake to rack to cool completely. When cake is completely cool, sprinkle top with sifted confectioners sugar, or top with the icing below: Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing: 1 1/2 cups confectioners powdered sugar 2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons whole milk or cream 2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract Pinch of salt Green food color, optional In a medium bowl, beat all of the ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Add more confectioners sugar if it appears too thin or more milk if it appears too thick, until desired consistency is reached. Frost top of cake, letting it drip down the sides. Set cake aside until the icing has hardened. Cut into slices and serve with vanilla ice cream or prepared whipped cream / whipped topping.

Steps:

• Preheat oven according to package directions. Grease a 9x5-in. loaf pan. Prepare one package cake mix according to package directions, adding food coloring and extract before mixing batter. Transfer to prepared pan. Bake and cool as package directs., Cut cooled cake into 1-in.-thick slices. Cut slices with a 2-1/2-in. shamrock-shaped cookie cutter (save remaining cake for another use). Stand shamrock slices at an angle in a greased 9x5-in. loaf pan., Prepare remaining cake mix according to package directions. Pour batter around and over shamrock slices. Bake and cool as package directs., For glaze, in a small bowl, mix confectioners' sugar, extract and enough milk to reach desired consistency. Pour glaze over cake, allowing some to flow over sides.

Steps:

• Place coconut in large resealable plastic bag. Add food coloring; seal bag and shake vigorously until coconut is evenly colored.
• Leave one cake layer whole; cut remaining two cake layers as shown in diagram. (See Shamrock Cake Diagram Tip linked below.) Arrange cake pieces on serving tray as shown in same diagram, using small amount of the whipped topping to hold pieces together. Frost cake with remaining whipped topping. Sprinkle with coconut.
• Flatten gumdrops with rolling pin; cut into shamrock shapes with sharp knife or small cookie cutter. Outline edges with decorating gel; arrange on cake. Use decorating icing to outline cake. Store in refrigerator.

Steps:

• Prepare your choice of pudding according to package directions with the 2 cups of milk. I usually use the cooked chocolate pudding. Chill with a piece of plastic wrap pushed down onto the surface of the pudding so that it doesn't form a skin- yuck!
• Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour one 8 inch round cake pan.
• In a bowl combine flour, sugar and baking powder. Add milk, butter, egg, vanilla and food coloring. Beat with a mixer on low speed till combined. Beat on medium 1 minute. Pour into cake pan.
• Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Cool in pan 5 minutes then remove from pan. Cool completely.
• To assemble cake, put cake layer on serving plate, spread pudding over the top and then spread the whipped cream or cool whip over pudding. I don't cover the sides with the whipped cream unless something goes wrong with the cake and it looks funny or something. I think the layers look pretty showing. Sprinkle green sugar, beads or other green cake decorations over the top to finish. Sometimes you can find little green shamrocks in the cookie decorating department.