Birdhouse Cake Food

BIRDHOUSE CAKE

Steps:

• In a saucepan over low heat, heat the milk and white chocolate until the chocolate is melted; stir until smooth. Cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a bowl, cream butter and sugar on high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with the chocolate mixture. Beat on medium for 2 minutes or until smooth., Pour into two greased 8-in. square baking pans. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. , Frosting: In a bowl, cream butter, shortening and vanilla. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar. Add milk; beat until fluffy. Place 1 cup of frosting in a bowl; tint yellow. Leave remaining frosting white., Assembly: Cut one cake in half. Cut the remaining cake in half diagonally. Place one rectangular cake half toward the back of a 9-in. square covered board. Spread with half of the jam. Top with the remaining rectangular cake. Spread remaining jam over the top of one of the diagonal cakes; top with remaining cake. Frost top and sides of rectangular cake with white frosting. Place the triangular cake, point side up, on rectangular cake. Frost front and back of triangular cake with white frosting., Cut a hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert petal tip #103. Fill bag with yellow frosting. Pipe frosting in slightly overlapping rows on rooftop. Along the roof peak, pipe two rows of frosting on front and back. With yellow frosting and round tip #9, pipe vertical stripes on each side and in each corner. Pipe frosting around base of birdhouse., For birdhouse opening, twist sandwich cookie in half; press cream side of cookie into cake. Remove bottom of marshmallow bird. Pipe frosting onto the back of the bird; attach to cookie. Pipe yellow frosting around opening. Insert Pirouette cookie below opening for perch., For bird's nest, in a saucepan over medium heat, melt marshmallows and butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Stir in peanut butter and chocolate chips until blended. Remove from the heat; stir in chow mein noodles until well coated. Using fingers, shape into a nest; press an indentation in center of next. Fill with jelly beans or candy eggs. Cool. Place in front of birdhouse.

CHEF JOHN'S HUMMINGBIRD CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter two 9-inch round cake pans, then dust with flour. Set aside.
• Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl; whisk quickly to combine. Add oil and eggs and mix with a spatula until just combined.
• Add vanilla, pineapple, bananas, and toasted pecans, and mix until thoroughly combined. Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans. Shake each pan then tap on the counter to settle the batter and bring any air bubbles to the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a wooden skewer inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 minutes.
• Let cakes cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Let cool completely, at least 1 hour.
• Combine cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment on high speed, mix until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as necessary with a spatula. Mix in the powdered sugar on a lower speed in 3 or 4 additions until mostly incorporated. Increase to high speed and whip until light and fluffy.
• Place one cake on a serving platter. Spread 1/2 of the frosting on top, leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch unfrosted at the edges. Top with second cake layer and give it a firm but gentle press. Pile remaining frosting on top and spread toward the outside.
• Place in the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, draw or trace a hummingbird template on a piece of paper and lay on a baking sheet under a silicone mat (such as Silpat®).
• Heat sugar for hummingbird in a saucepan over medium-low heat until dissolved, hot, and amber in color. Drip liquid sugar onto the silicon mat, tracing the hummingbird pattern. Let sit until hard.
• Place cooled hummingbird on top of cake and decorate with edible flowers.

BIRDHOUSE CAKE

Steps:

• Cover bottom of 13x9-inch pan with waxed paper; spray bottom and sides of pan with cooking spray. Prepare cake batter as directed on package; blend in dry pudding mix. Pour into prepared pan. Bake as directed on package for 13x9-inch cake. Cool cake in pan 10 min.; invert onto wire rack. Remove pan and waxed paper; cool cake completely.
• Cut cake as shown in diagram 1. Arrange on tray or large platter as shown in diagram 2 and 3, turning piece B onto its side so it is higher than piece A, and placing pieces C and D over pieces E and F to form raised peak of roof, trimming corners of C and D where they meet at peak.
• Beat butter, milk and vanilla with mixer until well blended. Gradually add sugar, beating after each addition until well blended. Reserve 1/4 cup frosting; frost cake with remaining frosting.
• Sprinkle 1/2 cup coconut onto center of birdhouse. Tint 1/2 cup of the remaining coconut with a few drops of yellow food coloring; sprinkle over bottom edge of house. Tint remaining coconut with few drops of red and blue food colorings; sprinkle over roof. Tint reserved frosting as desired; pipe onto cake to make bird. Add decorations to resemble photo.

DR. BIRD CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F (180°C) and grease and line the base of a 9½ inch round cake tin. (If making a double-layered cake, use 2 tins and double the quantity of cake mixture and frosting).
• Put the nuts and pineapple in a blender or food processor and pulse briefly until finely chopped.
• Sift all the dry ingredients, up to and including the salt, into a mixing bowl, then stir until combined and set aside.
• In a separate bowl, add the bananas, coconut oil or butter, reserved pineapple juice, vanilla, vinegar, and egg, if using. Whisk until combined, then add to the dry ingredients with the pecan and pineapple mix. Briefly stir until combined, but do not over-mix the cake batter.
• Spoon the mixture into the cake tin and level the top. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool for 5 minutes, then turn out of the tin onto a rack to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the frosting. Beat the butter and cream cheese together until light and fluffy. Add the salt and vanilla, then stir in the icing sugar, a little at a time, to make a thick, spreadable icing. Spread the frosting over the top of the cake (or half over each cake if making 2). Sprinkle with the coconut flakes and pecans.

SPICED HUMMINGBIRD CAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Oil two 20cm, loose-bottomed cake tins and line the bottom of each one with baking parchment.
• Sieve the flour into a large mixing bowl, and add 1/2 tsp salt and the baking powder. Stir through the sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and a very good grating of nutmeg. In a separate bowl, whisk the mashed bananas through the eggs and oil until well combined. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and tip in the wet mixture. Fold everything together until combined, then mix through the pineapple and pecans. Spoon the mixture into the tins and bake in the centre of the oven for 35-45 mins or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins for about 10 mins before transferring to a wire rack to cool down completely.
• Meanwhile, put the soft cheese, softened butter, honey and sugar into a mixing bowl and beat together until just combined. Try not to overbeat the mixture or it will become too soft and runny. Chill for 30 mins in the fridge before using.
• Put one of the cakes on a serving plate and spread with half the icing. Top with the other cake and smooth over the remaining icing. Finish with shavings of orange zest, edible flowers and dried pineapple rings, if you like. Will keep in an airtight container for up to three days.

BIRD CAKES

Steps:

• In a large pan start melting the fat.
• When almost melted, take off the heat, add the rest of the listed ingredients and mix well.
• Let the mix cool enough for the seeds to be evenly distributed and not sink to the bottom.
• Fill your molds, cool until set and un-mold.
• IMPORTANT: Do not use old and used fat from your deep fryer because that is not good for the birds.