Chocolate Owl Cake Food

ONE-BOWL CHOCOLATE CAKE BATTER

Steps:

• Mix the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and baking powder in a large bowl with a mixer on low speed until combined. Add the eggs, milk, vegetable oil, vinegar and vanilla. Increase the speed to medium and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Beat in the hot water until smooth.
• Turn this one-bowl chocolate cake batter into three different desserts.
• Layer Cake:
• Brush two 9-inch round cake pans with vegetable oil, line with parchment, then brush with more oil and dust with flour.
• Divide the batter between the pans; tap against the counter to remove any air bubbles.
• Bake at 350 degrees F until a toothpick inserted into the centers of the cakes comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes in the pans, then turn out onto racks to cool completely; discard the parchment.
• Sheet Cake:
• Line a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with foil and brush with vegetable oil.
• Pour the batter into the pan; tap against the counter to remove any air bubbles.
• Bake at 350 degrees F until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan.
• Cupcakes:
• Line 30 muffin cups with paper liners.
• Pour the batter into the muffin cups, filling them about halfway. Tap the pans against the counter to remove any air bubbles.
• Bake at 350 degrees F until a toothpick inserted into the centers of the cupcakes comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes in the pans, then remove to racks to cool completely.

OWL CAKE

Steps:

• Place templates on sheet cakes, and cut out with a paring knife. Halve eye, beak, and brow pieces horizontally. Reserve scraps.
• Arrange pieces into an owl shape, using scraps to build up chest.
• Starting with 9 1/2 cups buttercream, reserve 2 1/2 cups and tint the rest yellow. Use yellow buttercream to attach pieces. Coat eyes with untinted buttercream and rest of cake with yellow, rounding over chest. Refrigerate until frosting is firm, about 30 minutes and up to overnight. Add a second smooth coat of untinted buttercream to top surface of eyes. Add a second smooth coat of yellow to beak and edges of eyes. Layer yellow frosting on wings and head, creating grooves with a small offset spatula. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a medium petal tip (Ateco #103) with 1 cup untinted frosting and 1 cup yellow, the two side by side. Holding bag at a 45-degree angle, with the thinnest opening of the tip facing up, pipe ruffles in vertical lines to cover chest. Pipe 2 lines of ruffles on each brow.
• Place a chocolate wafer cookie on each eye, and top each with a Necco wafer, using a dab of frosting to adhere. Halve 6 cookies, and use as talons. Halve another cookie, break off the top of each half, and use as beak.

OWL SNACK CAKES

Steps:

• Place the snack cakes on a parchment-lined work surface. Using the cookie cutter, gently score half circles onto each side of the cake to denote the owl's wings (don't cut through, just make a line with the cutter). Use a dry art brush loaded with cocoa powder to color the half circle marks to denote the owl's wings.
• Place a chocolate chip onto the cream covered cookie halves to create pupils. Using a separate kitchen-dedicated art brush, brush a dime-sized portion of the caramel or corn syrup onto the back of each cookie to act as "glue." Place two cookies side-by-side onto the upper-third portion of the snack cake, creating eyes. Brush a small amount of caramel onto one side of a whole almond and place it just below each pair of owl eyes to create a beak.
• Brush a small amount of caramel, approximately 1/2-inch long, onto the left and right bottom edge of the snack cake. Place three sunflower seeds, pointed-ends down, on each of the caramel brushstrokes to create talons. Repeat with the remaining snack cakes and ingredients.

CHOCOLATE OWL CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 4. Base line a 20cm round and a 18cm square cake tin.
• Put the butter and chocolate into a saucepan and stir over a very gentle heat until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
• Sieve the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl. Add the sugar, breaking up any lumps if necessary. Beat together the eggs and soured cream and pour onto the flour mixture. Add the melted chocolate and mix all well together until smooth.
• Divide the mixture equally between the two tins and bake in the oven for about 55 mins - 1 hour. A good way to check that the mixture is equally divided is to put a cocktail stick into each mixture and the levels should be the same.
• To make the icing, put the butter into a bowl and beat until creamy. Add the icing sugar and cocoa a little at a time beating well between each addition. Add the milk to mix to a soft spreading consistency.
• To assemble, place the round cake on a large wooden board or tray (the cake will need to served on this). Place the round cake tin on the square cake about 12cm from one edge and cut around the edge of the tin. Remove the smaller piece and place at one end of the round cake to represent the ears.
• Using the remains of the square cake cut almost in half to give an oblong (for the fence) and a semi circle (for the wings). Place the oblong at the bottom of the owl cake. Slice the semi circle in half horizontally through the middle. Arrange one piece each side of the round cake to make the wings.
• Spread the butter icing all over the cake. Cut the flake bars into small pieces and arrange on the wings to represent feathers. Keep the flake crumbs. Arrange milk chocolate buttons over the body. Place chocolate fingers on the bottom cake to make the fence. Using a fork, mark the icing to make the owl's ears. Use the flake crumbs to make a v-shape between the ears like a 'widow's peak'. Arrange the white chocolate buttons in two circles to make the eyes and place a milk chocolate button in the centre of each. Use a third of the marzipan to shape a beak and use the remaining marzipan to make two feet.
• Place the candles on the 'fence' part of the cake. You can also pipe a child's name or message on the fence using writing icing.