Reveal Cake Food

SURPRISE ON THE INSIDE GENDER REVEAL CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Grease or spray two 8-inch round pans; place 8-inch round piece of cooking parchment paper in bottom of each pan. Grease or spray parchment paper. In large bowl, beat 1 box cake mix and ingredients called for on box with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on high speed about 2 minutes or until smooth. Spread in pans. Bake as directed on box. Cool 10 minutes; run knife around sides of pans to loosen cakes. Gently remove from pans to cooling rack; remove parchment paper. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Repeat to make 2 more layers.
• Flatten cake layers by trimming off rounded tops. In 2 layers, cut small round out of center, using 4-inch round cutter.
• To assemble cake: Place 1 uncut cake layer on cake stand or serving platter; spread 1/3 cup frosting on top. Top with 1 layer with center removed; spread 1/3 cup frosting on top. Top with second layer with center removed; spread 1/3 cup frosting on top. Fill cake with candies and candy sprinkles. Gently press candies to level, top with full cake layer. Frost side and top of cake using remaining frosting. Store loosely covered in refrigerator.

GENDER REVEAL CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line bottoms of 2 greased 8-in. round baking pans with parchment; grease and flour paper., In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition., Transfer to prepared pans. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in each center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks; remove parchment. Cool completely., Place a large bowl and beaters in freezer until cold, about 15 minutes. In chilled bowl, beat cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and vanilla until smooth. Gradually beat in cream until firm peaks form. Tint 1-1/4 cups blue and 1/4 cup pink (switch measurements if it's a girl), and leave remaining frosting white., Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate. Pipe a circle of white frosting around top edge of layer. Spread 1 cup blue (or pink if it's a girl) frosting inside white frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Frost top and sides with white frosting. Using a #8 tip and white frosting, pipe pearls around top and bottom edges of cake. Using a #12 tip, pipe blue and pink dots over cake. With a #4 tip and pink frosting, add "It's a ... " to top of cake. Refrigerate until serving.

GENDER REVEAL CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Butter three 9-inch cake pans, and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
• Cake: 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, beat butter, oil, and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions alternating with the milk in two additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Do not overmix the batter. The less you mix, the lighter the cake will be. Divide the batter as evenly as possible into three bowls. Add food coloring to each bowl until desired color is reached. Add just a tiny drop at first because food colorings can be very concentrated.
• Pour each bowl of batter into prepared pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool for 15 minutes, then gently remove from pans and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack.
• Frosting: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle or whisk attachment, beat butter and salt on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add 5 cups powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase speed to high and beat for 2 minutes. Beat in more powdered sugar if frosting is too thin.
• Assembly: If the cakes rose too much, cut their rounded top with a knife to make them flat. Set one cake layer on a plate or cake stand. Evenly spread a thick layer of the frosting over the cake to the edge. Top with the second cake layer and spread a thick layer of the frosting. Finish with the third cake layer. Spread frosting over the top and sides of the cake. Store cake in the fridge, but bring it to room temperature before serving. The cake can be made a day in advance.

TIE-DYE RAINBOW REVEAL CAKE

Steps:

• For the chocolate cake numbers: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13-by-5-inch loaf pan with a strip of aluminum foil. Spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray. Combine the dark chocolate cake mix, chocolate pudding mix, milk, sour cream, oil and eggs in a mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 52 to 58 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove and set on a cooling rack to cool completely. Cut the domed top off the cake and about 1/4 inch off each end. Slice the cake into 13 equal slices. Freeze slices for 1 hour. Remove the cake from the freezer, set on a cutting board, and cut using small 1 3/4-inch number cookie cutters. To remove the cake from the cookie cutters, use a wood dowel to gently push the pieces out. To make a Sweet 16 cake, cut a 1 and 6 out of each cake slice. Line a baking sheet or cutting board with a nonstick silicone mat, nonstick foil or parchment paper. Set the cake numbers on top, cover, and freeze for at least one hour. For the tie-dye cake: Once the cake numbers are frozen, make the colorful cake batter. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13-by-5-inch loaf pan with a strip of aluminum foil. Spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray. Combine the white cake mix, white chocolate pudding mix, milk, sour cream, oil and egg whites in a mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then on medium speed for 2 minutes. Equally divide the batter among 7 bowls. Color one bowl purple, one royal blue, one sky blue, one green, one yellow, one orange and one red using the food coloring. Pour each colored batter into a disposable pastry bag or large resealable plastic bag. Snip the tip off each bag. Pipe squiggles of purple batter into the bottom of the prepared pan, leaving room for other colors in between the squiggles. Pipe another color on top, then another and another. Pipe all 7 colors on the bottom of the pan in a thin layer. Remove the cake numbers from the freezer. If any of the numbers have holes in them, pipe in 2 different batter colors, filling the hole two-thirds full. Pipe a very thin amount of batter up against one short side of the loaf pan. Press the cake numbers up against the batter. Press another cake number up against the first number and continue adding cake numbers until you have a row of them going down the length of the entire pan. If using more than 1 number, pipe squiggles of colored batter in between the numbers, alternating colors as you go. Pipe squiggles of colored batter around the outside of the numbers, alternating colors as you go. Pipe squiggles of colored batter on top of the numbers, alternating colors as you go. Smooth out the top of the cake. Do not swirl the colored batter in the pan. Tap the pan on the counter 5 times to help remove big air bubbles. Bake the cake until the top is deep brown and a long toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove and set on a cooling rack to cool completely. Cut the domed top off the cake and about 1/4 inch off each end. Trim off a thin layer from each long side of the cake. Optionally, freeze the cake until firm. Set the cake on a cake board that is cut 1/4 inch larger than the loaf on all 4 sides. Mark one end of the cake board. Set the cake so the numbers face forward on the marked end of the cake board. For the frosting: Beat the confectioners' sugar, shortening, whipping cream, vanilla and marshmallow creme until light and fluffy. Frost the cake.
• For the rainbow-colored glaze: Combine the finely chopped candy melts, whipping cream and corn syrup in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat on high in 15 second increments, stirring after each, until melted. Evenly divide the glaze among 6 small bowls. Color one purple, one royal blue, one sky blue, one green, one yellow, one orange and one red. Allow the glaze to thicken slightly. Create a melting rainbow by pouring colored glaze down the side of the cake, starting with the purple, then royal blue, sky blue, green, yellow, orange and red. Set the cake on a serving dish so you know which end has the numbers facing forward. Cut into the cake and reveal the surprise hiding inside.

REVEAL CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in the middle. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans, and line bottoms with parchment paper rounds. Butter paper and dust both pans with flour, tapping out excess.
• In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and 1 1/4 cups sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Scrape vanilla seeds into bowl with a paring knife, reserving pod for another use.
• With the mixer on low speed, add dry ingredients in 3 batches, alternating with milk and starting and ending with dry ingredients; scrape down sides of bowl once or twice to ensure proper combining.
• In the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on low speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar, and beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, beating on medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form. (Do not overmix the whites; if they appear curdled or broken, the cake will not rise.) Whisk one-third of the whites into the batter to lighten, then carefully fold in the rest of the whites.
• Divide batter between prepared cake pans (about 4 cups batter each). Bake until a cake tester inserted in the centers comes out clean and cakes are just beginning to pull away from sides of pans, 30 to 40 minutes. (Do not overbake.) Transfer pans to wire racks and cool for 10 minutes. Run an offset spatula around the edge of each cake, then reinvert cakes onto racks. Remove parchment; cool cakes completely. Refrigerate 1 hour or up to overnight, wrapped well in plastic (or freeze up to 1 month).
• Meanwhile, place 4 1/2 cups buttercream in a medium bowl. Add jam and enough food coloring to reach desired shade of pink or blue; stir to combine.
• Reinvert cakes and trim tops with a serrated knife to make level. Using a ruler as a guide, insert toothpicks halfway up side of cake, all around. Slice each cake in half horizontally using toothpicks as your guides. Place one cake layer on a piece of parchment or a cardboard cake round. Top with 1 1/2 cups colored buttercream, spreading evenly. Top with another cake layer; repeat with remaining colored buttercream and cake layers, ending with cake. Let set in refrigerator 2 hours.
• Frost top and sides of cake evenly with remaining buttercream. Serve.

REVEAL CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350ºF.
• Prepare cake batter as directed on package; spoon 2 cups batter into 10-cup fluted tube pan or 10-inch tube pan sprayed with cooking spray.
• Spoon 1/2 cup of the remaining batter into small bowl; tint with red food coloring for baby girl, or with blue food coloring for baby boy. Spoon colored batter into resealable plastic bag. Snip one corner off bottom of bag; use to pipe colored batter into ring in center of plain batter in pan. Carefully spoon remaining plain batter over batters in pan, completely covering tinted batter.
• Bake 36 min. or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan 10 min. Loosen cake from sides of pan with knife; invert onto wire rack. Gently remove pan; cool cake completely.
• Meanwhile, melt white chocolate as directed on package. Pour half into separate bowl. Tint chocolate in one bowl with green food coloring; tint remaining melted chocolate with yellow food coloring.
• Dip 2 cookies in bowl of green-tinted chocolate, turning to evenly coat both sides of each cookie. Place small gumdrop in hole in center of 1 cookie. Place both cookies on parchment-covered plate. Repeat with remaining cookies, gumdrop and yellow-tinted chocolate. Refrigerate 15 min. or until chocolate coating is firm. Place gumdrop-filled green cookie perpendicular to plain green cookie to resemble pacifier, securing with remaining green-tinted chocolate. Repeat with remaining coated cookies to make second pacifier. Refrigerate 10 min. or until firm.
• Meanwhile, melt semi-sweet chocolate as directed on package; cool slightly. Spoon into resealable plastic bag. Snip corner off one bottom corner of bag; use to pipe question marks halfway onto 5 lollipop sticks on parchment-covered baking sheet. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Mix frosting and COOL WHIP until blended; spread onto cake. Insert stick-ends of chocolate question marks into cake. Decorate with sprinkles and pacifiers.