Two Tiered Tie Dyed Orange Cake Food

THE TIE DYE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter three 9-inch round cake pans or line them with wax paper or parchment paper and butter the paper.
• Divide the Classic Vanilla Cake batter evenly among 5 small bowls. Add food coloring to each bowl--1 drop at a time--until the desired intensity of each color is reached. Scoop each color into a disposable pastry bag and snip the tip of the bag. I tie the ends of the pastry bags with plastic wrap or rubber bands to keep the batter in. Pipe the batter into the first pan, one color at a time, one over the next. (You could also use a spoon, but the pastry bags make this much easier.) Repeat with the remaining 2 pans.
• To make the tie dye effect, carefully drag a skewer completely through the batter from the center out to create a pattern with the colors. Don't overmix the colors.
• Bake until the middle of the cake feels springy when you gently press your finger against it, 35 to 40 minutes. Set the cakes aside to cool completely before icing.
• Level the cakes with a serrated knife. Place one layer on a cake turntable and frost the top with the Vanilla Icing. Add the second cake layer and frost the top. Place the third layer on top and cover the entire cake with a "crumb" coat of vanilla icing. I do a crumb coat--a thin layer of icing spread around the cake to seal in all the crumbs and ensure a neat finish. Unless it's a chocolate cake, the crumb coat is done with vanilla icing. It looks so clean and creates a nice blank canvas for decorating.
• Divide the Vanilla Glaze between 2 mixing bowls. Add pink food coloring to one bowl and blue food coloring to the other bowl--1 drop at a time--until the desired intensity of each color is reached. The food coloring will thin out the glaze a bit. You can always add more liquid, but you can't take it away. Working with an offset spatula, spread pink glaze over the top of the cake and let it drip down the sides. Spread the blue glaze over the pink, but do not let it completely cover the pink. Finally, spoon more pink glaze onto the center of the cake top. Alternate the glazes just like you did with the batter. Use a skewer to pull the glaze from the center out to the edge and make the tie dye design. Work quickly before the glaze starts to dry.
• With a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the butter for 1 minute on high speed, then scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the granulated sugar and beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again. Add the vanilla extract. While mixing at medium-low speed, add the eggs one at a time. Scrape down the edges of the bowl midway through.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, and sea salt in a separate bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add half the flour mixture. When it's mostly incorporated, add half the milk. Add the remainder of the dry and wet ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions. Stop mixing as soon as you have a smooth batter.
• With a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the butter on high speed for 1 minute. Add the vanilla and whip just to incorporate.
• In a separate bowl, mix the confectioners' sugar and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the sugar mixture 1 cup at a time until completely incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl between additions. Whip on high speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
• With a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the confectioners' sugar, milk, and vanilla. Mix on low speed until smooth. If the glaze is too thick, add a little more milk to thin it to the desired consistency.
• If not using within 10 minutes of mixing, cover the bowl with plastic wrap to keep the glaze from drying out. Store at room temperature.

FLORENCE'S ORANGE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush the sides of 2 (8-inch) sandwich or cake pans or a (11-inch) springform pan with melted butter, and dust with flour. Line the base of each pan with greaseproof or parchment paper.
• Cream the 2 sticks butter in a large bowl or in an electric food mixer until soft. Gradually add the sugar, and orange zest, and continue to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well between each addition. Sift the 8 ounces flour and baking powder into the mixture, and stir. Gently, stir in 1 tablespoon of the orange juice.
• Divide the mixture evenly between the 2 prepared pans, making a slight hollow in the center of each cake so that it will rise evenly without forming a peak. Bake in the oven until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cakes, about 25 to 30 minutes. Let the cakes sit for 5 minutes, and then turn out onto a wire rack, and cool completely.
• To make the orange filling: Cream the butter until very soft, and then add the sugar and orange zest. Gradually beat in 1 tablespoon of the orange juice to create a smooth, soft mixture.
• To make the glace icing: Add enough orange juice to the sugar for a spreadable icing. If it is too soft, it will run off the cake, but if it is too stiff, it will be difficult to spread.
• When the cakes are cool, carefully slice each cake in half horizontally. If baking a single cake, slice the cake horizontally into two or three even layers. Spread the orange filling between the cake layers, and sandwich the pieces together. Using a palette knife, spread the glace icing over the top and sides, and decorate with the crystallized flowers, if using.

TIERED CAKE

Steps:

• Bake a single batch of cake batter in 2 (9-inch) pans, then a double batch in 2 (12-inch) pans. Assemble with a double batch of lemon buttercream. Insert some straws in the center of the 12-inch layer and cut them even with the top of the layer. Place the 9-inch layer on top. Use some of the buttercream to pipe a border at the base of the cake. Decorate with fresh raspberries.
• FILLING AND ICING A CAKE Though there are many techniques for filling and frosting a cake, they all have one common goal: to cover the cake neatly and efficiently. Many professional cake decorators use a turntable. The cake is placed in the center of the turntable and the icing is applied to the sides of the revolving cake. Others hold and turn the cake on one hand and spread the icing with a spatula held in the other. Both of these methods work well and easily, but require a certain amount of practice and dexterity to achieve. If you only intend to finish a few cakes a year, by far the easiest method is to put the cake on the platter from which it will be served and spread on the frosting from the top down, as in the following instructions:
• 1. For a single-layer cake, turn the cake upside down on the serving platter so that its flat bottom is up.
• 2. Brush all excess crumbs off cake, platter and work surface.
• 3. If you wish, cover the platter with narrow strips of waxed or other paper inserted under the edge of the cake to keep it free of drips. Pull the strips of paper away (pull from a short end) after cake is frosted. (Or, turn the cake over onto a piece of stiff cardboard, roughly 1/4-inch larger all around than the cake, then slide frosted cake from cardboard to platter. This method is better if you wish to finish side of cake with chocolate shavings, nuts or other solids.)
• 4. To frost with ganache and buttercream, apply a thin layer over the cake with an offset metal icing spatula. Spread it first on top then on the sides to seal the outside of the cake and prevent the cake's crust from crumbing up into the frosting. Chill cake for 10 minutes to set this first coat.
• 5. If you are frosting a two-layer cake, place one layer on platter, bottom side down. Spread a 1/2-inch layer of the frosting over the top of this layer. Place second layer on frosting bottom side up. Proceed with steps 3 or 4, above.
• 6. To put the final coat on the cake, place 4 or 5 dabs of the frosting on the top of the cake. Use the spatula to join the dabs and cover top of cake. Spread from center outward so excess frosting falls down sides of cake.
• 7. To finish the sides, hold spatula handle upward, blade about 1/8-inch away from side of cake, and spread any frosting already on side of cake smooth. Add more dabs of frosting to sides of cake if necessary so it is covered evenly. Finish the top by spreading any icing standing up around edge of cake evenly in toward the center. Hold spatula at a slight slant across the top of cake.
• 8. If you with to press toasted nuts, shaved chocolate or other solids onto the side of a cake, do so immediately. Hold cake on one hand and tilt toward the nuts or chocolate. Bring the cake directly against them. Use other hand to press nuts onto cake. Use a spatula to press chocolate so it doesn't melt against your hand.
• CAKE DECORATING Although dozens of books are published each year on this subject alone, you need not have a degree in cake decorating to produce a great-looking cake. There are many ways to finish a cake without resorting to a pastry bag and tubes, although piping decorations onto a cake can be easy -- and fun. Remember the one cardinal rule of good decorating: use decorations appropriate to the flavors in the cake. Streaking a coffee frosted chocolate cake with chocolate is appropriate. Piping rosettes of coffee buttercream around the top edge of the cake would also be appropriate. Topping the rosettes with strawberries would not!
• POPULAR DECORATIONS All the following decorations are easy to do. For best results practice making the decoration on a plate or the back of a cake pan before attempting it on the cake.
• STREAKING: Use an ounce of chocolate melted with 1/4 teaspoon oil. Place in a plastic bag (snip off corner), squeeze bottle or paper cone and streak top of cake with parallel lines. Make sure to come completely off the top of the cake, before starting another line, to avoid loops at the edge or side of cake.
• WRITING: Writing HAPPY BIRTHDAY and the birthday person's name on the cake is pretty much obligatory for a birthday cake. Use your regular handwriting, whether cursive or printing, and practice a few times on a cake pan or plate the same size as the cake top, so you can center the message evenly. Use the same tools and material as STREAKING, above.
• ROSETTES: To make a good rosette, hold a pastry bag with star tube straight up and down about 1/2-inch above the cake top. Squeeze gently from the top of the bag and describe a letter "C" with the end of the tube. After completing the rosette, release the pressure and pull away sideways, not upward.
• STARS: Hold the bag and star tube as for rosettes, above. Squeeze once, to press a star shape from the bag. Release pressure and pull away straight up from star.
• SHELLS: Hold bag with star tube at a 45 degree angle to top of cake, with tube just touching cake top. Squeeze, pull sideways around the top edge of the cake and release pressure in one quick motion to make a pointed shell shape. Start next shell over point of previous one.
• BORDERS: A border is an excellent finish for the top or bottom of a cake. Use ROSETTES, SHELLS or STARS. ROSETTES and STARS may be placed at a distance from each other, or touching, according to your preference. For further decoration top a rosette or star with a nutmeat, inverted chocolate chip, large chocolate shaving or a piece of fresh or candied fruit, if appropriate to the flavors of the cake for a further decoration.

ORANGE DESSERT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix eggs until frothy. Blend in cake mix, Jell-O mix, orange juice, and canola oil. Mix for 10 minutes. Pour into greased and floured bundt pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes until knife comes out clean. Let set for 10 minutes. Turn onto cake plate. Mix lemon juice and powdered sugar in bowl for glaze. With a toothpick, poke several holes on surface of cake. Pour glaze over top. Garnish base of cake with mandarin orange slices and mint sprigs.

TIE-DYE MACARON CAKE RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Using a fine-mesh sieve, sift together the almond flour and powdered sugar into a medium bowl. 2. Discard any large chunks that remain in the sieve. Thoroughly mix the dry ingredients together until all one color.
• In a large bowl, whip the egg whites with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form.
• Add ⅓ of the granulated sugar and salt beat on high speed until stiff peaks form. Add another third of the sugar and salt, and beat again until stiff peaks return. Add the remaining sugar and salt, and beat until the egg whites are shiny and fluffy.
• Add the almond flour mixture to the bowl with the egg whites. With a rubber spatula, fold to incorporate into the egg whites, 35-45 strokes, or until the batter falls on itself but a slight peak remains. Fold in the vanilla and yellow food coloring, being careful not to overmix.
• Fit an extra-large piping bag with a large, round tip. Cut off the tip right above the opening of the piping tip. Using a paintbrush or skewer, paint the inside of the piping bag with the pink, orange, green, and blue gel food coloring, working carefully so the colors do not overlap and muddle together. Carefully transfer the yellow macaron batter into the piping bag using an ice cream scoop.
• Trace a 7-inch (17 G) circle onto 2 sheets of parchment paper and tear off a third unmarked sheet. Dab a small amount of macaron batter in the corners of 3 rimmed baking sheets to prevent the paper from sliding around, then flip the parchment over onto the pans.
• Fill each circle with the batter. Carefully tap the baking sheet on a flat surface 2-3 times to smooth the batter and release any air bubbles, then use the tip of a skewer or toothpick to pop any remaining bubbles on the surface. Using the remaining batter, pipe small 3-inch round macarons onto the remaining baking sheet. Let the macarons rest at room temperature for 45-60 minutes, until a skin forms on the surface and the batter no longer sticks to your finger when gently brushed over the tops.
• Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
• Bake the small macarons for 17-18 minutes and the large macarons or 28-30 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges. Gently remove the macarons from the baking sheet and let cool completely on a wire rack, about 30 minutes.
• Make the white chocolate ganache filling: In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the white chocolate and cream. MIcrowave in 30-second intervals, stirring between, until melted and smooth, 2-3 minutes total.
• Transfer the ganache to the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes, or until just thick enough to pipe. 13. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with an open star tip.
• Flip a large macaron shell over so the flat side is facing up and place on a cake platter. Arrange the halved strawberries around the edge of the bottom macaron, leaving ¼-½ inch (6 ml - 1.24 cm) of space between each one. Pipe rosettes of ganache in the spaces between the strawberries and one large rosette in the center of the macaron. Top with the remaining large macaron shell. Fill the mini macarons with a small amount of ganache, then sandwich together. Reserve the remaining ganache in the refrigerator until ready to assemble the cake.
• Transfer the large macaron cake and small macarons to the refrigerator to settle and fuse together, at least 8 hours, or up to 24 hours.
• Pipe small rosettes of ganache on top of the macaron cake, then place the small macarons on top. Decorate with more halved strawberries and white chocolate ganache rosettes.
• Note: If superfine almond flour is not available, add the almond flour to a food processor and pulse until very finely ground before making the batter.
• Enjoy!

TIE-DYED ANGEL FOOD CAKE

Steps:

• Move the oven rack to the lowest position. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. (Do not grease or flour your tube pan and do not substitute a fluted Bundt pan).
• In a large bowl, beat the cake mix, water, and lemon/orange peel on low for 30 seconds and medium for 1 minute.
• Divide the batter evenly among three small bowls.
• Gently fold in 6-8 drops of food coloring in each, being careful not to deflate mix.
• Layer the batters in a 10-inch tube pan (anything smaller will overflow).
• Using the end of a wooden spoon, poke a few holes around the cake to "tie-dye" it. (The best way I found to do this is to stick the spoon handle straight down and pull it straight up.).
• Bake 37-47 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the cracks feel dry.
• Don't underbake.
• Immediately turn the pan upside down on a bottle (something glass, like a soy sauce bottle or a wine bottle) to cool.
• Leave to cool for 2 hours.
• Run a knife around the edges to release and place on the serving platter.
• Spoon 1/2 the frosting into a microwavable bowl and microwave for about 15 seconds or until frosting can be drizzled.
• Drizzle over cake.
• Place remaining frosting in a sandwich baggie and snip just enough of the corner (or use a writing tip) to make a VERY VERY thin line.
• Pipe a ribbon and bow on each candy square to look like a present.
• Arrange on top of the cake.
• Store loosely covered at room temperature.