We are having fun this year celebrating birthdays. One thing we are doing is having fun with cakes. I asked David our oldest son what kind of cake he would like he said “Crumby Cake“. Now this was a surprise because that is Robert’s favorite cake. He then said, “no let’s make it more challenging, make a two layer checkerboard cake.” I immediately retorted, that a true “Checkerboard Cake” has tree layers and I could do that, secretly knowing that my daughters both have the magic tool to make one.
This was going to be a fun project, but how to decorate it.
David is a huge Seattle Seahawks fan, that was the answer. Here is David’s
“Seattle Seahawks Checkerboard Cake”.
Well at least what it looked like before we cut it for the surprise center.
First things first. I made my favorite plain white cake with a few changes to the measurements and directions. Because it is a three layer cake it needs a bit more batter.
1 cup Butter
1 cups sugar
1 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
4 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 cups milk
1/4 cup cocoa powder
Cream butter and sugar together until light. Add eggs and vanilla, beat until fluffy. Sift dry ingredients together and add alternately with milk. Divide batter in half into two separate bowls. Add enough water to the 1/4 cup of cocoa powder to make a medium paste (about the same consistency of the batter). Stir into one bowl of batter. In the other bowl of batter I added green food coloring (team Color).
Just to help make sure your layers come out of the pan perfectly line the bottom with parchment paper.
Using a large spoon carefully pour batter into the separate divider sections of the magic tool (checkerboard baking set) that can be purchased at www.target.com and other on line stores. Be careful to get the different colors of batter at the same level.
Repeat for the other two pans. Be sure to make two layers the same. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes. Cool. Assemble cake with frosting in between layers, putting the different layer in the center. Frost cake with butter cream frosting.
Butter Cream Frosting
1/3 cup butter
Pinch of salt
3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
Cream butter, salt, vanilla and one cup powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Add remaining powdered sugar and milk alternately, beating until smooth and spreading consistency.
Cutting into the cake is always fun and a surprise to those who have no idea because you can’t tell from the outside. You can make any color combination you desire. Mary Catherine made a red and green one for Christmas one year. Have and enjoy.
Mary Ellen
Cutting into the cake is always fun and a surprise to those who have no idea because you can’t tell from the outside. You can make any color combination you desire. Mary Catherine made a red and green one for Christmas one year. Have and enjoy.
Mary Ellen
You might also like these fun cake ideas :
Caterpillar Cupcakes |
Taco Cake |
Wow this cake is amazing! The design and the checkerboard! So cool! Checking this out from strut your stuff Saturday!
Cathy
http://www.threekidsandafish.com
So pretty! My mother used to have the local bakery dye bread in different colors to make checkerboard sandwiches for parties. It would take a long time. Maybe she should have made checkerboard cake! Thanks for sharing…this brought back great memories!