Cake 5 Ways

Last week I was assigned the deliciously bizarre task of bringing 12 unfrosted vanilla cakes home from work. Mix-and-matching store-bought frosting with items found around the kitchen, I was able to create five fun and tasty cakes.

And what do you do with five carefully crafted cakes?

Well, you eat them one bite at a time.

Vanilla Ice Cream Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 vanilla cakes
• 2 pints vanilla ice cream
• 16 oz. vanilla frosting

The Steps:

1. Take the vanilla ice cream out of the freezer and allow it to soften (the outsides should be slightly melted while the center is still frozen; if you wait until the entire pint is softened, then the ice cream won’t hold its ground and it will drip off your cake).
2. Using a knife, stir the ice cream until you get a thick milkshake-like consistency.
3. Take one cake and turn it upside-down (this is so, when you put the second layer on top, it doesn’t topple, tilt, or slip).
4. Spread the pints of ice cream evenly across the upside-down cake
5. Turn another cake upside-down, frost the bottom side (the dark, flat side) with vanilla frosting, flip it back over, and place it on top of the layer with the ice cream so that the ice cream and the frosting are touching.
6. Continue frosting the entire double-layered cake with a spatula or knife.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 vanilla cakes
• 1 jar grape jam
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 16 oz. cream cheese frosting

The steps:

1. Transfer the frosting to large mixing bowl and add the peanut butter. With a spatula or spoon, fold the peanut butter into the frosting until they are well mixed.
2. Take one of your vanilla cakes and turn it upside-down (this is so, when you put the second layer on top, it doesn’t topple, tilt, or slip).
3. Then spread the jam on the cake so that there is about ¼ to ½  inch of smooth jelly surface.
4. Take another cake and spread the frosting/peanut butter mix on the bottom side of the cake (the darker side of the cake). Set this cake on top of the first cake so that the frosting and jelly sides of the cakes are touching.
5. With the remaining frosting, cover the top and sides of your double-decker cake with a spatula or knife.

Browned Butter Ice Cream Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 vanilla cakes
• 16 oz. container cream cheese frosting
• 2 pints of butter pecan ice cream

The Steps:

1. Take the ice cream out of the freezer and allow it to soften (the outsides should be slightly melted while the center is still frozen; if you wait until the entire pint is softened, then the ice cream won’t hold its ground and it will drip off your cake).
2. Using a knife, stir the ice cream until you get a thick milkshake-like consistency.
3. Take one cake and turn it upside-down (this is so, when you put the second layer on top, it doesn’t topple, tilt, or slip).
4. Spread the pints of ice cream evenly across the upside-down cake
5. Turn another cake upside-down, frost the bottom side (the dark, flat side) with cream cheese frosting, flip it back over, and place it on top of the layer with the ice cream so that the ice cream and the frosting are touching.
6. Continue frosting the entire double-layered cake with a spatula or knife.

Raspberry Cream Cheese Cake

Ingredients:

•      2 vanilla cakes
•      16 oz. cream cheese frosting
•      1 jar raspberry preserves

The Steps

1.      Take one of your vanilla cakes and turn it upside-down (this is so, when you put the second layer on top, it doesn’t topple, tilt, or slip)
2.      Then spread the raspberry preserves on the cake so that there is about ¼ to ½  inch of smooth raspberry surface.
3.      Then take another cake and spread the frosting on the bottom side of the cake (the darker side of the cake). Flip this cake over and set it on top of the first cake so that the frosting and jelly sides of the cakes are touching.
4.      With the remaining frosting, cover the top and sides of your double-decker cake with a spatula or knife.
5.      As a garnish, you can place a handful of fresh raspberries on top, or you can take some of the raspberry preserves, and, with the back of a spoon, smear it on the top of your cake in a zigzag pattern.

Tri-Berry Trifle

Ingredients:

• 2 vanilla cakes
• Raspberry preserves
• 1 cup blackberries
• 1 cup blueberries
• 4 cups JELLO vanilla pudding
• 1 can whipped cream
• 4 tall champagne or water glasses

The Steps:

1.     Cut your vanilla cakes into about ½-in. x ½-in. cubes and place a small handful of the cubes at the bottom of each glass

2.     Pour 1 tablespoon of raspberry preserves on top of the cake in each glass

3.     Pour 2 tablespoons of pudding on top of the preserves

4.     Sprinkle about ½-cup of a mixture of blackberries and blueberries

5.     Repeat steps 2-4 once more and top with whipped cream