Children's birthday cakes usually come in one of two varieties: the basic, straight-from-the-box version, or the labor-intensive, time-consuming specialty cake. Happy Birthday offers an alternative: birthday cakes that are fabulously creative and fun as well as incredibly easy to make. Cake designs from potted sunflowers and football fields
Perplexed expressions give way to gleeful shouts of 'I can do that' whenever I demonstrate making this cake. It may look tricky to you, until you realize that the ice cream cones are simply cup in half and then attached directly to the frosting.
You need a dense cake, such as our Chocolate Fudge Cake, to hold up all the ice cream - in a pinch you can substitute a cake mix. Don't use waffle cones; they'll crumble during slicing. If your market doesn't carry four-inch-high cones, buy them at an ice cream shop.
Servings: 12
3 Chocolate Fudge Cakes (recipe follows)
1 batch Chocolate Butter (recipe follows)
5 traditional ice cream cones (4 inches high)
1 1/2 batches Topcoat Frosting (recipe follows)
Ribbon
2 1/2 quarts assorted ice cream
Stack cakes on top of each other. Fill between layers with Chocolate Butter.
Set cones on a work surface with pointed ends up. Starting at the tip, use a thin serrated knife to slice in half with a gentle sawing motion.
Ice entire cake with Topcoat Frosting. While frosting is still soft, attach halved cones to cake, keeping flat end of cone flush with top of cake.
Tie a ribbon around cake, pulling it snugly around cones, then tie a bow. Insert a toothpick just under bow to help hold ribbon in place. (Remember to remove toothpick before serving.)
Scoop approximately 20 balls of ice cream; place on baking sheet in freezer for at least 1 hour. Just before serving, arrange them on top of the cake.
Chocolate Fudge Cake
This rich, dense cake resembles baked fudge. For the Ice Cream Feast, you'll need three 6-inch cakes.
12 oz (3 sticks) unsalted butter
2 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped (1/3 cup)
10 Tbsp Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup boiling water
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
Preheat over to 350F. Butter and flour cake pans. Line pan with wax or parchment paper.
Place butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl over (not in) simmering water until melted, stirring often. (Or microwave at medium power until almost melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Remove from microwave and stir until completely melted.)
In large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, combine cocoa and boiling water. Add hot butter mixture, then sugar; beat until combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Add flour and salt; beat until blended.
Pour into prepared pan; smooth top with a spatula to make it even. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until 1 or 2 big cracks appear on top of cake and barely wobbles when you shake the pan. Do not overbake. (Don't bother inserting a toothpick; it will never come out clean!)
Cool cake in pan on wire rack for 20 minutes. If top of cake is uneven, level it by pressing down with your fingers. Loosen sides of cake by running spatula around edges. Invert cake onto rack; cool completely, preferably overnight, before decorating.
Chocolate Butter
Use to spread over a cake or between the layers.
10 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
8 oz (2 sticks) unsalted butter
Place chocolate and butter in a metal bowl over (not in) simmering water until melted, stirring often. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour, until it reaches a smooth spreading consistency. (Speed up process by placing bowl in refrigerator.)
Frostings
To avoid crumbs in the frosting, apply a base coat of a thinner Crumbcoat Frosting to 'set' the crumbs, then give it a thicker, creamier Topcoat.
Crumbcoat
1 1/2 oz (2 1/2 Tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 box (1 lb) confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup water
Topcoat
5 oz (10 Tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 box (1 lb) confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup or more water
For both frostings: In large bowl with electric mixer on high speed, beat butter until light. Reduce speed to medium; add remaining ingredients. Increase speed to high; beat 5 minutes, until fluffy.
Spread a thin layer of Crumbcoat over cake. Allow it to harden and form a crust so that the crumbs 'set.' Once set, apply Topcoat.
