Birthday Cakes

As I just mentioned in the introduction, the cake is the most important singular dish you’ll serve at the party. Many people are scared to make their own cake because not only do they have to make and bake the cake, but they also have to frost it and then store it until it’s time to eat the cake.

We’ll take care of the making and baking part when we give the recipe for making the Devilish Devil Food Cake. However, before we even get to the cake, let’s discuss how to properly ice a cake and how to properly store it so no taste is lost.

Here are some easy tips and steps for you to follow while frosting a cake:

1. Use a soft pastry brush to brush away any crumbs from the surface you’re going to frost. Also, place the cake in the freezer for 20 minutes just before frosting. This will firm-up the cake and make it much easier to spread the frosting on.

1. If you’re frosting multiple layers, be sure to place the thickest layer in the bottom and frost that first. Also, under the bottom layer, place a dab of corn syrup so the cake will stick to it and not move while being frosted.
   
2. To keep the cake platter clean and looking nice, place wax paper around the edges of the cake to catch any runoff frosting.
   
3. For multiple level cakes, place about ¼ inch of frosting to the top of the layer. If the top is lopsided, make it even by building it up with more frosting.
   
4. Stack the second layer on the bottom layer. Then apply a very thin layer of frosting to cover any imperfections. Then apply a thin layer around the sides of the cake.
   
5. Once the thin layer of frosting is on the cake, apply a thicker layer around the entire cake – the top and the sides. To smooth the sides, hold a metal spatula against the cake with one hand and rotate the cake with the other hand. You can also make decorative swirls or ridges with the metal spatula.
   
6. After the cake is completely frosted, carefully removed the wax strips away from the cake. If there is still some frosting on the platter, wipe it away with a wet paper towel.
   
7. Now you are ready to either eat the cake or store the cake. If you’ve frosted the cake with cream cheese or whipped cream, to keep the frosting from drying out you should cover the cake with a cake dome or a large saucepan turned upside down.

There is a correct way to store a cake in either the refrigerator or the freezer. There’s also a proper way to thaw out a cake. If you don’t store a cake properly then you risk losing flavor. If you thaw it incorrectly, it could lead to food poisoning.

So let’s take a look at a few tips on how to store and thaw a cake:

1. The key to storing a cake is making sure it’s wrapped correctly. A cake will keep for up to a week at room temperature or in the refrigerator if it’s wrapped right. The cake will also last for up to 6 months if it is placed in the freezer.
   
2. In order not to ruin the frosting while wrapping the cake, place the cake uncovered in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. If you don’t chill the frosting first then it may very well cling to the wrap and ruin the looks of your cake.
   
3. To refrigerate a cake, you can simply surround it with wax paper. For freezing a cake, you want to wrap it tightly in aluminum foil. Be sure there are no openings or tears in the foil.
   
4. Another word of warning: Always allow your cake to cool completely before freezing it.
   
5. For thawing a cake, if it has a creamy frosting or a filling with egg in it, allows thaw the cake in the refrigerator. The thawing time in the refrigerator can take anywhere from 8 to 16 hours. If the cake filling doesn’t contain egg and the frosting isn’t creamy, then you can thaw the cake on the counter.

Now that we’ve gotten all the boring details out of the way, let’s get to the recipe of our cake.

The Devilish Devil’s Food Cake

This particular cake captures the best of all worlds. It’s chocolate devil’s food cake with white chocolate frosting. This cake is two layers of absolute perfection.
 
The ingredients below are for making both the cake and the frosting. (Yes, you will be making your own frosting!)

Serves: About 16

Ingredients:

-  Solid vegetable shortening (for greasing all the pans)
-  Flour (for dusting the pans)
-  1 package of plain devil’s food cake mix (18 ¼ ounce package)
-  3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
-  1 1/3 cups of buttermilk
-  ½ cup of vegetable oil
-  3 large eggs
-  6 ounces of coarsely chopped white chocolate 
-  1 8 ounce package of crème cheese (at room temperature)
-  4 tablespoons of butter (room temperature)
-  1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
-  2 ½ cups of sifted confectioner sugar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Be sure the rack is in the middle position in your oven. After turning on your oven, heavily grease two 9-inch round cake pans. You want to use vegetable shortening for this. After greasing the pans, then you want to dust each of them with flour. Be sure to shake out the extra flour and then set the pans aside.
   
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, the buttermilk, the oil, the eggs, and the vanilla. Using an electric mixer on low speed, mix these ingredients together for one minute. Stop the mixer after one minute and clean the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Then continue mixing with the electric blender on medium speed. This time mix for two minutes. Use the rubber spatula to scrape the sides again if you need to do so. The cake batter should look completely blended.
   
3. Pour the blended cake batter into the pans you just prepared. Make sure you pour an equal amount into each pan. Then place the pans in the over beside each other on the middle rack.
   
4. Back the cakes for about 28 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when the sides begin to pull away from the pans. Also, the cake should spring back when it’s pressed lightly with your finger. Take the cakes out of the pans and let them cool on wire racks for ten minutes. You can take them out by running a knife between the sides of the cakes and the sides of the pans. Once the cakes have cooled on one side for ten minutes, flip them over and allow them to cool for another thirty minutes on the wire racks. The cakes should now be right side up.
   
5. Now you’ll begin to make the frosting. In a small saucepan, place the white chocolate and melt it over low heat. You should be stirring it the entire time. It should take about four minutes. Then remove it from heat and let it cool.
   
6. In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter and the cream cheese. Mix for thirty seconds using an electric mixer on low speed. Turn off the machine. Then add the melted white chocolate. Turn the mixer back on (low speed) and blend the ingredients together for thirty seconds. Then add the vanilla and confectioner sugar and mix with the mixer for another thirty seconds on low speed. Next turn the mixer to medium speed and continue to mix until the frosting is fluffy. It usually takes about one minute.
   
7. Now you’re ready to frost the cake. Place one cake layer (the thickest layer) right side up on the serving platter (remember you can put a dab of frosting or corn syrup under it to make it stick to the platter). Frost the top of the bottom layer (about ¼ inch of frosting, level it off by adding extra frosting where necessary). Place the other layer on top of the bottom layer. Then frost the top and the sides of the entire cake.
   
8. Either freeze the cake, refrigerate it, or serve it within a day or two.