Let’s Bake!

Last December, I bought a stand mixer and have been busily learning to bake ever since. Unfortunately, my decorating ambitions exceed my skill. I made a peppermint cake using ground candy canes. I wanted to make it look like a peppermint candy.

Peppermint Cake by Tulip

Peppermint Cake by Tulip

I think if you squint and tilt your head, it sorta looks like a candy.

Anyway, even if your decorating skills are like mine (or Sloopy’s) you can still make an impressive cake using the checkerboard technique. Of course, the most important thing to remember is: IT’S CAKE! People want to eat it no matter what it looks like.

But she loves her Daddy anyway!

Libby’s Birthday Cake by Sloopy

I’m making a red velvet and devil’s food checkerboard cake. I like making a checkerboard cake because it has a high impact to work ratio. I am using the recipes from Diva’s Can Cook: Red Velvet Cake and Devil’s Food Cake. I am making half recipes of each type of cake because I don’t want to make a four layer cake. I am not going to show you how to make the cakes; I believe Glibs can follow recipes and UCS has already provided a great demonstration of how to make a cake. I want to show how to turn the layers into a cool looking checkerboard cake.

A few basic tips. Make sure your eggs have come to room temperature. Also, regardless of what a recipe says, I prepare my pans by buttering and flouring the pan. Don’t try to use cooking spray. It leads to flour lumps.

After you have baked the cakes and they have cooled*, make frosting. I made cream cheese frosting to go with the red velvet cake.

Baked Cakes by Tulip

Baked Cakes

I have pie/biscuit cutters, but you can do this by making a template to cut around as well, or just use a bowl or lid and cut around that. I used a 9 inch cake pan and 6 and 3 inch cutters.

Cutting Tools by Tulip

Cutting Tools

Center the cutters over the cake and cut it out – you should have two rings and a small round.

Cut the Rings by Tulip

Cut the Rings

Separate the pieces.

Separated Rings by Tulip

Separated Rings

These cakes are both made using oil instead of butter. That results in a very tender and fragile cake, so I need to be careful when separating and assembling the cakes. Normally, I would re-assemble the cakes and then stack, but with these cakes, I will assemble it on the cake plate.

When both cakes are separated, you’re ready to assemble the checkerboard. Put a ring of red velvet on the cake plate. Put frosting on the inside piece, then add a ring of devil’s food, add frosting and then put the round of red velvet.

First Layer Assembled by Tulip

First Layer Assembled

Now do the second layer.

Assembling Second Layer by Tulip

Assembling Second Layer

Once it is assembled, it’s ready to frost.

Finished Assembly by Tulip

Finished Assembly

Iced Cake by Tulip

Iced Cake

On the outside, it looks like your basic cake, but when it is sliced open Voila!

Cut Cake by Tulip

As a variation, you could make a vanilla cake. Pour out the first layer of cake batter into one pan, then add food coloring to the mixing bowl and pour the second layer in the other pan. I only cut one ring for this cake.

Vanilla Checkerboard by Tulip

Vanilla Checkerboard

You could also skip the cutting and assembling, and just make each layer different. If you make each layer a little darker, you have an ombre cake. This one is white chocolate, milk chocolate and dark chocolate. I put raspberry jam between the layers.

Chocolate Ombre Cake by Tulip

Chocolate Ombre Cake

* these are both soft moist cakes, so I refrigerated them before cutting.