 |
Prep Time: 40 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes |
Ready In: 70 Minutes Servings: 8 |
|
You can't go wrong planning a circus theme for your child's birthday party, especially with this colorful cake from our Test Kitchen. Use some of the clown cookies on the cake and serve the remainder alongside. Ingredients:
1 tube (18 ounces) refrigerated sugar cookie dough |
1 package yellow or chocolate cake mix (regular size) |
3/4 cup butter, softened |
6 tablespoons shortening |
9 cups confectioners' sugar |
1/2 cup milk |
3 teaspoons vanilla extract |
1/8 teaspoon salt |
red, blue, yellow and green gel or paste food coloring |
Directions:
1. On a lightly floured surface, roll out cookie dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut out with a lightly floured 3-in. to 3-1/2-in. gingerbread man cookie cutter. Bake according to package directions. Cool on wire racks.
2. Prepare and bake cake according to the package directions, using two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
3. For frosting, in a large bowl, cream butter and shortening until fluffy. Add the confectioners' sugar, milk, vanilla and salt; beat until smooth.
4. Place 1/2 cup of frosting each in four small bowls; tint one red, one blue, one yellow and one green. Place 3/4 cup frosting in a small bowl and leave white. Cover the bowls with plastic wrap and set aside.
5. To assemble, place one cake layer on a 10-in. round serving plate. Using some of the remaining frosting, frost top of cake. Top with second layer; frost top and sides of cake.
6. Using 1/2 cup of the reserved white frosting, spread over nine cooled cookies; let stand until set.(Set aside remaining cookies for another use or decorate and serve along sides of cake).
7. Cut a small hole in the corner of four pastry or plastic bags; insert a tip and fill each bag with a tinted frosting. Decorate frosted side of cookies with zigzag, star fill-in, ruffle garland or sotas (lace) to resemble clowns. Let stand until dry,
8. Gently press a clown cookie into the lower left side of top of cake. Using frosting, make three balloons. Pipe strings from balloons to the clown's hand. Pipe Happy Birthday on cake. Pipe a shall border around top edge. Pipe two large dots on the back of each clown with remaining white frosting. Evenly space clowns around sides of cake; gently press into cake. Yield: 8-10 servings (about 2 dozen cookies).
|
|