Sadly, football is wrapping up. College football has been over for about a month now, and the Superbowl is this Sunday. Where has the season gone?
Since we’re in the middle of a blizzard here in DC, I don’t think I’ll be doing anything too exciting for Superbowl Sunday since I can’t even see my car. Instead, I’m thinking of baking a cake for me and the fiancé! Hey, I gotta show him my Betty Crocker side every once in awhile to assure him I’m wifey material. We managed to attend 6 Virginia Tech games this year, but I stumbled across this stadium cake pan a little too late in the season to be able to bring it to tailgates. If your mailman won’t overnight the pan to your house in this snowstorm, you could always make an easy football pull-apart cake made of delicious chocolate cupcakes!
Since I’m not a Saints or Colts fan, I’m thinking of decorating my stadium for both teams. Any thoughts as to what candies I could put on top?
Many thanks to Tomi, who pointed me to this recipe. I made a vow to Susan not to bring up this topic but since one of our loyal readers has brought it up, I feel free to address it. The issue is what part of the candy corn is the top. This caused a big row last year on the blog. She says the white part, which is completely wrong, and I say the yellow part. My reasoning is that on the cob, the broad yellow part is on the outside, so that must be the top of the candy corn kernel.
She actually yelled at me, “Candy corn does not grow on a cob!” I maintain that to be the truth, and Candy Scientist Laura even explained how it is made, but for as long as we call it candy corn and not candy triangles, the corn metaphor stands. I didn’t make it up. Don’t yell at me, Susan. As the old song goes, the candy corn grows as high as an elephant’s eye.
We cobists are happy to see this recipe because it gives us an idea of what the fabled candy corn cob would look like if it did exist. Here is the recipe, from the Food Network:
Trim the ends of a store-bought jelly-roll cake to make a corn-cob shape. Cover with a thin layer of vanilla frosting, then cover the cake completely with candy corn, inserting the tips into the cake so that only the yellow ends are visible. Roll out a package of green fondant (we used Wilton Primary Colors Multi Pack, available at baking and crafts stores) until about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out 2 leaf-shaped pieces and arrange around the cake to look like husks.
Thank goodness Rob and I are in good company on this issue. If the Food Network people are on my side, I can’t be wrong. After all, they probably know the people who drive the combines on the fondant farm. I bet their Thanksgiving tastes a whole lot like Halloween.
Flickr user SmallThingsIced really got my attention with this photo of a cake that looks like a Cadbury Dairy Milk bar. Yes, it is a cake, the chocolate bits covered in a chocolate fondant and the rest in buttercream icing. It is beautiful work and looks delicious, even if it does not have the candy content of some previous cakes.
Now here is a philosophical question – if it’s a cake in the shape of a chocolate bar, does that make it a chocolate cake?
Flickr user Chotda feeds our imaginations with this beautiful chocolate fudge cake with chocolate fudge frosting, covered in candy. I like the composition, except I think there’s a bit too much of the wall showing above the cake. All the same, the main subject (that’s the cake, in case we need to back up a step) really grabs my attention and the candies sitting on top are tempting all by themselves. The natural lighting is great as well, a bit bright on the left side but evening out quickly. Nice effect. Good going, Chotda!
Is it time for lunch yet?
Do you want your candy photos featured here? Submit them to the Candy Dish Blog Flickr group. We want to see your candy photos and so does the rest of the world!
Flickr user cakeflower made a cake that I think anyone can get into having, whether for a birthday or just for a regular dessert.
Kit Kats around the side, Kissables on top and chocolate frosting all surround this yellow cake. I think I am in love. Anyone who wants to make me a cake for my next birthday, feel free to take a page from this book! I think I would prefer this a whole lot more than Cybele’s nacho cheese Peeps, although their yellow motif does give it an appealing look.
Do you want your candy photos featured here? Submit them to the Candy Dish Blog Flickr group. We want to see your candy photos and so does the rest of the world!
This bunny cake will be a welcome guest at any springtime gathering. What’s your favorite Easter cake recipe?
You will need:
- 1 package (any type) of cake mix (plus the ingredients necessary to make that cake)
- 2 cans pre-made vanilla frosting
- 1 14-oz. package of coconut (about 5 cups)
- food coloring
- small candy pieces for decorating the cake (gum drops, jelly beans, licorice, chocolate chips, etc.)
Directions:
- Prepare cake mix as directed and pour into two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans. Bake cakes according to package directions. Cool completely.
- Cut cake as show in diagram.
- Line large tray or sturdy cardboard with foil.
- Frost sides of each cake piece.
- Place pieces of cake as shown in diagram on foil-lined tray.
- Frost top of cake.
- Sprinkle about 2 ¾ cup coconut over top and sides of cake, lightly pressing coconut onto the sides
- In a small bowl combine ¾ cup coconut with two – three drops red food coloring and toss until evenly colored. Place aside. Repeat with 1 ½ cups coconut and two – three drops green food coloring.
- Sprinkle pink coconut over ears and bowtie; outline with chocolate chips
- Decorate bunny face with other candy pieces using small slices of licorice for whiskers
- Sprinkle green coconut on foil-lined tray around cake. Place additional candies on the green “grass” if desired. You can also make the bunny’s bow tie a different color if desired.
The folks over at Love My Philly have a great recipe for double-chocolate cheesecake. Well, I don’t know for sure that it’s good but looking at the list of ingredients, it certainly can’t be bad! Their title for the web page is “The Best Chocolate Cake.” I certainly hope it lives up to that name. As a good investigator, I better see if I can take the rest of the day off to make this cake and test it. You know, in the interest of journalistic integrity.
Look at the ingredients:
18 OREO Cookies, finely crushed (about 1-1/2 cups)
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
3 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 pkg. (8 squares) BAKER’S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted, cooled slightly
3 eggs
How can it not be good? Go get the instructions and let us know how it turns out. In fact, this looks almost good enough to be a contender for Susan’s chocolate wedding cake.
Do you have a favorite chocolate cheesecake recipe? We’d love to try that one too!
Chocolate Cheesecake by karenwithak.
