First of all, I cannot take any credit for the inspiration of this cake. I saw it on another blog I read, who then gave the link for the original idea. And I have to admit, the original one looks MUCH MUCH MUCH better than mine. But I take solice in the fact that it was my first try, and I used store bought icing instead of making my own (which I knew I should have done but didn't have the time to) So- for next time, I know it'll turn out much better than this and won't be so goopy!
And now that we've cleared up all that, onto the cake!
I started out with 2 mixes of white cake.
Make 1 mix exactly as directed for a 2, 9 inch round cake pan recipe. Let cool 10-15 minutes before removing from the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack. Set aside.
Mix the second cake mix as directed and divide batter in half. Using regular food coloring, mix one half with blue coloring and the other half with red. Make sure to use enough to ensure a deep blue and red instead of pastels ;) Bake as directed and cool the same way you did with the white cakes.
Once your cakes are completely cool, take 1 white cake and cut it in half (so that you have 2 thin round cakes about an inch high) Do the same with the red cake.
Place one thin layer of white cake on your serving dish and add a thin layer of icing.
*Note* Here's where I went wrong using storebought icing. It was too runny and basically gave no support to the cake at all. If you have a homemade icing recipe (usually calls for powdered sugar, milk, butter and shortening) use that instead. It should help your cake look "cleaner."
Make sure you only pull the icing in one direction as you ice the cake or you will get little fluffs of cake all over and it will look messy.
Add 1 thin layer of red cake and add another thin layer of icing.
Here's the tricky part... Now you're going to take your remaining thin layers of red and white and cut a small circle out of the center, like a donut. I used a small bowl and pressed it down like a cookie-cutter to make sure I had the same size each time. Place the small white circle in the center of your cake, add a small layer of icing and then the red layer, ice.
Your blue cake should still be the original size. Take the same bowl or whatever you used to measure out the hole for the red and white cakes and cut out a hole in the blue cake. This time, however, you will be using the ring instead of the center. For this next step you will need a second pair of hands (I know because I ripped my cake trying to do this by myself...) Place the blue ring on the top of the cake, with your smaller white and red circles fitting inside.
If the blue sticks up too high (like mine did!) Use a knife and trim it until it is level with the red.
You can now fully ice your cake. When you're ready to serve, your cake should look like this (hopefully better) when you're done.
One great thing about this cake is all the scraps left over- Yum!
I'd like to thank 17 and Baking for this original idea. Click here to see her beautiful cake and don't laugh too hard at mine after you see how amazing hers looks ;)
