Erupting Volcano Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 1 angel food cake pan for the base cake layer and 1 fluted tube pan (such as Bundt®) for the top cake layer.
• Combine 1 cake mix, 1 1/3 cup water, 3 eggs, and 1/2 cup melted butter in a large bowl to make base cake layer. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium and continue to beat, scraping bowl occasionally, until batter is smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour into prepared angel food cake pan.
• Combine 1 cake mix, 1 1/3 cup water, 3 eggs, and 1/2 cup melted butter in a large bowl to make top cake layer. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium and continue to beat, scraping bowl occasionally, until batter is smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour into prepared fluted tube pan.
• Bake cakes in the preheated oven until toothpicks inserted into the centers come out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool in pans, about 5 minutes. Invert onto wire racks.
• Sift confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder together in a large bowl.
• Combine 1 cup softened butter and vanilla extract together in another large bowl; beat with an electric mixer on low speed until creamy. Gradually beat in sifted sugar mixture until well-blended. Add heavy cream; beat until frosting is well-blended and spreading consistency.
• Place base cake layer on a large serving platter. Spread a thin layer of frosting on top. Position top cake layer over the base so that holes are aligned. Trim hole at the center of the cakes with a knife so that it is large enough to fit a tall glass or mason jar. Cut off the top with a serrated knife to create a volcano "rim".
• Spread frosting all over stacked cake. Arrange cake trimmings as "lava rocks" around the base. Refrigerate until frosting sets.
• Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Combine white sugar, light corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook until syrup reaches 310 degrees F (155 degrees C) or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms hard, brittle threads. Remove from heat and stir in 2 drops red food coloring and cinnamon flavoring.
• Pour streams of red syrup carefully onto the lined baking sheet to create candy "lava". Cool until set, about 5 minutes. Peel off the baking sheet and place around the sides and top of the frosted cake.
• Place marshmallow cream, 1/4 cup water, 1 drop red food coloring, and yellow food coloring in a small saucepan over low heat; cook and stir until marshmallow lava is melted and even in color, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Place glass or mason jar inside the frosted cake. Add a small amount of dry ice, marshmallow lava, and remaining 1/4 cup water. Dry ice will create a "smoke" effect and cause marshmallow lava to bubble over cake rim.

Steps:

• Mix cake mix according to package directions, blending with eggs, oil & water. Spoon the cherries from the pie filling into the chocolate cake mix. Set the remaining cherry pie filling sauce aside for later. Bake in a greased 2 quart glass bowl according to temperature on box-- additional baking time may be necessary. Be sure cake is firmly set.
• Remove cake from oven and cool completely. When cool, invert cake onto a 9x13 pan. Crush graham crakers well and sprinkle around the cake (volcano) as beach sand -- leaving an area off to the side for the blue ocean water.
• In the water area, spoon the partially set prepared blue jello into place. It should be solid enough not to run everywhere.
• Using a glass candle votive holder (or a shot glass), press down into the top of the volcano to create an area for the dry ice to sit. Leave in place.
• Spoon remaining cherry pie filling sauce onto the top of the volcano (around the edges of the votive holder but not into it) and let drip down the sides, for a lava-looking effect. Store cake in fridge until ready to serve.
• Just before serving, prepare the lava for eruption. Scrub the egg shell of the egg until it is clean and towel dry. Separate the egg white and discard yolk. Beat the white with the powdered sugar and red food coloring until peaks form.
• Place a couple small chunks of dry ice (handle dry ice using gloves at all times!) into votive holder on top of cake. Pour 2 oz. of boiling hot water into egg mixture. Pour that hot liquid (the watery part -- not the chunks of whipped egg) onto the dry ice, but don't overflow the votive. The dry ice will cause the egg frosting to bubble out and over the cake. Your eruption will last about 5 minutes and you can repeat if desired!

Steps:

• 1. Buy the dry ice the day you'll use it. Store it in the freezer, and use precautions when handling.
• 2. Make six 8" round cakes. Use your favorite recipe or your favorite store bought mix. Bake and cool. Now take the cookie cutter, or small juice glass, and cut a hole in the center of two of the cakes. These two cakes will be used for the top layers of the cake. They will form a well in the center of the cake.
• 3. Now to construct the cake. Place the first cake on a large platter, or cake plate, and frost the top of it. Then add each layer to the other, with frosting in between each layer. Placing the two cakes, with the holes in the center, at the top of the cake. As you form the layers, trim off each layer of cake (not the first layer) as you build up the cake, to form a mountain.
• 4. Now take a small piece of aluminum foil and line the well in the center of the cake. (You can use the small juice glass and wrap the foil around it, to use as a mold.) Add the green food coloring to the white frosting, and set aside.
• 5. Now it's time to frost the cake! Use chocolate frosting to frost the cake. Use the frosting to smooth out the layers, as they will be step-like ledges from the trimming of the cakes. After frosting the cake with the chocolate frosting, add the green frosting to make little vegetation like bushes around the mountain of cake. (You can also use little green candies if you want, to make it resemble vegetation, instead of the green frosting, or you can use both.)
• 6. When it's time to serve your Volcano Cake, thats when you make the "lava." Separate the egg, and toss the yolk. Now put the egg white into a small mixing bowl, with 1 1/2 tsp of sugar and 3 drops of red food coloring. Beat until the egg white mixture starts to thicken. You don't want stiff peaks to form, just a thick and foamy texture.
• 7. Now put 2-3 pieces of the dry ice into the foil lined well of your cake. Next, pour in the red egg mixture. (Nothing happens yet). Take your cake to where you'll be serving it (where your family, guests or party is). Then fill a little glass with 1-2 ounces of hot tap water. When you're ready to have your Volcano Cake erupt, pour 1-2 ounces of the hot water, into the dry ice/egg mixture well, and it will E-R-U-P-T!!! With orange lava flowing and smoke coming out!!! This eruption lasts for several minutes!
• 8. Take pictures and/or a video of your Volcano Cake Erupting! And, of coarse, take pictures and a video of your guests, because they'll be in awe of what you've created!
• 9. SECOND METHOD FOR VOLCANO ERUPTION: If you can't find dry ice, or don't want to use it, then you can still have your Volcano Cake erupt. There won't be any smoke, but it will still be fun with all the flowing lava! You'll need a little juice glass or a shot glass, about 3" tall and 1 1/2" around, that will fit snugly in the well of your Volcano Cake. You'll need 1 small box of orange jello, a small bottle of lemon juice and 1 Tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda.
• 10. Make the jello according to the package directions. Let it cool for about 15 minutes or so. You want it to be warm, not hot. Fill the shot/juice glass 1/2 full of the warm Jello. Pour in some lemon juice, to about 1/2 inch from the top. Now place the glass into the well of the cake, and make sure the glass is flush with the top of the cake. Now, you're ready for your Volcano Cake to erupt! Gather family, or party guests, around the table where your cake is. When you're ready, put 1 Tablespoon of the Bicarbonate of Soda (I'm told you can purchase this at a Pharmacy) into the glass, and stir it for only about 1-2 seconds. Now, your "lava" will begin to flow!
• 11. THIRD METHOD FOR VOLCANO CAKE: You can use 2 Angel Food Cakes, for the cakes if you would rather. Just slice off 3" from the top of one of the angel food cakes, and put it on top of the other angel food cake, to make the Volcano Cake. Then trim the edge of the top layer so you can have the round mountain effect. Frost the cake, by using the directions in the first Volcano Cake method. Then place wadded up paper, in the center of the bottom angel food cake hole, to hold a juice glass. One that will hold either the dry ice method for eruption, or the jello method for eruption. Both explained earlier in the different recipes for lava flow.
• 12. Either way you make your Volcano Cake, enjoy the moment! It's fabulous and amazing!