Polka Dot Birthday Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Spray bottoms and sides of two 9- or 8-inch round cake pans with baking spray with flour.
• Make, bake and cool cake mix as directed on box for two 9- or 8-inch round pans.
• Tint 1/3 cup of the frosting with 1 or 2 drops food color for desired shade of pink.
• On serving plate, place 1 cake layer, rounded side down; spread pink frosting over layer almost to edge. Top with second layer, rounded side up. Frost side and top of cake with remaining frosting.
• Insert candies into frosting on side and top of cake as desired. Store loosely covered.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 11-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; butter parchment and sides of pan, and dust with flour. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, vanilla, and orange zest. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. With mixer on low, add butter 1/2 stick at a time; beat until mixture is the texture of coarse meal. Add half the milk mixture, and increase speed to medium-high; beat 1 minute. With mixer running, slowly add remaining milk mixture. Beat 30 seconds more.
• Spread batter into prepared pan, smoothing top with a spatula. Bake until golden on the top and edges are pulling away from the sides, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Transfer to a wire rack; let cool 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, and invert onto wire rack. Remove parchment; let cake cool completely.
• Cut cake in half, into two 8 1/2-by-11-inch pieces. In a small saucepan, heat marmalade until it is syrupy (strain as needed). Spread over one half; let cool at least 10 minutes. Top with remaining half.
• Cut cake into 8 pieces, each about 3 by 4 inches. Cut parchment paper into 8 pieces, each 4 by 5 inches; set a piece of cake on each. Measure 2 1/2 cups buttercream; set aside. Using a small offset spatula, thinly coat top and sides of each piece with some of the remaining buttercream to seal in crumbs. Transfer cakes on parchment paper to a baking sheet, and place in refrigerator 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from refrigerator; cover each piece with a final layer of buttercream, smoothing top and sides with the offset spatula. Return baking sheet to refrigerator.
• Place 3/4 cup reserved buttercream in a small bowl; tint it red for the numbers. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with an Ateco #11 large round tip. Divide remaining 1 3/4 cups reserved buttercream among four small bowls; tint each a different color. Transfer all but one color to separate pastry bags fitted with #11 tips. Place remaining color in a pastry bag fitted with an Ateco #5 small round tip to make tiny dots. Remove cakes from refrigerator. Using red frosting, pipe numbers 1 through 8 on top of cakes, a different number on each. Pipe dots around numbers with other colors. Return cakes to refrigerator.
• To assemble, remove cakes from refrigerator, and remove parchment paper. Arrange cakes on a serving tray, forming a hopscotch or other desired pattern. Serve.

Steps:

• Line three 9-in. round baking pans with waxed paper; grease and flour the pans and paper. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350°., Dissolve cocoa in boiling water; cool. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in cocoa mixture and vanilla. In a small bowl, combine buttermilk and water; set aside. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk mixture, beating well after each addition., Transfer to prepared pans. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For ganache, place chocolate in a small bowl. Bring cream just to a boil; pour over chocolate. Whisk until smooth. Stir in extract. Chill. Beat chocolate mixture until soft peaks form, about 15 seconds., For raspberry cream, place raspberries in a food processor, cover and process until blended. Strain raspberries, reserving juice. Discard seeds. Gently fold juice into whipped cream., Cut each cake horizontally into two layers. Place one cake layer on a serving plate; spread with 1 cup raspberry cream. Top with another cake layer; spread with half of the ganache. Repeat raspberry and ganache layers. Top with another cake layer; spread with remaining raspberry cream. Top with remaining cake layer. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until set., For glaze, in a microwave, melt chocolate, butter and corn syrup; stir until smooth. Stir in extract. Cool slightly, stirring occasionally. Pour over cake., For garnish, in a microwave, melt candy coating in separate bowls; stir until smooth. Tint half of the white coating using blue coloring if desired. Pipe or spoon melted coating onto waxed paper in different sized circles; let stand until set. Press circles onto cake. Refrigerate cake until serving.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Grease bottom only of 8x4-inch loaf pan with shortening or cooking spray, and place paper baking cup in each of 12 regular-size muffin cups.
• In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally, until smooth. Place 1 3/4 cups batter into loaf pan. Spoon remaining batter into muffin cups.
• Bake loaf cake 35 to 40 minutes and cupcakes 18 to 23 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. For easier handling, refrigerate or freeze loaf cake 30 to 60 minutes or until firm.
• Stir together 2 tablespoons frosting and red food color to deep red color. Spoon frosting into decorating bag fitted with small round tip; set aside. In small bowl, mix remaining frosting and teal food color to desired color. Trim rounded top off loaf cake. Using 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut 2 rounds from loaf cake. Place one round cake, cut side up, on plate. Spread cut side with teal frosting. Top with remaining round cake, cut side down.
• Spoon remaining teal frosting into decorating bag fitted with large round tip. Frost sides of cake with long stripes of frosting from the base of cake to top. Frost top of cake, and smooth with spatula. Pipe deep red frosting dots on side of cake. Use remaining frosting to frost cupcakes.