Candy Cane Cake

Candy cane cakes are festive and as fun to make as they are to eat.

It’s a Piece of Cake

Candy cane cakes look difficult but looks can be deceiving. In actuality, the hardest part of making a great looking, and great tasting, candy cane cake is the final shaping of the cake. You are going to need a good, sharp, thin-bladed, serrated edge knife. A decent bread knife will work but it has to be sharp or you won’t get a good clean line. Rather than bake two identical cakes, as in two round cakes or two square cakes, you will want to make one round cake and one square cake.

Candy Cane Cake

Any cake recipe that you like can be used, including a chocolate cake, since the candy cane effect comes from the icing and not the cake itself. I have included a recipe for yellow butter cake that makes a very rich and easy-to-carve cake. This cake is made using the creaming method.

Ingredients

• 12 ounces (three sticks) of butter
• 13 ounces (1 cup plus ½ cup plus three tablespoons) of sugar
• 2/3 teaspoon of salt
• 5 eggs
• 15 ounces (1 cup plus 3/4 cup plus three tablespoons) of cake flour
• 3 ¾ teaspoons baking powder
• 15 ounces (1 cup plus 3/4 cup plus three tablespoons) of milk
• 1 ½ teaspoons of vanilla extract

Instructions

1. If you have a kitchen scale, please use the weight measurements (avoirdupois) for a more accurate recipe. I have given cups and spoon-type measurements that are as close to the avoirdupois equivalent as I could get them.
2. Measure out all the ingredients.
3. Let all the ingredients come to room temperature.
4. Sift together the flour and baking powder.
5. Place the butter in the bowl of your mixer.
6. Using the paddle attachment of your mixer, beat the butter at low speed until it is smooth and creamy.
7. Add the sugar and mix at medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about ten minutes.
8. Add the salt.
9. Mix another minute or two.
10. Add the eggs one at a time, letting each fully incorporate before adding the next.
11. Scrape down the side of the bowl.
12. Add the vanilla extract.
13. Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients.
14. Add 1/3 of the milk.
15. Repeat this until all the ingredients have been added, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
16. You will need one 9x2 (or 10x2) inch round cake pan.
17. Spray the pan with non-stick spray.
18. Line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.
19. Pour enough batter in the pan to fill it about half way.
20. Using a 9x13 pan, do the same thing.
21. Tap the pan on your counter three or four times to clear out any large bubbles.
22. Bake in a preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven.
23. Bake for 35 minutes. Test with a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done.
24. Let the cakes cool.
25. Remove from the pan and let cool for an hour or two.
26. Slice the round cake in half.
27. Slice the rectangle cake in half lengthwise.
28. Frost the top of one half of each cake.
29. Place the unfrosted half of round cake on top of the frosted half of the round cake.
30. Place the unfrosted half of the rectangle cake on top of the frosted half.
31. Place the flat side of the round half-cake flush to the short side of the rectangle cake so that the two cakes together look like a lop-sided mushroom.
32. If you have a 4-inch round cutter, use this to cut a semi-circle out of the center of the round part of the cake so the cake now looks like a candy cane.
33. If you do not have a round cutter, just use a pairing knife and cut out a half circle to give the cake a candy cane shape.
34. Using your bread knife, round off the edges of the cake to give it a candy cane shape.
35. Now it’s time to prepare to frost.
36. First, coat your cake with a thin layer of white frosting. This is your crumb coat. It doesn’t need to be perfect; in fact it’s just there to be a base for your final frosting.
37. Then frost your cake as smoothly as possible with white frosting.
38. I have found that it helps if you cut two-inch wide strips of paper that are about six inches long.
39. You will need about six of these paper strips.
40. Lay the strips across the cake at about a 45-degree angle.
41. Space them about two inches apart.
42. These are your frosting guides.
43. Frost between the guides with red frosting.
44. Remove the paper guides and marvel at your candy cane cake.

Basic White Frosting Recipe

I made two batches of this frosting (which is the same frosting that I used for the red velvet cake). One batch I left white and the other I colored red.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ sticks of room temperature butter
• 2 pounds of confectioners’ sugar
• ¼ cup of milk (more might be needed)
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Using your stand mixer, beat butter until smooth.
2. Slowly add two cups of the sugar.
3. Slowly add the milk.
4. Add the vanilla.
5. Add the remaining sugar, one cup at a time.
6. Add more milk if the frosting isn’t soft enough to spread easily.

Hints and Tips

• A few drops of peppermint extract in the batter and frosting will flavor your cake like a candy cane.
• I had extra batter and used it to make cupcakes.
• For those who are really adventurous, or if you happen to need two cakes, you could make one set of white cakes and one set of cakes colored with red food coloring. Then, use one layer of each color to give your cake a red and white color scheme throughout.

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