Inchworm Cake Recipes

INCHWORM CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Make, bake and cool cake as directed on box for 12-cup fluted tube cake pan.
• Cut cake as shown in diagram A. Freeze pieces uncovered 1 hour for easier frosting. Stir food color into frosting. Arrange cake pieces on tray to form inchworm as shown in diagram B. Frost cake, attaching pieces with frosting.
• Attach one M&M's™ chocolate candy to each vanilla wafer with frosting; attach to end of cake for eyes. Press 3 candies into frosting for mouth. Gently push 1 pretzel stick into flat end of gumdrop; repeat. Insert pretzels stick into cake for antennae. Arrange remaining gumdrops along edge for feet. Store loosely covered.

KLADDKAKA (EASY SWEDISH STICKY CHOCOLATE CAKE)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a 8-inch deep round cake pan, greased and lined with baking parchment.
• Whisk the eggs, sugar, and vanilla together until the mixture is light, fluffy and pale.
• Sift all the dry ingredients into the egg and sugar mixture. Fold in until everything is incorporated, then fold in the melted butter.
• Pour into the prepared cake pan. Bake in the preheated oven for around 10-15 minutes. The exact time can vary, so keep an eye on the cake. A perfect kladdkaka is very, very soft in the middle, but not runny once it has cooled-but almost runny. The cake will not rise, but it will puff up slightly during baking.
• If you press down gently on the cake, the crust should need a bit of pressure to crack. When this happens, the cake is done. Leave to cool in the pan.
• Serve with whipped cream, dusted with cocoa powder.

CRAB CAKES

Steps:

• Heat the broiler to 500 degrees (or its highest setting). On your oven's highest rack, broil all the bread slices on a baking sheet for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden and crisp but not burned. Flip all the slices over and broil for another 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the broiler off and allow the bread to crisp in the oven until totally dry, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove the bread from the oven and let cool. Using a box grater or rolling pin, coarsely grate and crush the bread slices into bread crumbs (or, pulse them in a food processor). The crumbs should look and feel like sand; you should get about 4 cups. Set the bread crumbs aside.
• In a large cast-iron skillet, melt the butter over high heat. Once the butter is melted, add the onion and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Pour the butter and onion into a large bowl. Whisk the flour into the melted butter and onion, then slowly whisk in the milk to make a creamy sauce. Once the sauce is smooth, whisk in the eggs, lemon juice, vinegar and mace.
• Add the crab meat to the cream sauce and mix lightly with a fork; don't break up the pieces of crab meat. Gently fold in just enough of the bread crumbs so that the mixture holds together (about 2 1/2 cups). Divide the crab mixture into 12 equal portions, setting them on a baking sheet as you go. They should be thick rounds - about the size of the palm of your hand, and roughly 1 1/2 inches thick.
• Using your hand, take a scoop of the toasted bread crumbs and coat each crab cake.
• Wipe out the skillet and heat the oil over high. Once the oil is hot, place a few of the crab cakes in the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, or until browned and cooked through. Place the cooked crab cakes on a paper towel to drain. Working in batches, cook the remaining crab cakes, adding more oil as needed.
• Serve crab cakes immediately, or set aside in a warm oven (see Tip) while you cook the remaining crab cakes.

INCHWORM CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F (325 degrees F for dark or nonstick pan). Bake and cool cake as directed on box for 12-cup fluted tube cake pan.
• Cut cake as shown in diagram A. Freeze pieces uncovered 1 hour for easier frosting. Stir food color into frosting. Arrange cake pieces on tray to form inchworm as shown in diagram B. Frost cake, attaching pieces with frosting.
• Attach 1 chocolate candy to each vanilla wafer with frosting; attach to end of cake for eyes. Press 3 candies into frosting for mouth. Gently push 1 pretzel stick into flat end of gumdrop; repeat. Insert pretzels stick into cake for antennae. Arrange remaining gumdrops along edge for feet. Store loosely covered.

INCHWORM CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F (325 degrees F for dark or nonstick pan). Bake and cool cake as directed on box for 12-cup fluted tube cake pan.
• Cut cake as shown in diagram A. Freeze pieces uncovered 1 hour for easier frosting. Stir food color into frosting. Arrange cake pieces on tray to form inchworm as shown in diagram B. Frost cake, attaching pieces with frosting.
• Attach 1 chocolate candy to each vanilla wafer with frosting; attach to end of cake for eyes. Press 3 candies into frosting for mouth. Gently push 1 pretzel stick into flat end of gumdrop; repeat. Insert pretzels stick into cake for antennae. Arrange remaining gumdrops along edge for feet. Store loosely covered.