Merry Go Round Cake Recipes

MERRY-GO-ROUND CAKE

Steps:

• Prepare cake batter and bake as directed on package for 3-qt. fluted tube pan. Cool in pan 10 min.; invert onto wire rack. Cool cake completely. Place, rounded-side down, on plate.
• Beat dry pudding mix, powdered sugar and milk in medium bowl with whisk 2 min. Stir in COOL WHIP. Spread onto cake. Press marshmallows into frosting around edge of cake. Insert wafers in top of cake as shown in photo. Place 1 animal cracker at base of each wafer.
• Top wafers with 10-inch paper doily for the merry-go-round roof. (See Tip.) Keep refrigerated.

CAROUSEL CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream shortening and brown sugar. Add egg; mix well. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and allspice; add to the creamed mixture alternately with milk. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle., Roll out dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Trace body and tail patterns onto waxed paper and cut out. Position patterns on dough; cut out four horses and four tails. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool. (Bake remaining dough for additional cookies to serve on the side or refrigerate dough for another use.), For icing, in a small bowl, beat meringue powder, confectioners' sugar and water on high speed for 5-7 minutes or until smooth and thickened. If too stiff, add more sugar. Place 1/4 cup frosting each in two bowls; tint one purple and the other pink. Leave the other remaining icing white., Wrap the 15-in. ribbon around the 3/4-in. dowel, leaving 2-1/2 in. at end of dowel unwrapped. Use icing to attach ends of ribbon. In same way, wrap each 13-in. ribbon around a 1/4-in. dowel., Attach tails to horses with white icing. Spread white icing over one side of horses. Use pink icing for manes, forelocks, tails and saddles of two horses; use purple icing for the other two horses. Attach chocolate chips for eyes. With icing, attach each horse 2-1/2 in. from the top of a 1/4-in. dowel. Let dry, about 2 hours. Cover and refrigerate remaining icing., When icing on horses is dry, decorate other side in the same way; let dry., For cake, in a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar. Add eggs; mix well. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with applesauce. Spoon into three greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., Place 1 cup whipped frosting in a bowl; tint purple. Place 1/2 cup frosting in another bowl; tint pink. Leave the remaining frosting white. Place one cake on a 10-in. serving plate. Frost top of cake white; top with a second layer. Frost top white and sides purple. Place remaining cake on a thin lightweight plate or 9-in. round piece of cardboard; frost cake top white and sides pink., Cut a hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag. Insert star tip #21; fill with white frosting. Pipe evenly spaced vertical stripes on sides of cakes. Using pink frosting and star tip, pipe rosettes between each strip on pink cake., Insert large dowel in the center of purple cake. Insert remaining dowels evenly spaced around cake. Place pink cake on top of dowels. For more stability, attach top cake to dowels with cookie icing if desired.

CHERRY-GO-ROUND

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, sugar, butter, egg, salt and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough., Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and refrigerate overnight., Line 2 baking sheets with parchment; set aside. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Roll each portion into a 14x7-in. rectangle. Spread cherries over dough to within 1/2 in. of edges. Combine the flour, brown sugar and pecans; sprinkle over cherries., Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seams and tuck ends under. Place seam side down on prepared baking sheets; pinch ends together to form a ring. With kitchen scissors, cut from outside edge two-thirds of the way toward center of ring at 1-in. intervals. Separate strips slightly and twist to allow filling to show. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour., Bake at 350° until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks. , In a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and enough milk to reach desired consistency; drizzle over warm coffee cakes.

CAROUSEL CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Beat cake mix, dry pudding mix, water, eggs and oil with mixer on low speed 1 min. Beat on medium speed 4 min. Pour into greased and floured 12-cup fluted tube or 10-inch tube pan.
• Bake 50 to 55 min. or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 min.; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely.
• Transfer cake to plate. Drizzle with Semi-Sweet Chocolate Glaze; top with sprinkles. Let stand until glaze is firm. Decorate cake with crackers and straws as shown in photo.