Mother Hen Cake Recipes

MOTHER-HEN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an ovenproof 10-inch-diameter 5-quart bowl. Dust with flour, and tap out excess.
• Sift cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together into the bowl of an electric mixer. Add eggs, 2 cups warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Beat mixture on low speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer batter to prepared bowl. Bake until a tester comes out clean, about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool in bowl 45 minutes. Unmold onto rack. Let cool completely.
• Place cake, broad side up, on a cutting board. Using a long serrated knife, cut a crescent-shaped piece off both sides to create a football-shaped body; reserve scraps. Cut 1 of the scraps crosswise at an angle to create a tail that follows the upward slope of the bowl; set aside. Cut the other scrap crosswise at an angle to create a neck that is longer than the tail, and that curves up, following the upward slope of the bowl.
• Attach tail and neck with white buttercream. Cut a small round piece from the remaining cake scraps to create the back of the head. Trim 1 side to be flat; attach flat side to back of neck. Refrigerate assembled cake until buttercream is firm, at least 20 minutes. Spread a thin layer of buttercream over cake. Refrigerate until firm, at least 20 minutes.
• Transfer remaining white buttercream in batches to a pastry bag fitted with a small ridged tip. Pipe feathers, beginning at base of cake and working up, overlapping: Hold tip flat against side of cake (ridges facing out). Pipe enough for 1 feather (1/2 to 1 inch long), then abruptly release pressure on the bag to let buttercream come almost to a point. Cover body, including head. Using the #46 tip and the red-orange buttercream, pipe feathers in center of tail and on sides of body for wings.
• Switch to an open-prong tip. Pipe 2 drooping U shapes side by side under where the beak should be, creating a teardrop-shaped wattle. Pipe overlapping shell curls on top of the head for the scalloped comb: Start at front of head and pipe forward a short line, then pipe up and back over it; start next line in middle of the one before. Transfer yellow-orange buttercream to a pastry bag fitted with just a coupler; pipe a beak. Using kitchen tweezers, place 2 licorice pieces above beak for eyes.
• Refrigerate cake until buttercream is firm, at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days.

SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM FOR MOTHER-HEN CAKE

Steps:

• Put butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Transfer to another bowl.
• Whisk together sugar and egg whites in a heatproof mixing bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk gently until sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer sugar mixture to the clean bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until fluffy and cooled, about 10 minutes. Raise speed to high; beat until stiff peaks form. Reduce speed to medium- low; add butter, 2 to 3 tablespoons at a time. Mix in vanilla. Reduce speed to low; beat 3 minutes more.
• Tint 2 cups buttercream burnt-red-orange using red, orange, and brown food coloring. Tint 1/2 cup buttercream yellow-orange using yellow and orange. Leave remaining buttercream white.

QUEEN MOTHER'S CAKE

Steps:

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MINNEHAHA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13-inch pan.
• Beat together the white sugar and butter. Add the eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool cake completely on wire rack.
• Combine the brown sugar, egg whites, water, and salt in a heat-proof bowl. Place the bowl over a saucepan of boiling water and beat with an electric mixer. Cook the frosting, beating constantly, for 10 minutes, or until the frosting will stand in peaks. Remove from heat and add 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until thick.
• Spread the frosting on the cooled cake. To decorate, place one large raisin in each corner. Then place toasted almonds, toasted pecans, and red and green cherries all over the cake.

QUEEN MOTHER'S CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375. Butter a 9"x 2-1/2" springform pan and line the bottom of the pan with liner paper. Butter the paper and dust with fine, dry bread crumbs.
• Melt chocolate in top of double boiler over hot water on low heat. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
• With an electric mixer, cream the butter. Add sugar and beat at moderately high speed for 2-3 minutes. Add the yolks one at a time, beating after each addition until yolk is thoroughly incorporated.
• Beat in the chocolate and (on lowest speed) gradually beat in the almonds, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary. Transfer to large mixing bowl.
• In large bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg whites with salt until they hold a definite shape, but are not dry. Stir a large spoonful of the whites into the chocolate and then, in three additions, fold in the balance of egg whites. Turn into pan. Level the batter in the pan.
• Bake for 20 minutes at 375. Reduce oven temperature to 350 and bake an additional 50 minutes. Do not overbake.
• Remove cake from oven and place on wet (but wrung out) folded towel. Let stand 20 minutes. Remove sides of pan. Place a rack over cake and invert (carefully!) Remove botto of springform pan and the paper lining. Cover with another rack and invert again to cool right side up. (Cake will be about 1.75" high.).
• When cake is completely cool, transfer to cake plate and ice. Cake must be at room temperature when iced -- if it's too warm, icing will melt; if it's too cold, icing will be dull.
• Prepare icing: Scale cream in medium saucepan over moderate heat, until it begins to form small bubbles around the edge. While still over heat, add instant coffee and stir briskly until dissolved.
• Add chocolate. After one minute, remove from heat and stir with wire whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Transfer to a small bowl, or place bottom of saucepan in bowl of cold water, to stop cooking.
• Let mixture stand at room temp for 15 minutes or more, stirring occasionally until it reaches room temperature. Stir (do not beat) and pour over the top of the cake.