Polka Dot Dessert Recipes

POLKA DOT CAKE

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.

POLKA DOT SMASH CAKE

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.

POLKA DOT EGG TREATS

Steps:

• Wash and dry the inside of plastic egg. Line cookie sheet with waxed paper.
• In large microwavable bowl, microwave marshmallows and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Continue to microwave in 30-second increments, stirring until smooth. Stir in cereal until well mixed. Stir in chocolate candies.
• Working quickly, press cereal mixture into each egg half, filling full. Remove from mold; gently press 2 halves together. Place on cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining cereal mixture. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• In small microwavable bowl, microwave candy melts on Medium (50%) 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth. Dip bottom third of each egg treat into melted candy; let excess drip off. Return to cookie sheet. Let stand until set, about 5 minutes. Store covered at room temperature.

SIMPLE GUM DROP POLKA DOT CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Grease bottoms and sides of 2 (8-inch) round cake pans with shortening or cooking spray.
• Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for 8-inch rounds. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 1 hour. For easier handling, refrigerate or freeze cakes 30 minutes to 1 hour or until firm.
• On serving plate, place 1 cake layer, rounded side down. Spread with 1/2 cup of the frosting. Top with second cake layer, rounded side up. Frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting.
• On sugared surface, use rolling pin to roll gumdrops into circles. Place circles on sides and top of cake.

POLKA-DOT DESSERT

Steps:

• Place pudding mix in large bowl.
• Add milk and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
• Fold softened ice cream into pudding mixture.
• Pour into an 8 inch square pan or dish.
• Sprinkle marshmallows on top.
• Freeze until firm.
• Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

POLKA DOT QUICK BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Spray a 9 X 5-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.
• Coarsley chop the cranberries and set aside in a small bowl.
• In a medium bowl, combine the milk, egg, melted butter (cooled), and orange juice with a whisk; set aside.
• Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.
• Add the chopped cranberries, cheese and nuts to flour mixture and toss to coat cranberries.
• Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just moistened.
• Pour into the prepared loaf pan and bake for about 1 hour until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan. (It is important to let it cool, otherwise the bread might stick as you turn it out!)
• Cool to room temperature on the wire rack before slicing.

POLKA-DOT COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, concentrate and orange zest. Combine dry ingredients; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. , Divide dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each portion to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-in. round cookie cutter. , Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 6-7 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Remove to wire racks to cool. , Combine all the frosting ingredients until smooth. Place in a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag; cut a small hole in corner of bag. Pipe polka dots on cookies.

POLKA-DOT STRAWBERRY CAKE

Steps:

• Slice 300g of the strawberries. Put in a pan with the icing sugar and lemon juice. Gently heat until the juices start to run, then cook, uncovered, for 2 mins. Tip into a food processor or mini blender and whizz to a purée, then press through a sieve to remove the seeds.
• Grease and line the base and sides of a 23 x 33cm Swiss roll tin. Grease and line the base of a deep 20-21cm round cake tin. (You will also need a deep 23cm round cake tin for later.) To make the polka dots, whisk the egg and sugar using a hand-held electric whisk until thick, pale and the mixture leaves a trail when the whisk blade is lifted. Sift in the flour and fold in using a spatula until well mixed, then fold in 1 tbsp of the strawberry purée and a few drops each of the pink and red food colouring.
• Spoon small dots of the mixture randomly over the base of the Swiss roll tin, leaving a little space between each dot. Place in the freezer for 20 mins until the pink dots are firm to the touch.
• To make the cakes, heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. If you have a tabletop mixer, you can make the whole quantity in 1 batch. If using a handheld electric whisk, it will be easier to make the cakes in 2 batches of 4 eggs each. Whisk the eggs and sugar until the mixture is light and pale, and the whisk blades leave a trail when they are lifted - this will take 5-8 mins. Sift in the flour and baking powder, drizzle in the butter and vanilla, and fold everything together using a spatula until all the flour is incorporated.
• Pour half the mixture into the prepared cake tin and the other half over the Swiss roll tin, spreading it out evenly. Bake the rectangular cake for 15 mins and the round cake for 25 mins. Turn out each cake onto a tea towel, then remove the paper and invert onto a wire rack to cool.
• To make the filling, beat together the mascarpone, icing sugar and remaining strawberry purée. Chop 200g of the remaining strawberries into small pieces. Whip the cream to soft peaks and fold into the mascarpone with the chopped strawberries.
• Line the base and sides of the 23cm round cake tin with cling film. Trim the edges of the rectangular cake, then cut into 2 x 9cm-wide strips lengthwise. Fit around the sides of the tin, trimming to fit if necessary. The cake should butt together fairly tightly.
• Cut the round cake into 3 layers (you could cut it into 2 layers if you find it easier, and divide the following filling accordingly). Place the bottom layer in the base of the cling film-lined tin. Reserve 3 rounded tbsp of the filling in a small bowl, then spoon half the remainder over the cake, smoothing it flat. Place a second cake layer on top and add the remaining filling, smoothing it flat. Top with the last cake layer. Cover the cake with cling film and chill for 24-48 hrs, along with the small bowl of reserved filling.
• Carefully remove the cake from the tin and peel off the cling film. Slide the cake onto a serving plate. Slice the remaining hulled strawberries. Spread the reserved filling over the top of the cake and fill with sliced berries, adding in the 8 whole ones.
• Warm the apricot jam with 2 tbsp water in a small pan, then press through a sieve. Brush liberally over all the strawberries. Dust the top edge of the cake with icing sugar. Chill until ready to serve.