Sideways Turkey Cake Recipes

TURKEY CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line bottoms of 3 greased 8-in. round baking pans with parchment; grease paper. In a large bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Transfer batter to prepared pans. , Bake until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks; remove paper. Cool completely., For frosting, sift confectioners' sugar and cocoa together. In a large bowl, beat butter and vanilla until blended. Beat in confectioners' sugar mixture. Beat in enough milk to reach desired consistency. Spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake., For decorations, place each color of melted candy coating in a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip; pipe various size circles of each color onto parchment. Drag the back of an offset spatula through each circle, creating oblong shapes for turkey feathers. Let stand until set. , Arrange turkey feathers upright into top of cake. Using a small round tip, pipe melted white candy coating into two small discs, adding a black nonpareil in the center for the eyes. With another small round tip, pipe melted red candy coating into a comma shape for the wattle. Cut a yellow candy coating disc into a triangle for the beak. Attach eyes, beak, and wattle to the front of the cake using extra frosting.

DRAGON EGG CAKE

Steps:

• For the egg cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and lightly flour a 6-by-9-inch 3D egg cake pan.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and granulated sugar until lightened in color and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk; begin and end with the flour mixture. Beat until the batter is smooth and thoroughly combined.
• Divide the batter among 3 bowls. Tint one bowl with the red food color, one with the orange and one with the yellow. Fill each half of the egg pan alternately with the batter colors. Use a butter knife or skewer to swirl the batter together.
• Bake until a toothpick tester inserted near the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Transfer the cakes to wire cooling racks and let them cool completely before frosting. When the cakes are cool, level them with a serrated knife, if needed.
• For the simple syrup: Combine the granulated sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Let cool for about 15 minutes before using.
• Place the cakes dome-side up on a wire rack or baking sheet. Use a pastry brush to coat the cakes with the simple syrup. Use about two-thirds of the syrup on the cakes and reserve the remaining syrup for later use.
• For the vanilla buttercream: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment, cream together the butter and confectioners' sugar on low speed until crumbly. Add the vanilla extract. Beat again, adding milk or cream 1 tablespoon at a time to thin the mixture. When the mixture starts to appear creamy, increase the mixer speed to high and beat until light and fluffy. Add more milk or cream to bring to spreading consistency.
• Place one egg cake on a 9-inch cake board or serving plate dome-side down. Cover with a thick layer of buttercream and sandwich with the second egg cake, dome-side up. Use the buttercream to completely cover the outside of the egg cake, smoothing it as much as possible with an offset spatula. This doesn't have to be perfect because the cake will be covered with fondant dragon scales. Refrigerate the cake until the buttercream is firm, about 20 minutes.
• For the marshmallow fondant and décor: In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the marshmallows and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon water. Microwave in 30-second intervals until the marshmallows have expanded to twice their size, 60 to 90 seconds total. Stir to deflate.
• Add one-third of the confectioners' sugar into the marshmallow mixture and stir to combine. Add more confectioners' sugar and stir until very stiff. When the mixture becomes difficult to stir, knead with your hands. Add the remaining confectioners' sugar a little at a time, until the fondant is very smooth and elastic and holds a firm ball shape.
• Remove a third of the fondant to a work surface and cover the remaining fondant with plastic wrap to prevent drying. Dust the work surface with confectioners' sugar. Knead a few drops of brown gel food color into the portion until a light tan is achieved. If the fondant feels too dry, knead in 1/2 tablespoon of vegetable shortening. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and set aside to rest.
• Re-dust the work surface with confectioners' sugar. Knead the remaining fondant with 1/4 teaspoon moss green gel food color until a consistent green hue is achieved. Roll the fondant to 1/8-inch thickness using a fondant rolling pin. Use a 2-inch fondant serrated leaf cutter to stamp as many 'dragon scales' from the fondant as possible. Transfer the scales to baking sheets lined with parchment paper and cover with plastic wrap so they don't dry out. Re-roll the fondant and cut more scales. Repeat the process until all of the fondant is used.
• Roll out the tan fondant to 1/4-inch thickness and cut out a 6-inch circle with a 6-inch pastry cutter (or use a dessert plate as a template). Use a kitchen-dedicated paintbrush to lightly coat one side of the fondant with the simple syrup and then press it onto the bottom rounded part of the egg. Use the end of the paintbrush to pock the fondant. Use a butter knife to scrape irregular markings into the fondant to create a distressed appearance.
• Use the paintbrush to apply a small amount of simple syrup to the back of a fondant scale. Place the scale halfway over the edge of the 6-inch round of fondant. Repeat the process, overlapping the scales slightly. After the first row of scales is applied, begin the second row by placing a scale's point between 2 scales of the first row. Repeat the process of brushing, applying and overlapping scales until the entire cake is covered.
• In 3 separate small cups, combine each of these food colors with a few drops of clear extract: emerald green, moss green and neon yellow. Lightly dip a clean brush into the emerald green food color mixture. Brush it onto the top third of the scaled portion of the cake. Dampen a food-dedicated 3-inch round sponge with water and wring out completely. Use the sponge to tap the color into the fondant, so that it has a mottled appearance. Repeat the process with the moss green food color on the middle third of the scales, followed by the yellow on the bottom third of the scales. Use the sponge to mottle color onto the distressed tan fondant. Use every color to create lots of color variation. Refrigerate the cake until the color is set and dry, about 15 minutes.
• Dip a dry soft-bristle paintbrush into the gold luster dust. Lightly brush over the scales to create a metallic shine.
• Slice the cake in front of your guests to reveal the fiery interior--then ENJOY!

RAINBOW JELL-O SHOT CUPS

Steps:

• For the panna cotta: In a medium saucepan, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water. Let stand until absorbed, about 3 minutes. Place the saucepan over low heat until the gelatin dissolves, about 1 minute. When the gelatin is liquid, whisk in the half-and-half and sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is melted and the mixture is hot and just steaming, about 5 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract and remove from the heat to cool slightly, about 15 minutes.
• Place each color of gelatin in its own medium microwave-safe bowl or 4-cup liquid measuring cup. Add 1 teaspoon of the unflavored gelatin to each; whisk until combined. Pour 1 cup of the boiling water into each container and stir well to dissolve the gelatin. Add 1/4 cup of the vodka to each container. Stir to combine.
• Set an empty 18-count egg carton on a large rimmed baking sheet. Place eight 5-ounce dessert glasses at an angle in the cavities, spacing them apart. Make room in the refrigerator to accommodate the baking sheet.
• Pour 1 tablespoon of the liquid panna cotta in each glass. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Next, pour in about a 1/4-inch layer of the grape gelatin. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Repeat pouring and chilling 1/4-inch layers of the panna cotta, blue raspberry gelatin, more panna cotta, lime gelatin, then panna cotta again, refrigerating each layer for 15 minutes before adding the next. If the colored gelatins begin to set before pouring, microwave each container for 30 seconds and stir well to bring it back to a liquid state.
• Place the dessert glasses upright directly on the baking sheet. The chilled diagonal layers will stay in place. Pour and chill 1/4-inch layers of the lemon, orange, and strawberry gelatin, alternating each color with the panna cotta and finishing with the strawberry gelatin on top. Refrigerate until well set, about 2 hours. Serve well chilled.

NO BAKE TURKEY CAKE

Steps:

• Work on a platter or covered cardboard.
• Place the Bundt cake on the platter and fill in the hole with some cookies.
• Place the confectioners sugar in a ziploc bag and work in a little water to form a "glue." Snip the end off of the bag.
• Place the lemon cookies and gingersnaps around the center of the cake.
• "Glue" the Stella D'Oro cookie to resemble a turkey's head.
• Add a large drop of "glue" for eye and add a candy.
• "Glue" a candy sideways to resemble beak.
• Cut fruit roll up to resemble turkey's wattle and press it in position.
• Arrange cookies around the cake to resemble feathers.
• Feel free to experiment!