So I’ve been a bit deliquent in regards to posting lately because I was busy preparing for this past Monday – which was “bake the doggy cake day.” It was my fiance’s birthday and I felt it necessary to bake a cake inspired by our dog. I’m not joking, as you can see by the pictures (oops, it is a little blurry).

The Doggy Cake was really just a challenge, to see if I could actually create an edible adorable cake that looks like our dog. I’m pretty sure I succeeded, and the cake was declious on top of it. It is a combination of pound cake and regular cake.  I used a box mix for the yellow portion because I couldn’t bring myself to use another stick or two of butter, since pound cake uses enough on its own. I also changed up the pound cake so I didn’t feel quite as guilty.

The batter needs to be stiff so that it both stays in the cake mold, and so it stand on its own and doesn’t want to keel over.

Finally I used my Nana’s buttercream frosting recipe. There really is no other, and the taste of it brings me back to my 4th birthday, just like this cake should bring back my fiance to his.  In a good way.
Doggy Cake

This recipe requires a 3-D cake mold and a #233 tip for a decorator’s icing bag. I purchased mine from wilton.com.
for the cake: pound cake adapted from Smittenkitchen.com

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 3 sticks unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup light sour cream (can use regular)
• 8 eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 vanilla bean
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

for the frosting

• 1 container white decorator’s frosting by Wilton (or the like)
• 1/3 cup crisco
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature
• 1/3 cup superfine sugar
• 1 egg white
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

How To:

First, the cake – preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 3-D cake mold with nonstick spray and place on baking rack.

Using a food processor, grind vanilla bean and sugar until very finely chopped and there are few vanilla bean chunks. Sift sugar and vanilla bean mixture to make sure you don’t have any large pieces. Set aside.

Cream the butter with an electric mixer in a large bowl. Gradually add the vanilla sugar, beating until smooth. Add sour cream then the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually add the flour and salt. Add the vanilla extract and make sure mixture is well well blended.

Mix yellow box cake according to box directions. Add to pound cake batter and mix until just combined. Pour 6 1/2 cups of batter into 3-D mold (could be different based on mold used) and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour. Do not over bake. Take cake out of oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Now, carefull take front piece of mold off to let steam escape. Place back gently and remove back piece of mold to let steam escape from the back. Replace and sit cake upright, with cake molds still in place for another 15 minutes. Now take off mold and let cake cool for at least 1 hour.

For the frosting, cream crisco and butter until light and fluffy. Pour milk in a small saucepan and set over low heat. You want to scald the milk, getting it very hot without burning it. Gradually add the sugar, beating it thoroughly. Add egg white and vanilla all at once, beating until well combined. Gradually add in the scalded milk while it is still hot – this is necessary in order to dissolve the sugar. Add food coloring of choice and beat until fluffy and until sugar is dissolved – possibly 5 minutes.

Take out 2 tablespoons of decorator’s frosting and place into a very small bowl. Mix with black food coloring and a splash of extract for flavoring (I use butter flavor by Wilton). Place into small ziploc and set aside. Nest mix decorator’s frosting to make it spreading consistency. I add butter flavoring (you can also use vanilla or almond extract) and add food coloring of choice, mixing to create even color. Place frosting into piping bag with #233 tip. Set aside. Spread buttercream frosting on dog cake as a base layer. With black frosting in ziploc, create little eyes and a little nose, along with a mouth and some paws if desired. Next, pipe out hair-like pieces all over cake with decorator’s frosting in the large bag. This will take some time, but the result is worth it!