Hoppy Frog Cake
Country Woman
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KIDS will jump at the chance to sample the cute confection here! It's a real catch as a dessert for the frog-themed birthday party.
To shape this web-footed fellow, our kitchen staff prepared a yummy round yellow cake for a body and then added whole cupcakes for eyes and a halved one for feet. The legs required no baking at all—they're Twinkies snack cakes!
Tinted frosting, a licorice mouth and chocolate-candy pupils finished the colorful critter. Want to create your own? Just follow the recipe.
SERVINGS: 12-15
CATEGORY: Dessert
METHOD: Baked
TIME: Prep: 30 min. Bake: 25 min. + cooling
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup butter, softened
- 1-1/4 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- FROSTING:
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 individual cream-filled sponge cakes
- 2 milk chocolate M&M's
- Green paste or gel food coloring
- Shoestring red licorice
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Fill 12 greased muffin cups two-thirds full. Pour the remaining batter into a greased 9-in. round baking pan.
Bake cupcakes at 350° for 20-25 minutes and cake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool cupcakes for 5 minutes before to wire rack to cool completely. Cool cake for 10 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.
To assemble, place the 9-in. cake in the center of a 15-in. x 13-in. covered board. Place two cupcakes above the cake for eyes. Arrange sponge cakes below the cake for legs. For feet, cut one cupcake in half, using a zigzag cut. Place each half with a rounded edge touching a sponge cake. (Save remaining cupcakes for another use.)
For frosting, in a small saucepan, whisk flour and milk until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Cool. In a small mixing bowl, cream the butter, shortening, sugar and vanilla. Beat in milk mixture until smooth, about 4 minutes.
Use 1/3 cup white frosting to frost the bottom two-thirds of eyes; add M&M's for pupils. Tint remaining frosting light green; spread over eyelids and over the top and sides of the rest of frog. Arrange one long licorice piece for the mouth. Place two 1-in. licorice pieces at the ends of the mouth. Yield: 12-15 servings.