Ingredients

• 1 1-pound box angel food cake mix
• 1/4 cup colored candy sprinkles
• FROSTING INGREDIENTS AND DECORATIONS:
• 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
• 8 teaspoons cold water
• 2 cups whipping cream (unwhipped)
• 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Colored sprinkles
• 2 decorative cake sprays (available at party stores)
• Wire star garland (available at party stores)
• 1 sheet of shiny or metallic colored paper (for year star)
• Marker
• Tape

Instructions

1. Follow the directions on the cake mix box, but just before pouring the batter into the tube pan, add the sprinkles.

2. Mix them quickly and gently with as few strokes as possible and pour the batter into the pan immediately. If you mix and pour too slowly, the colors may bleed and color the surrounding batter.

3. Make the frosting right before you plan to apply it so that it doesn't set. For best results, apply the frosting, sprinkles, and decoration no more than an hour before serving.

4. Combine the gelatin and water in a small saucepan.

5. Let it stand until thick.

6. Set the pan over low heat, stirring constantly until the gelatin dissolves.

7. Don't let it boil, as that would reduce the gelling power of the gelatin.

8. Remove the gelatin from the heat. While it cools a bit, combine the cream, sugar, and vanilla extract in a bowl.

9. Whip them with an electric mixer until the mixture thickens slightly.

10. Gradually pour the liquid gelatin (don't let it set) into the whipped cream mixture and continue to beat at slow speed until blended. Then whip it at high speed until it's stiff and peaks form when you lift the beaters.

11. Frost the completely cooled cake with a generous, fluffy layer, making swirls and peaks as you go.

12. Add confetti (colored sprinkles) and the sparkly year decoration. (Tip: We applied the sprinkles to the sides of the cake by lightly tossing them against the frosting. After we stuck our store-bought metallic sprays entwined with a star garland into the cake, we cut a 2-inch star out of paper, wrote the year numerals on it, and taped it to the sprays.) Store the cake in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Source: FamilyFun Magazine

Cake recipes are fun to look for and there are numerous cake recipes that you can find both from cookery books as well as from online sources. This Black Forest Cake recipe is for a moist, dark chocolate cake filled with cherries and whipped cream, and garnished with chocolate curls. This is a very popular and well-known cake recipe.

Ingredients

• ½ cup butter, softened
• 11/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ cup all purpose flour
• ½ unsweetened cocoa power, natural
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ cup buttermilk

Ingredients for filling

• ¼ cup cherry, randy
• 2 cans cherry pie filling
• 3 cups heavy whipping cream, chilled
• ¼ cup confectioner’s sugar
• Milk chocolate curls or shavings, for garnish
• Cherries or sweet cherries, for garnish, optional

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 deg F.

Cover the cake pan with greaseproof or other non-stick paper. In an electric mixer, beat the softened butter with sugar until white and fluffy. Add one egg at a time, folding the mixture in well. Add sifted flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla extract and buttermilk, and mix until the batter is smooth.

Transfer to a cake pan and bake at 350 degrees just until set in the middle and only a few moist crumbs on it. Do not over bake. When the cake cools down, use a long serrated knife to cut the cake horizontally into 3 equal layers. It is easier to cut if kept in a refrigerator for a few hours before cutting.

Filling

Drain cherry pie filling in a colander to remove most of the thickened juices.
Beat the whipping cream with confectioner’s sugar until it thickens. Using a vegetable peeler, shave chocolate; refrigerate until the cake is assembled.

Assembling

Sprinkle each layer of the cake with cherry. Place one cake layer on a serving plate.
Spread about one fifth of the whipped cream on the layer, and strew half of the cherries on top of the whipped cream. Add the second cake layer. Spread one fifth of the whipped cream on the second layer and the remaining cherry on top. Add the third cake layer. Spread one fifth of the whipped cream on top and one fifth on the sides. Gently press chocolate curls on the sides and on top of the cake.