Soldier And Castle Birthday Cake Recipes

KNIGHT'S CASTLE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F. Generously grease Nordic Ware® Castle Bundt® cake pan with shortening and lightly flour, or spray pan with baking spray with flour.
• Make cake batter as directed on box. Pour batter into pan.
• Bake 33 to 43 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Using a long serrated knife, trim cake even with top of pan, if necessary. Turn pan upside down onto cooling rack; remove pan. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Place cake on 12- to 15-inch serving plate, tray or piece of cardboard covered with foil. Stir 8 to 10 drops blue food color into frosting. Spread frosting around base of cake to look like water. Sprinkle brown sugar around frosting on plate to look like sand.
• Place gumdrops on top of each tower. Cut long flag-shaped pieces out of fruit snack with sharp knife or kitchen scissors. Roll fruit snack around 4 toothpicks to make flags; insert toothpicks into gumdrops. Arrange crackers and rock candy in frosting, and add chocolate bar, upside down, for drawbridge as shown. Store loosely covered.

DREAMY PINK CASTLE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Grease and flour bottoms and sides of two 9-inch and two 6-inch round cake pans, or spray with baking spray with flour.
• In large bowl, make cake batter as directed on boxes. (Both boxes can be made at one time; do not increase beating time.) Spread 2 3/4 cups batter in each 9-inch round pan. Spread 1 3/4 cups batter in each 6-inch round pan. Bake 9-inch pans 24 to 29 minutes, 6-inch pans 22 to 27 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• In large bowl, mix frosting and food color to desired color. Spread small amount of frosting around open edge of each cone. Coat frosting with sprinkles. Frost tips of cones; decorate with sprinkles.
• Trim off rounded tops of cake layers; place one 9-inch layer on serving plate, cut side down. Spread 1/3 cup frosting on top. Layer with other 9-inch cake layer. Frost top and around side with frosting. Place sprinkles around base of cake.
• Place 6-inch cake layer, cut side up, on top of frosted layers. Spread 1/3 cup frosting on top. Top with remaining 6-inch layer, cut side down. Frost top and around side with frosting. Place sprinkles around base of 6-inch cake.
• Place cones in circle on top of cake. Decorate with sprinkles in center of top of cake. Store loosely covered at room temperature.

PRINCESS CASTLE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Grease or spray bottoms and sides of four 8-inch square pans. In large bowl, beat 1 cake mix, 1 cup of the water, 1/2 cup of the oil and 3 eggs using electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Divide batter between 2 pans. Bake 2 pans at a time for 23 to 29 minutes (26 to 34 minutes for dark or nonstick pan) or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Repeat with remaining cake mix, water, oil and eggs. Chill cooled cake in freezer 45 minutes before cutting, to reduce crumbs.
• Spoon frosting into large bowl. Stir in enough food color until desired pink color.
• Using serrated knife, cut off domed top from each cake so they will be flat when stacked. On tray, place 1 cake, cut side down; spread 1/3 cup frosting over top. Add second cake, cut side down; spread top with 1/3 cup frosting. Add third cake, cut side down; do not frost.
• Cut fourth cake into quarters. Spread small amount of frosting on center of cake, about the size of a cake quarter. Place 1 quarter, cut side down, on top of frosting. Spread top of stacked cake quarter with 1 tablespoon frosting. Place second quarter on top of first quarter; spread top with 1 tablespoon frosting. Add third quarter; do not frost. Cut fourth quarter into quarters to create four 2-inch squares. Spread a small dollop of frosting on the top center of the second tier of cakes. Place one 2-inch piece on the center; spread top with frosting. Top with one more 2-inch piece. (Discard remaining 2 pieces.)
• Spread thin layer of frosting over layered cake to seal in crumbs. Freeze cake 30 to 60 minutes.
• Frost pointed-end cones with frosting; roll in pink sugar. Frost cake with remaining frosting. Place 1 upside-down cone on each corner of the first cake layer and 1 on top cake layer for center steeple. Top each cone with a candy star.
• Place sugar cubes around edges of the first and second layers. Top each of the 4 corner sugar cubes with a gum ball. Attach 2 cookies on one side of first layer to create doors. Cut 2 additional cookies to desired size for windows; place each cookie on opposite sides of doors. Cut remaining cookie in half; place 1 half in center of second layer to create accent window. Pipe on window panes and doorknobs with white icing. Store loosely covered.