Turkey Cake Recipes

TURKEY CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F. Grease 8-inch round cake pan with shortening; coat with flour (do not use cooking spray). Lightly grease 6 muffin cups in regular-size muffin pan.
• Make cake batter as directed on box. Pour batter into 6 muffin cups, filling two-thirds full. Pour remaining batter (about 4 cups) into round pan. Bake cupcakes 17 to 21 minutes, round 47 to 53 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove cakes from muffin cups and pan; place rounded sides up on cooling racks. Cool completely, about 1 hour. If necessary, cut off rounded tops of cakes.
• Use serrated knife to cut about one-third off round cake to make 2 pieces, 1 larger than the other, both with a straight edge. Spread about 1 tablespoon frosting on cut side of larger cake layer. Stand larger cake layer, cut side down, on tray or serving platter. Spread about 1 tablespoon frosting on cut side of smaller layer; stand cut side down in front of larger layer. Lightly press layers together to form the 2 layers of the turkey cake, using photo as a guide.
• Place 1 cupcake, top end out, on cake layers, using photo as a guide. Save or freeze remaining cupcakes for another use. Spread a thin layer of frosting over entire cake to seal in crumbs. Refrigerate or freeze cake 30 to 60 minutes to set frosting. Reserve 2 tablespoons frosting in small bowl. Frost cake with remaining frosting.
• Place candy melts in 3 small microwavable bowls; microwave each uncovered as directed on bag. Stir until smooth. Dip ends of tubular-shaped wafer cookies into different colors candy coating. Using toothpicks, insert broken cookie ends into large cake layer, pressing firmly to hold in place. Decorate with candy corn, candy-coated chocolate candies and heart-shaped candy, using photo as a guide.
• To make each acorn, gently twist peanut butter sandwich cookies apart. Use reserved 2 tablespoons frosting to adhere milk chocolate candy to inner side of 1 peanut butter cookie. Use frosting to adhere miniature chocolate chip to top of acorn for stem.
• To make gumdrop leaves, roll each gumdrop on sugared surface to 1/4 inch thick. Use small canapé cutters to cut desired shapes. Store loosely covered. Remove toothpicks before serving.

SIDEWAYS TURKEY CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat an 8-by-2-inch round baking pan with flour-based baking spray.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Add the water, granulated sugar, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Mix on low until combined.
• Divide the batter among 3 bowls. Tint one bowl with the red food color, one bowl with the orange and one with the yellow. Pour half of each color of batter alternately in the prepared baking pan, then continue with the remaining batter, alternating colors. Swirl the colors together using a skewer or butter knife. Bake the cake until the center springs back when pressed in the center, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Using a serrated knife or cake leveler, level the cake and reserve the scraps. Cut the leveled cake layer in half.
• For the buttercream frosting: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment, beat the butter until fluffy. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix on low speed until just combined. Increase the mixer speed and add the vanilla and milk or cream one tablespoon at a time until the mixture thins to piping consistency.
• Spread about 1/4 cup of the frosting on one half of the cut cake layer and top with the second half. Set aside.
• Crumble the cake scraps in a bowl using your fingers. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of frosting to the scraps and mix well using your hands. Place about 5 tablespoons of the cake mixture on a parchment-lined baking sheet and form it into a small baton shape with one rounded end for the turkey's head and neck. Refrigerate to chill, about 15 minutes. (The leftover cake mixture can be used for cake pops.)
• Fit a piping bag with a plain 1/2-inch round decorator piping tip. Fit 2 piping bags with large open star decorator piping tips. Fit 2 piping bags with large closed star decorator piping tips.
• Divide the remaining frosting into 5 separate bowls. Tint one bowl with the red food color, another bowl with the orange and another bowl with the yellow. Combine another bowl of frosting with the cocoa powder to create a pale tan color and mix the melted chocolate with the last bowl to create chocolate frosting.
• Transfer the red bowl of frosting to the piping bag fitted with the plain 1/2-inch round tip. Transfer the yellow and orange frostings into each of the piping bags fitted with the large open star tips. Transfer the light tan and chocolate frostings into each of the piping bags fitted with the large closed star tips.
• For the assembly: Dip the chilled head and neck piece in the melted chocolate chips and place on the parchment-lined baking sheet using 2 forks. Chill until firm, about 15 minutes. Reserve the leftover melted chocolate for later use.
• Using the piping bag filled with the red frosting, pipe 1-inch dots of frosting around the top rounded edge of the cake. Place the bowl of a spoon in the center of each dot and pull the frosting down toward the bottom flat edge of the cake.
• Using the piping bag filled with the tan frosting, pipe shells in a downward motion that overlap the red frosting layer. Use a spoon to remove some of the bottom edge of the shell row to make room for the next layer.
• Using the piping bag filled with the chocolate frosting, pipe shells in a downward motion that overlap the tan shell layer. Use a spoon to remove some of the bottom edges of the shell row to make room for the next layer.
• Using the piping bag filled with the yellow frosting, pipe shells in a downward motion that overlap the chocolate frosting layer, but do not remove any of the frosting using a spoon as with the previous rows.
• Using the piping bag filled with the orange frosting, pipe a final layer of shells at the bottom center of the cake. Remove the chocolate-covered cake piece from the refrigerator and place it in the middle center of the cake. Turn the cake upright so that it sits on its flat cut edge. Using the piping bag filled with chocolate frosting, pipe a shell border on the top edge of the cake so that the shell tips point to the unfrosted side. Using the piping bag filled with the orange frosting, pipe a row of shells that overlaps the row of chocolate frosting shells. Using the piping bag filled with yellow frosting, pipe a row of shells that overlaps the orange frosting. Finish the back of the cake by piping rows of shells using the tan frosting.
• Reheat the reserved melted chocolate if necessary. Dip the candy bead into the chocolate and adhere to the turkey's head. Cut the lemon chew in half so that you have 2 triangles. Use the back of a small knife to score a line onto one of the triangles, from the pointed triangle end to the cut edge. Use a small brush to cover the cut edge of the candy with melted chocolate and press onto the rounded edge of the chocolate-covered cake piece to form a beak.
• Cut a large teardrop-shaped piece from the fruit tape using kitchen-dedicated shears and peel away the backing. Adhere it to the candy chew with chocolate so that it falls behind the beak. Cut a smaller teardrop-shaped piece from the fruit tape and adhere with chocolate, so that it falls in front of the beak. Let stand until set, about 10 minutes.
• Place the gingersnaps on a baking sheet. Dip the backs of the candy corn pieces into the melted chocolate and arrange 3 on one side of each gingersnap. Let stand until set, about 10 minutes. Insert each cookie upright into the top of the cake so that the candy corn pieces are showing to the front of the turkey.

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.

ROAST TURKEY DINNER CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Grease with shortening or spray with cooking spray 2-quart stainless steel bowl; lightly flour. Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.
• Make cake batter using 1 box cake mix, water, oil and eggs called for on box. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon. Pour batter into bowl. Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center. Cool in bowl 5 minutes. Turn out cake onto serving platter; cool completely. Refrigerate cake 2 hours.
• Make second box of cake mix as above, stirring in remaining 2 tablespoons cinnamon. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.
• When round cake is thoroughly chilled, carefully carve away 2 long tapered pieces from each side of cake using serrated knife. This will leave a roughly turkey breast-shaped center. Reserve the 2 side pieces for later use; these will become the turkey drumsticks. Cut an inward notch at one pointed end of cake to create turkey neck area. Cut a slightly wider inward notch at opposite end. Refrigerate cake while carving drumsticks.
• Carve turkey drumstick shapes from 2 reserved side pieces of cake using a serrated knife. Refrigerate pieces while preparing frosting.
• Place three-fourths of container of frosting in large bowl. Beat in cocoa 1 teaspoon at a time until a light brown caramel color is achieved. Frost chilled cake and drumstick pieces with a thin coat of frosting. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Apply a final smooth coat of frosting to turkey breast cake; place drumstick pieces on either side. Frost drumstick pieces with a final smooth coat of frosting. Add turkey frills.
• For "stuffing," cut 4 of the cupcakes into even cubes. Place cubes at back of cake between turkey drumsticks. Just before serving, garnish plate with orange slices and lettuce or leaves.
• For "side dish" cupcakes, frost each of 10 cupcakes with 1 to 2 tablespoons of remaining frosting; dip into green candies. Cover remaining 10 cupcakes with a thick layer of frosting; use spoon to create divot in center of frosting. Drizzle a little maple syrup into each divot; top each with 1 yellow candy. Store cakes loosely covered with plastic wrap.