Volcano Surprise Recipes

CHEESE VOLCANO

Steps:

• For the volcano: Use a round plastic crudite platter for the base of your volcano and cut a small hole in it large enough for the hose of a fluid transfer pump to go through. Snake the depositing end of the pump hose through the hole in the platter. Invert a bundt pan over the platter, snaking the hose up through the hole in the bundt. Cut a hole in the center of the tomato half, then insert the tomato cut-side up in the top of the hole in the bundt pan, pulling the hose up through the hole in the tomato and pushing down a bit on the tomato to snugly plug up the hole in the bundt pan with the tube inside.
• "Paint" or "spackle" the sides of the bundt pan with the cheese, using an offset spatula or rubber gloves. Then layer the chips on top of each other around the bundt, starting flat but angling as you go up, sticking them to the cheese. This creates a volcano look.
• For the decorations: Arrange your accoutrements however you like. I put a lot of diced tomatoes and beans around the top to make it look like a caldera. I also liked incorporating cilantro stems and broccoli florets at the base of the volcano, as they look like trees.
• For the cheese sauce: Turn a large slow cooker to low while you prepare the sauce on the stove.
• In a pot, combine the sodium citrate and 3 1/2 cups water over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add the cheese in handfuls, whisking until incorporated before adding the next handful. Once all the cheese is incorporated and melty, add the sriracha and use an immersion blender to blend to a uniform consistency.
• Transfer the mixture to the preheated slow cooker. Place the receiving tube of the pump into the cheese sauce and slowly and carefully pump to create "lava." Note: The cheese sauce might splash, so use with caution and put in a safe location.

RAINBOW SURPRISE INSIDE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Grease or spray two 8-inch round cake pans; place 8-inch round piece of cooking parchment paper in bottom of each pan. Grease or spray parchment paper. In large bowl, beat 1 box cake mix and ingredients called for on box with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on high speed about 2 minutes or until smooth. Spread in pans. Bake as directed on box. Cool 10 minutes; run knife around sides of pans to loosen cakes. Gently remove from pans to cooling rack; remove parchment paper. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, repeat to make 2 more layers.
• Flatten cake layers by trimming off rounded tops. In 2 layers, cut small round out of center, using 4-inch round cutter.
• To assemble cake: Place 1 uncut cake layer on cake stand or serving platter; spread 1/3 cup frosting on top. Top with 1 layer with center removed; spread 1/3 cup frosting on top. Top with second layer with center removed; spread 1/3 cup frosting on top.
• Fill cake with candies and candy sprinkles. Gently press candies to level; top with full cake layer. Frost side and top of cake with remaining frosting.

VOLCANO SURPRISE WITH LEMON MOUSSELINE CAKE

Steps:

• To make the lemon mousseline cake:
• Put the egg yolks, sugar, grated lemon rind, and vanilla in a bowl, and mix well with a whisk until smooth and thick. Add the potato starch and flour, and mix with a whisk.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In another bowl, beat the egg whites until firm. Add about one-third of the egg whites to the egg-yolk mixture, and mix with a whisk to lighten the batter. Fold the remainder of the egg whites into the batter. Pour the batter into a buttered 9-inch springform pan.
• Bake on a cookie sheet in the 350-degree oven for approximately 35 minutes. The cake should be nice and puffy as it comes out of the oven. Let cool in the pan in a warm place. The cake will shrink slightly but remain moist and spongy inside.
• Prepare the base of the volcano surprise:
• Butter the center of a round ovenproof platter and slice the cake horizontally into four layers. Place one of the cake slices on the buttered platter. Spoon the ice cream onto the cake slice, mounding it in the center, and smooth with a spatula.
• Cover the top of the ice-cream mound completely with cake, breaking the remaining slices of cake into large pieces, as needed, to make them fit snugly and over the filling entirely. (Any leftover cake can be frozen for future use.) Sprinkle the cognac over the cake. At this point, the dessert can be placed in the freezer while you prepare the rest of it.
• For the soufflé mixture:
• In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until firm. Meanwhile, mix the egg yolks and the vanilla in a separate bowl with a fork just until blended. When the egg whites are firm, add the sugar fairly quickly, and continue beating with the whisk for another 15 to 20 seconds to incorporate it. Gently fold the egg yolks into th egg whites with a spatula. Spoon some of the souffé mixture on top of the ice-cream cake, and smooth and round it into a conical shape.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. You should have approximately a 1-inch thickness of the soufflé mixture on the cake, with the soufflé higher in the center. Spoon the rest of the soufflé mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a fluted tip, and make a spiral decoration all around the bottom of the volcano. Continue decorating the cake as you like with the remainder of the soufflé mixture.
• Embed the hollowed-out half-lemon shell in the center of the top of the volcano. Work quickly, so the ice cream and the soufflé coating remain firm. Bake in the 400-degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes. The outside of the cake should be nicely browned, and it should be just set inside.

VOLCANO SURPRISE!

Steps:

• First of all you need to cover a large plate with some tin foil. Make sure you wrap the foil all the way around the edges of the plate, so that it's completely covered.
• Now take your mini meringues and arrange 7 on the plate in a circle (1 in the centre, and 6 around the outside).
• Next you need to melt the mini fudge pieces in the microwave - get an adult to help with this bit.
• The melted fudge will be used to stick the meringues together. Whilst it’s still runny get an adult to pour the fudge onto the meringues - it hardens very fast.
• TIP: You could use toffee sauce instead of melting the fudge! This works just as well.
• Once you've poured the fudge onto the bottom layer, you need to repeat this with the remaining meringues. Pile them up in layers of 5, 3, and 1, pouring the melted fudge in between, to build a volcano shape! Finally, scatter some mini meringues along the base of the plate – these will act as volcanic rocks.
• Next you need to melt the chocolate in the microwave - make sure you get an adult to help with this. Whilst it's still hot, get an adult to pour it over the whole sculpture. Once you have done that you need to let it set in the fridge for 10 mins.
• Now the final step is the messy bit! Heat your mini marshmallows in the microwave, and once they are melted quickly spoon them over the volcano! This is a bit tricky, as the marshmallows harden very fast.
• Leave it to cool, and for the finishing touch…put a mini indoor sparkler on the top! Make sure you get an adult to light it for you.
• And there you have your very own edible Volcano Surprise!