Spring Garden Cake Recipes

SPRING GARDEN CAKE

Steps:

• Prepare carrot and zucchini cakes as directed, and cool to room temperature. If necessary, use a serrated knife to trim cake tops level. Each cake should be about 1 1/4 inches high.
• Prepare cream cheese frosting. Place zucchini cake on a 10-inch cake round, and spread top of cake with 1 1/4 cups cream cheese frosting. Place a carrot cake on top of the frosted zucchini cake. Chill until icing is set, about 15 minutes. Ice entire cake with remaining frosting. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes. This can be done up to 1 day in advance.
• Sprinkle top of cake with 1/2 cup cookie crumbs, leaving a 1/4-inch border around perimeter of cake. Using a paring knife, lightly mark cake top, dividing into quarters or four "plots." Rake the plots with the tines of a fork. Place green sprinkles on the perimeter of cake. Arrange marzipan fruits and vegetables on the plots. Carefully press pastillage fence posts onto the side of the cake, about 1/4 inch apart, and place candy pebbles around the base of the fence. Serve cake at room temperature.

CREAM-CHEESE FROSTING FOR SPRING GARDEN CAKE

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Gradually add sugar and vanilla, and beat on low speed until well blended. Increase speed to high, and beat until completely smooth, about 2 minutes. Use immediately.

PASS THE GARDEN CAKE

Steps:

• For the tomatoes: Knead the red fruit chews together in your hands until soft and pliable. Divide into 4 equal pieces and roll into small balls. Use a skewer to make wrinkles in the top and drill a small hole in each.
• For the carrots: Knead the orange fruit chews in your hands until soft and pliable. Divide into 4 equal pieces and form each piece into a carrot shape. Drill a hole in the top of each with a skewer.
• For the eggplant: Knead the purple fruit chews together in your hands until soft and pliable. Divide into 4 equal pieces and form each piece into an eggplant shape. Knead the green fruit chews in your hands until soft and pliable. Divide into 4 equal pieces, form each piece into a stem shape and place one on each eggplant.
• For the lettuce: Knead the green and yellow fruit chews together in your hands until soft, pliable and evenly mixed. Divide into 4 equal pieces. Roll out each piece into a 4-inch-long rope and lightly press to flatten. Roll up each rope to form concentric circles like a head of lettuce, flaring out the outer layer to form leaves.
• For the bunny butt and feet: Place the regular marshmallow on the end of a skewer and frost it entirely with the frosting. Roll the marshmallow in the coconut to completely coat. Remove from the skewer. Dab a small dollop of the white frosting on the flat side of the regular marshmallow to use as glue, towards the top in the 12-o'clock position. Glue on the mini marshmallow to create a bunny tail.
• To make bunny feet, use the pink icing to pipe paw pads onto each almond. Dab 2 small dollops of the white frosting on the flat side of the regular marshmallow to use as glue, towards the bottom in the 4- and 8-o'clock positions. Glue on the bunny feet.
• For the sunflowers: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a small bowl, combine the almonds, yellow food coloring and 1/2 teaspoon water and mix until the almonds are yellow. Spread out on the lined baking sheet to dry.
• Insert the almond slices into the frosting around the edge of the mini cupcakes in 2 rows to mimic the petals of a sunflower. Carefully sprinkle the center of each cupcake with the chocolate sprinkles to mimic sunflower seeds.
• For the cake assembly: If using a 1/2 sheet cake, use a toothpick to draw a 12-by-8-inch rectangle in the center of the cake, 1 1/2 inches from the edges. This rectangle will be the dirt garden plot. Cut about 58 of the rolled wafer cookies in half and set aside.
• If using a 1/4 sheet cake, draw a 10-by-6-1/2-inch rectangle in the center of the cake, 1 inch from the edges, to form the dirt garden plot. Cut about 36 of the rolled wafer cookies in half and set aside.
• Fill a large resealable plastic bag with the green frosting. Using a toothpick, punch 8 to 10 holes in one of the corners along the bottom of the bag. Squeeze the bag and pipe grass in the border around the garden plot. Carefully spread an even layer of the ground cookies inside the rectangle to create dirt for the garden plot. Using the remaining ground cookies, make 4 evenly spaced long dirt mounds in the plot.
• Press the rolled wafer cookie halves around the outside of the cake to form a fence.
• Place the eggplants along one of the dirt mounds. Place the carrots along the second dirt mound and plant some into the dirt. Insert mint sprigs into the top of the carrots to create carrot tops. Place the lettuce heads along the third dirt mound. Place the tomatoes along the fourth with mint sprigs to mimic vines.
• Place a sunflower mini cupcake in each corner of the garden and place 2 mint sprigs around each to mimic leaves. Place the bunny butt in the garden plot.

MARZIPAN FOR SPRING GARDEN CAKE

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor, combine almond paste and sugar. Pulse until combined. Add the corn syrup, and pulse again until combined, about 15 times.
• Mixture should hold together when pressed. Transfer to a clean work surface; knead until smooth dough is formed. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Color as desired.