Straw Nana Monkey Cake Recipes

STRAW-NANA MONKEY CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325* for coated or dark pans 9 x 13 or 350* for glass or pans not coated. Spray or use butter to coat pan & sprinkle flour, sift remaining powder in trash, set pan aside.
• Mix cake mix according to box with the following ingredients: eggs, water, & oil. Once Blended add 1 box of strawberry creme pudding mix, blend until smooth.
• Bake in oven for 26-29 minutes according to box. While that's baking, mix 1 cream cheese (blends best at room temp.), 1/2 cup milk, & 1 tsp vanilla until smooth. Then add 1 box of banana pudding mix and another 1/2 cup of milk, blending well... then lastly blend 1 whole tub of Cool Whip to the mix and refrigerate until needed for filling.
• REPEAT step 3 for the second bowl of filling. Using the remaining cream cheese, vanilla, milk, banana pudding mix, & Cool Whip. Refrigerate when done.
• When the cake is cool... Use a frosting spatula to slip around the outer edging of the cake to make sure its not sticking to the pan. Then take a cookie sheet, place on top of cake, hold tightly together and flip quickly, set flat on table, tap the bottom of cake pan a few times, lift cake pan off the now upside down cake, take a cake knife or any long knife and cut evenly down the center splitting the cake into 2 sections. Once separated flip and place the bottom half of the cake back in the pan or on a tray.
• Remove the first bowl of banana filling from fridge, stir a few times to make it easier to spread on the bottom layer of the cake... once all of the first bowl of banana filling has been spooned on the bottom layer of the cake... smooth over to make it evenly across the entire cake, then flip and place the top half of the cake back on the bottom.
• Lastly, take the remaining banana filling from the fridge, stir so it will spread easier. Finally, frost the top layer of the cake. Ready to serve, Enjoy! (Add pink sprinkles if you like!)

MONKEY CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 8 1/2-inch-diameter 3-quart stainless-steel or ovenproof bowl and 1 cup of a large (1-cup capacity) muffin tin; set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter and brown sugar; mix on medium-high until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in eggs. Reduce speed to medium; mix in flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with banana mixture. Stir in pecans.
• Fill prepared muffin cup three-quarters full. Transfer remaining batter to prepared baking bowl. Transfer to oven, side by side. Bake cupcake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool in tin on a wire rack. Continue baking large cake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes more (1 hour and 40 minutes total). Let cool in bowl on a wire rack 30 minutes. Invert bowl to remove cake; let cool completely.
• Trim flat side of cake to be level. Trim away top of cupcake to be level. Cut cupcake in half vertically for the two monkey ears. Cut bowl cake in half horizontally to make 2 layers. Spread 3/4 cup chocolate buttercream on top of flat layer. Top with domed layer. Transfer to a cake plate. Spread a thick layer of chocolate buttercream over entire monkey head. Spread buttercream over cupcake ears. Attach ears to sides of head, top of cupcake facing forward, securing with toothpicks.
• Place remaining chocolate frosting in a piping bag fitted with a small plain round tip (such as Ateco #5). Pipe dots around bottom edge of cake in a continuous line. Switch to a small multi-opening tip (such as Ateco #233); pipe hair on top of head.
• Fill another piping bag fitted with a large plain round tip (such as Ateco #11) with yellow buttercream. Pipe an oval near the front base of cake. Fill in with frosting, and smooth. Place 2 small pieces of licorice rope inside for nose. Add a long piece of rope for mouth. Place licorice drops above oval for eyes. Pipe yellow half-circles in centers of ears; fill in with frosting, and smooth. Decorated cake can be refrigerated up to 3 hours.