Monkey Cake
- 3/4 cup butter, softened
- 3 cups sifted flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 large bananas, mashed (about 1 1/3 cups)
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups light-brown sugar, packed
- 3 eggs
- chocolate icing
- vanilla icing, tinted yellow with
- yellow food coloring
- 2 Junior mints
- 1 black licorice bootlace, for decorating
- Preheat oven to 350u0b0.
- Butter and flour an 8 1/2-inch-diameter 3-quart stainless-steel or oven proof 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.
- 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 icing over cupcake ears.
- Attach ears to sides of head, top of cupcake facing forward, securing with toothpicks.
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a large plain round tip with yellow icing.
- 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 Junior Mints 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.
butter, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, bananas, buttermilk, vanilla extract, lightbrown sugar, eggs, chocolate icing, vanilla icing, yellow food coloring, mints, black licorice bootlace
Taken from www.food.com/recipe/monkey-cake-207430 (may not work)