Gift Box Wedding Cake
- 1-1/3 cups poppy seeds, divided
- 4 packages white cake mix (regular size)
- 1 package (3.4 ounces) instant lemon pudding mix
- 1-1/2 cups butter, softened
- 15 cups confectioners' sugar
- 3/4 cup half-and-half cream
- 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Pink liquid or paste food coloring
- Place 1/3 cup poppy seeds in each of four small bowls; add the water called for in cake mix directions to each bowl. Soak for 1 hour.
- Prepare cake batters according to package directions, using poppy seed water. Bake in three greased and floured
- s and two 8-in. square pans. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Prepare pudding according to package directions; refrigerate.
- For frosting, in a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar. Add the cream, vanilla and salt; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. (Frosting may need to be made in batches.) Add food coloring to 4-1/2 cups frosting.
- Cut a small hole in the corner of two plastic or pastry bags; insert #3 pastry tip in one bag and #5 pastry tip in the other. Place 1/2 cup white frosting in bag with #3 tip and 1/2 cup pink frosting in the other. Cover remaining frosting with a damp cloth until ready to use.
- Trim two 13x9-in. cakes into 12x8-in. rectangles as in Fig. 1a; level tops. Cut an 8x2-in. strip off each, leaving two pieces (A). Cut each strip in half, forming four 4x2-in. pieces. As in Fig. 1b, attach two 4x2-in. pieces together lengthwise with white frosting to form a 4x4-in. pieces (B); repeat with two remaining pieces and set aside.
- Trim remaining 13x9-in. cake into a 12x7-in. rectangle as in Fig. 2; level top. Cut cake in half to form two 7x6-in. pieces (C); set aside.
- Level tops of 8-in. square cakes.
- Each frosted layer of the cake consists of two cake pieces with a lemon pudding filling in between. Place one piece A on a covered board; spread with pudding to with 1/2 in. of edge. Place second piece A on top; set aside. Repeat filling procedure for remaining layers (pieces B, C and 8-in. squares) and place on covered boards.
- For bottom layer, frost piece A with 3-1/2 cups white frosting. If desired, attach a ribbon across the corners of piece A (as shown in photo).
- For second layer, frost 8-in. cake with 2-1/2 cups pink frosting. With prepared bag of white frosting, pipe a continuous string, curving up, down and around so strings never touch or cross on cake.
- For third layer, frost piece C with 2 cups white frosting. With prepared bag of pink frosting, pipe dots 1/2 in. apart over entire cake.
- Frost piece B with remaining pink frosting. Add bow on top.
- For bottom three layers, cut a 1/4-in. dowel into five pieces the height of each layer. Insert dowels 1 to 2 in. apart in center of each cake to support the next layer. Carefully stack layers on a serving platter, working from largest cake to smallest. Decorate with ribbon and silk flowers as desired. Remove dowels before cutting each layer.
poppy seeds, white cake, butter, sugar, cream, vanilla, salt, liquid
Taken from www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/gift-box-wedding-cake/ (may not work)