Tiki Cocktail Cake

My dear friend Carrie "The Cook Crook" was having a cook out at her house; and I, in a quest for all things themed, asked what to bring.  She had remembered that she had luau party favors and accessories from a previous birthday and thought "why not recycle?"  A theme was born and so began my endless obsession of scouring recipes to find something perfect to bring.

I remembered I had ripped out a cake recipe from food network magazine last summer that was inspired by a tropical drink:  Tiki Cocktail Cake. Bingo!  These types of recipes are frequently featured in the magazine. They are so much fun to make and always impress your guests.  As usual, they offer step by step illustrated instructions.  I am a visual learner so this is perfect.  Before I began blogging I had previously made cakes that looked like a cheeseburger and a nacho cheesecake.  If you're a facebook friend you have probably seen them posted on my wall.  These cakes are definitely for the beginner and for the budget friendly since most of them recommend boxed cake mix and jarred icing. I am not usually a big fan of such baking shortcuts; however, I believe when you are making a whimsical cake fresh buttercream and from-scratch cake is lost and takes time away from the art of decorating.  So I say save the good stuff for when your making something that is meant to wow the tastebuds.

This cake came with some minor challenges and ultimately resulted in some tips for the next person to make this cake.  Always remember when using box cake mix to sift the cake mix before adding to the bowl with the wet ingredients.  Cake mix is always lumpy and does not mix properly; by sifting you negate that challenge.  I also found that my cake was squatty.  It looked more like those coconut drinks you get at a hibachi grill rather than a tall drink that you picture poolside.  Next time I would buy 2 boxes of chocolate cake mix so I can have thicker layers, thus creating more height.  I felt that I ran a bit shorter than I would like in the icing department, so I would buy 2 chocolate next time to ensure a little extra as well as some for the kids to lick (added per their request).  The pineapple rings were also a challenge, I could not find dried rings anywhere so I used fresh.  The pineapples were patted dry and left on the counter to further dry out.  It worked, but since they were a bit heavy I used two wooden skewers.

The cake was a hit and was the fun whimsy that I had dreamed of for the party.  Challenge yourself to take some risk and do something outside the box, and if your nervous just be sure to have a back up :)  Mine was asparagus salad, which is always a homerun and will be included in a future post.   But until then, "Let them eat Cake".