Happy 17th Birthday, Steve! (Cake and Frosting)

Carol did all the work here.

Our nephew's birthday was a great opportunity to try out a few of the cake and frosting recipes in The Book. Somehow, the decision to make a cake for his party turned into a decision to make a bowling-themed shape cake. (Steve is one of his high school's top bowlers - yea Steve!) A bowling pin and bowling ball were an easy choice.

The bowling ball was baked in a 2 quart casserole dish, so it required a somewhat denser cake than the pin which I baked in a jelly-roll pan. I chose the Apple Sauce Spice Cake for the ball and Deep, Dark Chocolate Cake for the pin. Because I wanted to tint the ball blue, I selected a butter-cream frosting for the ball and Fluffy Uncooked Frosting for the pin - fluffy frosting is always the easiest to use on a cake that's been cut into a shape.

I'm certainly not going to be taking any business away from the Ace of Cakes, but the end result was greeted with a big grin from the birthday boy. (And a comment from my dear sister about having WAY too much free time on my hands.)
FLUFFY UNCOOKED FROSTING
1 egg white, thorougly chilled 1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup granulated sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Combine in a large mixer bowl, egg white, sugar and cream of tartar. Add boiling water and at once begin beating with mixer until thick and fluffy. Add vanilla. Makes enough for tops and sides of two 9 inch layers.

APPLE SAUCE SPICE CAKE

1 box spice cake mix
1 cup apple sauce
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)


Prepare spice cake batter according to mix directions except: substitute 1 cup apple sauce for 1 cup of liquid in the directions. Add baking soda and nuts to the batter. When cool frost with caramel icing.

DEEP, DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE (Hershey Foods Corp.)

1 3/4 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk or sour milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup boiling strong black coffee

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
6 tbsp butter or margarine, softened 1 tsp vanilla
2 2/3 cups powdered sugar, sifted Few grains salt
3 to 3 1/2 tbsp milk

Cream butter or margarine in small mixer bowl. Add powdered sugar alternately with milk. Blend in vanilla andsalt. Beat to spreading consistency. Enough for tops and sides of two 8 inch layers.



Combine dry ingredients in large mixer bowl. Add remaining ingredients except coffee and beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Remove from mixer and stir in boiling black coffee (batter will be thin).
Pour into two greased and floured 9" or three 8" layer pans or one 13 x 9" pan. Bake at 350 F for 30 to 35 minutes for the layers, 35 to 40 minutes for the 13 x 9" pan, or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes on rack. Remove from pans and cool completely. Frost as desired.