Volcano Cake

A list of ingredients you will need:

Equipment and Decorating Supplies:

One of each 2-inch deep round cake pans: 10 inch, 9 inch, 8 inch, 7 inch, 6 inch

Wax paper or parchment paper, for lining pans

Food coloring - red and green (paste for more intense color)

One package (14 oz) Dark Chocolate Candies for Melting, available where cake decorating supplies are sold (for “dead” trees) – you will only use about ¼ of the package for this recipe.

One large round cake platter (about a 12-14 inch diameter)

Three pastry bags or zipper-style freezer bags with one corner snipped

Two grass tips (we used # 233)

1 small round tip (we used # 5)

One small ovenproof glass custard cup (4 inch diameter)

Dry ice chips (for smoke) – should be purchased the day of the party or no more than 24 hours in advance – dry ice is now available at some grocery stores or from your local ice company

For the Cake:

You will need to prepare two batches of this recipe, so double the amount for your shopping list, but prepare in two single batches to save the motor on your mixer!

1 cup - butter, softened

1/2 cup - vegetable shortening

2 ¾ cup - Domino® Granulated Sugar

5 - large eggs

3 cups - cake flour, sifted

¼ tsp. - baking powder

¾ cup - evaporated milk

¼ cup - water

2 tsp. - vanilla extract

For the Chocolate Icing:

You will need to prepare two batches of this recipe also, so double the amount for your shopping list, but like the cake, prepare in two single batches to save the motor on your mixer!

1 1/2 - (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened (12 oz total)

3/4 cup - butter, softened

6 tbsp. - dry, unsweetened cocoa

1 1/2 lbs. - Domino® Confectioners Sugar (6 cups)

1 1/2 tsp. - vanilla extract

For the Red and Green Icing:

1/2 cup - butter, softened

1/2 cup - vegetable shortening

1 - (1 lb. box) Domino® Confectioners Sugar (4 cups)

2 tbsp. - cake flour

1 tsp. - vanilla extract

2 tbsp. - milk

Green Food Coloring

Red Food Coloring

Instructions »

For the Cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F and arrange racks to oven center. Spray pans with a no-stick spray containing flour and line bottoms with rounds of wax paper or parchment paper. Spray top of paper again for a little added insurance!

Cream butter and shortening with sugar until very light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour with baking powder and set aside. Combine milk with water and vanilla extract. Add flour mixture to batter alternately with milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Divide batter among pans, filling no more than 2/3’s full and bake 30-45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. The smaller layers may bake faster than the larger layers, depending upon your oven, so check small layers first and remove all layers from the oven as they test done. Cool layers in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto racks to complete cooling. Cool thoroughly before icing.

For the Chocolate Icing:

Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. Stir in cocoa and blend well. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, beating until smooth and creamy with each addition. Stir in vanilla extract.

For the Red and Green Icing:

Beat butter and shortening until smooth and creamy. Whisk confectioners' sugar with flour until evenly blended, then gradually beat into butter mixture. Add vanilla extract and milk, beating to a good piping consistency. Divide icing in half and tint one half with red food coloring and one half with green food coloring.

For the “Dead” Trees:

Melt about 1/4 of the package of chocolate according to package directions, and spoon into a small pastry bag or a zipper-style freezer bag with snipped corner fitted with a small round (we used # 5) tip. Pipe tree trunks and branches onto wax paper or parchment paper and allow to harden at room temperature (will only take about 15-20 minutes). Be sure to pipe some extras to allow for breakage and to serve with individual slices of cake, if you like. To minimize breakage, lift the wax or parchment paper from the counter and peel the paper away from the tree, rather than the tree from the paper.

To Create a Volcano:

Spread a spoonful of icing directly onto the cake platter to secure cake well. Beginning with the large 10-inch layer, build your volcano by stacking the layers in graduated fashion, spreading an even layer of chocolate icing between each layer. Try to center layers as you stack, but check for “leaning layers” before you cover the sides of the cake with icing. You can adjust “leans” easily before the icing “sets up” by simply shifting the layers by hand. Spread chocolate icing generously over the sides and top of the volcano. Center the glass custard cup on top of the volcano and snugly press into place into the icing. Surround the cup with more chocolate icing to hide it from view, but leave the cup itself empty. Spoon red and green icings into pastry bags or zipper-style freezer bags with one corner snipped fitted with grass tips (# 233). Pipe green grass at the base of the Volcano and red lava spilling out of the Volcano’s top. And, last but not least, carefully insert trees over the Volcano.

Creating the Smoke:

At serving, place 2-3 small pieces of dry ice into the custard cup. Drizzle dry ice with 1-2 tablespoons of water and let the excitement begin!