Minnie Mouse Cake

A good friend of mine recently threw a Minnie Mouse themed birthday party for her daughter who was turning 2 and I had the privilege of making the cake for the occasion!

Since two of her four children have dairy issues, this cake was dairy-free.  If you need to make a dairy free cake, just check the labels carefully for a mix that doesn’t contain dairy.  Some Duncan Hines cakes are dairy free (but not all).  I’ve also had good luck with some generic brands.

My favorite part of the cake was a surprise.  It almost killed me, but I didn’t tell my friend anything except that she needed to send me a photo after the cake was cut.  The pretty Pink Polka Dot Minnie Cake was the hit of the party!

Polka Dot Cake

Method from Once Upon a Pedestal

28 strawberry cake balls (recipe follows)

2 white cake mixed, prepared as directed

Buttercream and/or MM Fondant to decorate

Spray two 6-inch and two 8-inch round pans with non stick spray and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Prepare the two white cake mixes as directed.

Pour a small amount of batter into each of the four pans, just enough to cover the bottom.  Place 6 strawberry cake balls, evenly spaced, into each 6-inch pan and 8 strawberry cake balls, evenly spaced, into each 8-inch pan.  Pour the remaining batter over the cake balls until they are all covered.

Place the pans into the preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean (note that the 6-inch cake will likely get done 5-8 minutes sooner than the 8-inch cakes).  Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert and cool completely.

If the cakes are domed, press down lightly on top of the cakes to flatten slightly.  To maintain the polka dots in the center of the cake, you will be unable to level these cakes.

Once cooled, frost and stack the cakes, adding a fondant bow and fondant ears to finish.

Strawberry Cake {Dairy Free}

An Amy’s Cooking Adventures Original Recipe

1 white cake mix (check label for dairy free mix)

1 ¼ cups water

1/3 cup oil

3 egg whites

2 tbsp strawberry extract

Pink gel food coloring, if desired

Mix all the strawberry cake ingredients until smooth, about 2 minutes.  Preheat the oven according to cake pop mold instructions.  Fill the molds as instructed, but bake a few minutes less than directed.  You want a few moist crumbs to cling to a testing toothpick.  Remove the cake balls from the mold and cool.