SUPPLIES
- Oven
- 13 x 9 glass baking pan
- Cooking spray
- One box of cake mix in your desired flavor
- 1-1/3 cup of water
- 1 stick of butter, softened
- 3 eggs
- Large mixing bowl
- Electric mixer
- Wooden spoon
- Toothpicks
- Two large cutting boards
- Long serrated knife
- Serving platter
- Can of white or off-white colored icing, any flavor
- Yellow paste food coloring
- Small bowl
- Spoon
- Knife for icing cake
- Can of whipped cream
Overview
Beer and cake, two of culinary science's greatest achievements, can finally be combined with this fun, easy and creative recipe. With just a little more work than it would take to make an ordinary cake, you can make one shaped like a giant beer mug.
Baking the Cake
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Step 2
Lightly spray the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch glass baking pan with cooking spray.
Step 3
Mix a full box of cake mix, 1-1/3 cup of water, three eggs and one stick of butter in a large bowl. Use an electric beater to mix the ingredients at low speed for about a minute, then at high speed for about another minute.
Step 4
Pour the entire bowl of cake mix into the baking pan. Use a spoon or scraper to get all of the mix off the sides of the bowl.
Step 5
Bake the cake for about 30 minutes, then check it for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the middle of the cake and extracting it. On a finished cake, the toothpick will come out clean. If it is not done, check it again every 2 or 3 minutes until the toothpick comes out clean. In some ovens, it will take 40 minutes or so before the cake is completely done.
Carving the Cake
Step 1
Allow the cake to cool completely. Ideally, give it at least 2 hours to cool.
Step 2
Lay a large cutting board over the top of the cake pan, then turn the cutting board and the pan upside down together. The cake should drop right onto the cutting board; if not, jiggle the pan a little to loosen the cake. Remove the pan, then set another cutting board on the bottom side of the cake. Flip the two cutting boards over together, then remove the top cutting board to find your finished cake right side up on a cutting surface.
Step 3
Use a long, sharp serrated knife to cut a strip of cake approximately 1 inch wide from one of the long sides of the cake. There's no need to measure, but try to keep the cutting line as straight as possible.
Step 4
Cut the strip of cake approximately in half. Then cut one of the halves roughly in half. Again, there's no real need to measure.
Step 5
Carefully transfer the large portion of the cake to the platter or surface you want to use to serve and present your cake. Then use the three smaller pieces of cake to form the shape of a beer mug handle on one of the long sides of the cake. You can just press these pieces together against the side of the cake for now, because you'll be gluing them together with icing in the next section.
Icing the Cake
Step 1
Ice the entire cake with a thin layer of white or off-white colored icing. Be careful when icing the mug handle, because it will be somewhat delicate. Use the icing to form bonds between each of the separate pieces on the handle side of the cake.
Step 2
Transfer about four heaping spoonfuls of the icing to a small bowl. Mix in a small amount of yellow paste food coloring and stir the frosting until the color is even. If you feel that it needs a little more color, add a little more food coloring and stir again until it reaches your desired shade.
Step 3
Gently spread the yellow icing over about 5/6 of the top surface of the cake. Leave about 1/6 of the cake blank on whichever end you deem to be the top of the mug.
Step 4
Carefully spread a generous amount of canned whipped cream on the blank area of the cake to simulate a big frothy head on the mug of beer.
Step 5
Serve and enjoy!
TIPS AND WARNINGS
- TIP : You may be able to find a beer mug-shaped novelty cake pan at some baking and gift stores, which would save you the steps of having to carve the mug handle yourself.
