Giant Heart Sunglasses Cake

Name: Giant Heart Sunglasses Cake
Prep time: 15 h
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 16 h
Yield: 10-12 serving(s)
Ingredients: 2 (15 1/4 ounce) boxes yellow cake (plus necessary ingredients); 2 (3 1/2 ounce) boxes vanilla instant pudding mix; royal blue gel food coloring; cornstarch; yellow fondant; 12 egg whites, room temperature; 2 1/4 cups white sugar; 2 lbs unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into chunks; 2 teaspoons lemon extract; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt; deep pink gel food coloring

Submitted by Arlyn Osborne

"Cake is transformed into a groovy pair of heart-shaped sunglasses, perfect for Spring Break. With blue ocean swirl cake layers and light and airy lemon buttercream, this festive dessert will make you feel like you’re already on vacation. "

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Ready In:: 16hrs
Ingredients:: 12
Serves:: 10-12

ingredients

For the Cake
2 (15 1/4 ounce) boxes yellow cake (plus necessary ingredients)
2 (3 1/2 ounce) boxes vanilla instant pudding mix
royal blue gel food coloring
cornstarch
yellow fondant
For the Lemon Swiss Buttercream
12 egg whites, room temperature
2 ¹⁄₄ cups white sugar
2 lbs unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into chunks
2 teaspoons lemon extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¹⁄₈ teaspoon fine sea salt
deep pink gel food coloring

directions

For the Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two 9-inch square cake pans with nonstick spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray.
Prepare cake mix per package directions, adding in the packages of vanilla pudding mix.
Scoop 2 ½ cups of batter into a small bowl. Scoop another 2 ½ cups of batter to another small bowl.
Color one of the small bowls a dark blue shade, folding in about 1 ½ teaspoons of Deep Blue gel coloring.
Color the other small bowl to a light blue shade, folding in about ½ teaspoon of Deep Blue. You should have white, dark blue, and light blue batters.
Using a small ice cream scoop, drop alternating scoopfuls of the batter colors into the cake pans, dividing evenly. Swirl the batter with a wooden popsicle stick, making sure to get all the way down to bottom of the cake pan.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool 20 minutes. Invert onto a wire rack and let cool completely. Wrap each square cake in plastic wrap and freeze overnight.
Print a large sunglasses stencil online and cut in half, dividing the two frames. Unwrap the frozen cakes on a wooden cutting board and position the stencil halves on top. Trim around the stencils, with a sharp paring knife.
Transfer trimmed cakes to a large cake board or platter, matching up halves to create one large pair of sunglasses.
Frost the cake with a crumb coat of pink frosting. Chill in fridge or freezer for about 10-15 minutes or until frosting is hard to the touch.
Meanwhile, cut the lenses out from stencil. On a surface lightly dusted with cornstarch, roll out the yellow fondant using a silicone rolling pin. Place one of the heart lenses on top and carefully cut out using a sharp paring knife. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the other heart lens.
Transfer some of the pink buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a #803 tip. Frost cake all over with buttercream, using the piping bag to apply on the sides. Smooth out with a small offset.
Place back in the fridge or freezer about 10-15 minutes or until the frosting is hard to the touch.
Using a non-patterned sheet of paper towel, gently smooth out frosting, buffing out any harsh lines or imperfections. Position fondant heart lenses into place.
Let cake sit out to room temperature before serving, about 30-45 minutes.
For the Lemon Swiss Buttercream:
Prep everything first!
Bring a small saucepan with an inch of water to a simmer.
Whisk egg whites and sugar together in a stand mixer metal bowl and attach a thermometer.
Set the bowl over the simmering water, making sure the bottom is not touching the water. Whisk constantly and allow the mixture to reach 160°F.
Immediately transfer bowl to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whisk on high until stiff peaks and glossy and doubled in size, about 10 minutes.
Switch to the paddle attachment and drop speed to medium. Add in a couple chunks of butter at a time, fully incorporating before adding more.
Once all the butter is mixed in, increase speed to medium-high and beat until smooth. Then beat in extracts and salt.
Fold in about ½ teaspoon Deep Pink gel food coloring with a spatula.