Preparation takes a bit of time and effort, but well worth it. You can make the pound cakes from a cake mix or from scratch.
What you need: makes two pound cakes, that will later turn into one!
A few drops of royal blue food color
A few drops of leaf green food color
1 chocolate cake mix box
1 pound cake mix box
A football cookie cutter, that fits into a loaf pan.
Loaf pan
Ingredients needed to bake the cake mixes.
If you want to bake the pound cakes from scratch, recipe below.
Follow directions on the box and bake a chocolate pound cake in a loaf pan. Cool and slice the loaf into 1 inch slices. Using the football cookie cutter, cut football shapes. Do the same for all the slices. Set aside. Store the cake scraps to make cake pops at a later time, or rum balls maybe :-)
Prepare the cake batter from box two. Divide the cake batter into two portions. To the first part, add a few drops of green and to the other part add a few drops of blue. Mix well.
Grease the loaf pan. Assemble all the football cake cutouts in a row, touching each other. Fill the pan with blue batter half way, then fill it with green batter until the football cake cutouts are completely covered. Bake according to the instructions on the box and let it cool completely. Glaze the cake. Lemon glaze recipe follows after the pound cake recipe.
If you want to bake the pound cakes from scratch, recipe follows.
Pound cakes: Makes 2 loaves
1 and 1/2 cup butter
2 1/2 cups sugar
5 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk
1 tsp baking powder
3 cups cake flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 Tbsp espresso powder
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour a loaf pan. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy in an electric mixer. This might take about 5 to 6 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract.
Sift the salt, baking powder and flour. Stir into creamed mixture alternately with the milk, starting and ending with flour. Divide the batter into two equal portions. One portion to make the chocolate pound cake, and the other to add color for the next pound cake.
To the first portion, add 1/2 cup cocoa powder and 1 Tbsp espresso powder melted in a few tsp of warm water. This will make the chocolate pound cake. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
Take the remaining portion and divide it into two bowls. To the first part add a few drops of green and to the other part add a few drops of blue. Mix well.
Grease the loaf pan. Assemble all the football cake cutouts in a row, touching each other. Fill the pan with blue batter half way, then fill it with green batter until the football cake cutouts are completely covered.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
For the lemon glaze
1and 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
A pinch of salt
2 Tbsp warm water
Sift the confectioners sugar, mix in the rest of the ingredients to forms a smooth glaze. Pour over the cake. Once the glaze has cooled and stops running, cut them into 1 inch slices, there you have your hidden footballs in each slice. Enjoy!