Surprise at the Coffee Table

I was going through my phone and found some photos I had taken on the lead up to Christmas. In my family we try to get on top of things and BAKE BAKE BAKE! Let me explain, growing up I was exposed to the hospitality of Finnish people. At least this is how it is in our Finnish family, my parents have always advised how Finnish people are very hospitable. Coffee time is when coffee tables are full of more than just coffee. This is not a time to be literal, perhaps it should bee worded Sweets Time. When there were any kind of events, birthday’s, Mother’s/Father’s Days, Christmas, New Years; you get the idea, this was the time the coffee table would shine with different baked goods to meet everyone’s tastes and desires.

So last year on the lead to Christmas I wanted to contribute to my Mum’s coffee table get together with family. (I would have desired to have my own get together but with a young 6-month-old at the time it wasn’t really an option.) I had seen on Pinterest and on some cooking shows, even on YouTube, ways to do a surprise cake!

Some time ago I had made a pinata cake from the Australian Super Food Ideas Magazine (https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/chocolate-pinata-party-cake/176afa76-c207-4e25-bbe0-2cffbdfffc47 follow the link to make yours). I’m not talking about this style of surprise cake, I’m talking about a picture inside of the cake! With my theme being Christmas. Of course you could do whatever theme you want. I have an afternoon tea party to attend soon and I’m thinking about doing this cake idea again but with a teacup inside the cake. Let me show you how to create this idea, at least the way I did it.

Using two cake mix packets to make life easy. One chocolate and the other vanilla. Create both mixes according to the guide on each packet. Put the chocolate one in the fridge for now. 

Line a baking tray with paper. Along with a loaf tin dish. Pre-heat the oven onto the temperature stated on the packet. Now, using the vanilla one divide the dough into 5 small bowls. I like to use coloured bowls, so I know what colour to dye each hehe. I used green, blue, pink, orange and purple. 

After enough dye is added and mixed into each bowl to create a vibrant version, use a tablespoon to add to add random blobs of the dough all over the baking tray. Use a knife to mix and blend the colours together slightly – be careful with this stage as the colours can get overmixed easily and you could end up with a strange purply tone. Then place the baking tray into the oven on the middle shelf and allow to cook for 10-15 minutes, keeping an eye on it.

Once cooked remove from the oven allow to cool and place in the fridge to help cool completely. If you work with a warm cake it will result in a crumbly mess!

Take tray out of fridge and using a cookie cutter of choice to match your desired theme, I used a snowflake, make cut outs from the cake and place to the side.

Now using the lined loaf tin, remove the prepared chocolate cake dough from the fridge and pour roughly about 2cm-an inch of dough into the tin, this will act as your glue and foundation. Take the rainbow cake cut outs and place into the chocolate dough in tin. Once all lined in a row, pour the remaining chocolate batter over the pieces and down the sides. Place into the oven to cook – remembering the cake now only needs half the normal cooking time as the inside is already cooked!

Remove from oven and allow to cool before cutting. 

Cover the cake in a desired frosting if preferred, I left mine unfrosted. 

Then when you cut into the cake, watch as your guests exclaim their "oooh woah!"