Escalation

[browngirl]

Whilst lying on my back and reading over my shoulder, Mr. Joshlet spotted this spectacular terror of a hidden flag cake and declared he wants it for his next birthday, but in chocolate.

The scariest thing is that I know how I could make it in chocolate (red velvet cake). I just don't know where, because there is no way we can assemble it in our house unless we buy a chest freezer.

Also, EEEEK. This is what I get.

Comments

[bercilakslady.livejournal.com]

I have a chest freezer.

[jadelennox]

I have a chest freezer, and you are welcome to use my kitchen. :D

(Sorry, bercilakslady, meant to respond to the original post.)

[bercilakslady.livejournal.com]

It's alright.

Also, BG, you are always welcome in my kitchen, for whatever reason. :)

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

Eee, thank you! Though I should probably make something other than a gluten-full cake in your kitchen.

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

That you do! And we haven't cooked together in way too long (though we will before The Joshlet's next birthday). *beams*

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

[pickledginger.livejournal.com]

Somebody in comments on the original post suggested white chocolate chips. I can think of other possibilities -- injecting white batter with a syringe? -- but this is complicated enough already!

I would be tempted to try baking the blue in a coffee can.

[nancylebov.livejournal.com]

If we're just talking about geometry, then what would be needed is 50 rings with star cross-sections of various sizes neatly laid down in the blue dough.

I have no doubt that there are people who could do the neat laying down part if they had the rings. I don't know if there's any way to make the rings. Some sort of candy molds?

[pickledginger.livejournal.com]

I can imagine a silicone mold, but not how to remove intact a molded substance soft enough to slice compatibly with the cake.

Perhaps -- if one were making such a cake on a larger scale, so the stars would be larger than crumbs -- one could pipe circles using a star-shaped nozzle, then freeze them before carefully layering them in the batter? A cream-cheese-based dough of some sort might work.

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

[pickledginger.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's hard to imagine a substance that would hold shape that well and not ruin the cake. A 13-star flag might be more achieveable, but then there's trying to keep the circle round.

[pickledginger.livejournal.com]

Piped meringue might work, at least until it got soggy. :-/

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

Squeeze 'em out

[thnidu.livejournal.com]

Why not use a whatever-they-call-it, a frosting gun thingie that's like a putty applicator? Load it with a softish white dough or a white frosting and squeeze it around to make a ring on the blue dough at the right level. I strongly recommend a Betsy Ross field of 13 stars rather than a modern 50!

Re: Squeeze 'em out

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the freezer is full. But mostly, I'm terrified and entertained that my making the rainbow cake for his last birthday has led to this. Meep. :)

PS I was thinking of white chocolate chips for the stars, but they would definitely be impressionistically scattered rather than regularly arranged. The amount of piping necessary for regularly arranged white stars -- my hand is cramping just thinking of it.

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

[spinrabbit.livejournal.com]

White chocolate chips? edit: read before posting, read before posting...

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

If you wanted a chest freezer I suppose we could rig something up with a bra and some gel packs....

[bercilakslady.livejournal.com]

Does not hit you because that was kinda funny. But it was tempting.

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

*laughs and laughs and uses a Minoan icon and laughs*

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

Looks like the cake I made for July 4 but with more layers (I was shortcutting due to lack of time). Not sure why you would need a chest freezer though?

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

*nod* It's the same idea, elaborated. (And your cake was gorgeous!) The chest freezer would be to have a freezer with enough space to freeze the cake layers.

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

Still not sure why freezing is necessary? How far ahead are you intending to make this?

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

Ah, point. I didn't actually read the recipe, since I've seen the concept previously. I wasn't thinking about fragility.

[gosling.livejournal.com]

You could totally use our chest freezer. It is about 70% full right now, but with incentive I think we could get it down to 50% fairly rapidly. And we would get to see you while you were cooking!

just in case

[andreas_schaefer]

do not let him watch "some like it hot" with you ;-)

[joecoustic.livejournal.com]

While it would be impressive, but I wonder if there is something similar, but more simplified, with more meaning for him personally and the added benefit of being a surprise. No idea what that would be of course. Actually figuring that out might end up with being more pressure than whatever the other wonderful people here suggest.... Whatever you end up doing I have not doubt it will be a show-stopper!! :)