Tiki Drink Cake

Last Wednesday afternoon, a coworker informed me that we were having a birthday party for my director - a "hawaiian/beach theme," as she was about to leave on a Hawaiian girl trip with her mother and sisters (mom and sisters take note!!!).  My coworker was having a difficult time trying to find a cake to fit the theme.  As soon as she said that, my mind immediately drifted to a recipe or really a "how to" article from the Food Network magazine that showed how to make a cake that looked like a drink in a coconut.  It was PERFECT for the occasion.  I told her I would attempt to make this cake look as good as the picture.

Here is the picture of the article I cut out from the Food Network magazine:

And here is how I put this cake together, per the instructions in the article:

Cake Baked In Two Bowls and a 6-Inch Pan



Bad Picture But It Shows Strip of Marshmallow Fondant



And here is the finished product:

The recipe called for a chocolate cake mix.  I don't normally like to use cake mixes, but thought it would be best, trying this idea for the first time, to follow the directions.  I didn't know if this process required a cake that was heavier  in order to hold up for the shape or not.  Later I wished I had used one of my own recipes because you can always tell the taste of a mix.

At any rate, here is what you will need to make this cake:

One 6" cake pan
Two 1-quart oven proof bowls
PAM Spray

Straw
Paper umbrella
Two dried pineapple rings
Wooden Skewer

Cake mix or recipe of your choice for a two-layer cake
Chocolate frosting
Vanilla frosting or marshmallow fondant
1-1/2 cups toasted coconut
(To toast coconut:  Spread evenly on a baking sheet. Put in a 350*F oven for about 7 minutes, then stir
 every minute until golden brown.  Be careful, as it can burn quickly if you don't stay with it.)

Instructions:

Make your own cake recipe or make the following:

1-18.5 oz. box chocolate cake mix
4 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350*F.

Combine all ingredients and divide evenly between the 2 - 1 quart bowls and the 6" cake pan, sprayed with PAM.  Bake cake pan for 25 minutes and bowls for 35 minutes.  Cool for 15 minutes.  Unmold.  Trim all cakes to make them level.

On one of the bowl cakes, hollow out about 1" inch deep on the smaller end. This will be the top with the opening where you will place the straw, umbrella and fruit.

Put layers together as shown in above picture #2: Bowl cake on bottom with wide end up.  Spread layer of frosting, then put the 6" cake on top.  Spread another layer of frosting, then put the last bowl cake on top, small end up.  At this point, you may want to freeze the cake - it makes it easier to frost and finish.

Frost the outer rim and inside the hollowed out area with white frosting.  (If using fondant, roll and cut a one inch wide strip to go around the rim, then cut a circle the size of the bottom.  Make sure that the circle is very smooth, as it's supposed to look like liquid.)  If using frosting,  put remaining frosting in a resealable bag and microwave for 5 seconds. Snip off a corner and squeeze the frosting into the top of the cake so it looks like liquid.

Spread remaining chocolate frosting all around outside of the cake up to the vanilla frosting or fondant then press on handfuls of the toasted coconut, covering the cake completely.  To finish, thread dried pineapple rings onto a wooden skewer and insert into "liquid" part of the cake.  Add the paper cocktail umbrella and straw.

The recipe states this makes 8 to 10 servings.  We served almost 20 people a thin slice with a little bit left over.