Butterfly Cake

Total Time: 2 hrs 35 mins Preparation Time: 2 hrs Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 16
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup butter or 1/2 cup margarine, softened
• 4 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, divided
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 3 -5 tablespoons milk
• your desired color of paste food coloring
• colored sprinkles
• decorating bag
• ziploc bag
• pastry dough, tip- # 98 shell and # 5 round
• black licorice

Recipe

• 1 in a mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy.
• 2 add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.
• 3 combine flour, baking powder and salt; add alternately with milk to creamed mixture. beat in vanilla.
• 4 pour into a waxed paper-lined 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan.
• 5 bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until cake tests done.
• 6 cool completely.
• 7 for frosting, cream shortening and butter until light and fluffy.
• 8 gradually beat in 2 cups confectioners' sugar; add salt,extracts and 3 tablespoons milk.
• 9 beat in remaining sugar.
• 10 if necessary,add additional milk, a tablespoon at a time, until frosting reaches desired consistency.
• 11 remove 2 cups; set aside.
• 12 tint remaining frosting with desired color of food coloring.
• 13 to make butterfly, cut a 1-in. wide strip of cake from the 9-in. side.
• 14 place a toothpick in the center of remaining cake.
• 15 using string, divide cake into four triangles, holding string at opposite corners.
• 16 depress string slightly into cake to mark cutting line; repeat for remaining corners.
• 17 cut cake along cutting lines.
• 18 place the 1-in. strip of cake in the center of a 20-in. x 15-in. serving board to be the butterfly body.
• 19 frost top and sides of body with desired color of frosting. (i frosted the whole cake and used coconut that i tinted black for the body and colored glittery sprinkles for the wings.).
• 20 place two small triangles next to the body for bottom wings.
• 21 place two larger triangles for top wings. frost sides and tops of wings with desired color of frosting.
• 22 smooth frosting with a warm spatula.
• 23 decorate edges of cake with frosting, using a pastry bag and shell tip.
• 24 mark circles on wings with the top of a 2-in. plastic cup. (i drew mine -free form - in frosting with a toothpick).
• 25 sprinkle jimmies or sprinkles in circles; outline with frosting, using round tip.
• 26 cut licorice into four small pieces; push ends into top of body for antennae. (we can't stand black licorice - i used pipe cleaners.).
• 27 place candles on the body.
• 28 yield: 16-20 servings.