How to: Chocolate Tent Cake Instructions

Making a creative cake is a fun way to interact with your kids.

To make a simple chocolate cake, you usually just put the batter in a baking pan and let it cook in the oven. However, sometimes a simple chocolate cake isn't enough. Sometimes you want to create a theme cake. A good theme might be camping. If you are going to do a camping themed cake, the easiest thing you can make out of a cake is a tent. A tent is a moderately easy shape to create out of cake. This also makes a fun activity you can do with your kids.

Things You'll Need

• 2 mixing bowls
• Whisk or electric mixer
• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 2/3 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup baking cocoa
• 1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 1/3 cups whole milk
• Cooking spray
• 2 square 9-by-9 baking pans
• Cookie sheet
• 2 cans chocolate frosting
• Rubber spatula
• Sharp serrated carving knife
• 2 pretzel rods, thick
• 1 package pretzel sticks, thin
• 1 package gum drops
• 1 package waffle cones
• 1 container green sprinkles

Instructions

Baking the Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In the mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar and whisk until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and incorporate each into the mixture.

2. In the other mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking cocoa, baking soda and salt and stir. Add the flour mix to the butter, egg and sugar mixture a little at a time. Add a small amount of milk each time you add flour, beating until smooth after each addition.

3. Spray both baking pans with cooking spray. Pour the batter into pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes or until a knife inserted into the cakes comes out clean. Set them on the stove top to cool for at least 20 minutes.

Assembling the Tent

1. Remove one cake from its pan and place it in the center of a cookie sheet. Frost the topside of the cake with the rubber spatula and place the second cake on top of it.

2. Use the serrated knife and cut the stacked cakes at an angle on both sides to create a long triangular shape. Set the cut portions of cake aside to use later. Frost the cake with the chocolate frosting so that it is entirely covered. Use the rubber spatula to smooth out the frosting. Stick a thick pretzel rod into the top of each end of the triangle to act as the tent post.

3. Frost the entire surface of the cookie sheet. Crumble the chocolate cake you cut off earlier to form dirt and rocks. Scatter crumbled cake all over the frosted cookie sheet, being careful not to get any on the tent. Form a large circle at the front of the tent with the gum drops and place the thin pretzel sticks into the center of the circle to be the camp fire.

4. Frost the outside of each of the waffle cones, being careful not to press too hard. Sprinkle green sprinkles over the entire surface of the waffle cones until no frosting can be seen. Place these on the cookie sheet to form pine trees.

5. Decorate the rest of the cookie sheet in any way you wish. Then place it at the center of the table as your center piece until it's ready to eat.

Tips & Warnings

• Instead of simply frosting your cake, you can then take an extra step and cover it with fondant for an even more tent-like look.

References

• Taste of Home: Classic Chocolate Cake Recipe
• Green Sim: Tent Cake
• Passion-for-Parties: Camping Birthday Cake