DIY Friday: Make a Giant Peep Cake This Easter!
Happy DIY Friday! This week, family members Dan Kohler and Tanya Meme stopped by Hallmark Channel’s hit daytime talk show Home & Family to demonstrate how to make a delicious Easter giant peep cake! Check out the instructions below.
Giant Peep Cake
Ingredients for Cake:
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Unsalted butter
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All-purpose flour
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Yellow cake mix, with required ingredients
Ingredients for Frosting/Decorations:
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1 1/2 cups sugar
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1⁄2 teaspoon cream of tartar
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Pinch of salt
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3 large egg whites
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1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
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1⁄4 teaspoon almond extract
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1 teaspoon yellow food coloring
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Yellow sanding sugar
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Small chocolate disks
Directions:
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Butter and flour a 9-by-13-inch cake pan plus a 1-quart and 2 1/2-quart ovenproof bowl.
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Make both cake mixes; divide the batter among the pan and bowls.
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Bake at 350 degrees until a toothpick comes out clean, about 35 minutes for the pan and small bowl, and 50 minutes for the large bowl.
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Let the cakes cool 15 minutes in the pan and bowls, then unmold onto racks to cool completely.
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Trim the flat sides of the bowl cakes with a serrated knife to make level.
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Using a chef’s knife, cut the 4 corners off the rectangular cake, as shown; set aside 3 of the cake triangles for the tail and beak.
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Put the flat cake on a cake board or platter; use toothpicks to attach 2 cake triangles to a short end for the tail.
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Position the large bowl cake on the flat cake as shown, then top with the small bowl cake; insert a skewer through the cakes to secure.
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Trim another cake triangle to make a beak; attach to the small bowl cake with toothpicks.
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Make the frosting: Heat the sugar with the cream of tartar, salt and 2/3 cup water in a saucepan, stirring, until dissolved.
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Beat the egg whites with a mixer until frothy.
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Slowly beat in the hot sugar mixture, then increase the mixer speed and beat until stiff peaks form, about 7 minutes.
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Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts and the food coloring.
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Cover the cake with a thick layer of the yellow frosting, using the frosting to sculpt a rounded chick shape.
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With the edge of an offset spatula, use some frosting to extend the beak and tail.
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Coat the cake with yellow sanding sugar.
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Refrigerate, uncovered, 15 minutes.
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Press the chocolate disks into the frosting for eyes.
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Remove the skewer and toothpicks as you cut the cake.
Watch Dan and Tanya demonstrate how to make your own giant peep cake in the video below!
Home & Family airs weekdays at 10 am ET/PT on Hallmark Channel.
If you think you have what it takes to be Home & Family’s next DIY Superstar, audition here!