Chocolate Teddy Bear Cake
Ingredients List
Equipment and Decorating Supplies:
- 2 – 9 X 2-inch round cake pans
- Wax paper for lining cake pans
- 1 muffin tin (for extra large size muffins – with a 4 inch diameter)
- 1 large cake board or platter (about 11 X 15 inches) – We used a white plastic cutting board!
- Red String Licorice (for mouth and eyelashes)
- One Large Marshmallow (cut in half for whites of his eyes)
- Two Chocolate Candies for Melting (available where Cake Decorating Supplies are sold), for warm brown eyes!
- One Red Chocolate Heart (made with Red Chocolate Candies for Melting and heart shaped candy mold– also available where Cake Decorating Supplies are sold) OR a large red gumdrop (if you prefer)
- 1 yard of 2-inch wide Ribbon for Bow - Add a traditional red bow tie under your bear’s chin, or a hair-bow between the ears for a feminine look!
For the Cake:
- 2 ½ cups plus 2 tbsp. - all-purpose flour
- 3 cups - Domino® Granulated Sugar
- 1 cup plus 2 tbsp. - dry unsweetened cocoa
- 2 tsp. - baking powder
- 2 tsp. - baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp. - salt
- 3 - large eggs
- 1 ½ cups - sour cream
- ¾ cup - vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp. - vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups - water
For the Icing:
- 12 oz - cream cheese (1 ½ - 8 oz packages), softened
- ¾ cup - butter, softened
- 6 tbsp. - dry unsweetened cocoa
- 1 ½ lbs. - Domino® Confectioners Sugar (6 cups)
- 1 ½ tsp. - vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F and arrange racks near the oven’s center. Spray cake pans and three muffin cups well with a no-stick spray that also contains flour (or grease and flour the old-fashioned way). Line bottom of cake pans with wax paper circles (trace bottom of cake pan onto wax paper, then simply cut out the circle). Spray tops of pan liners again for a little extra insurance! The muffin pans are good-to-go with just a coating of floured no-stick spray.
Place flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl and stir with a whisk to evenly blend. Add eggs, sour cream, vegetable oil and vanilla extract directly on top of the dry mixture.
Place water in a microwave-safe bowl and cook on high in your microwave for 2 minutes, or until boiling. While the water is heating, beat cake mixture with an electric mixture on a medium speed setting for 2 minutes, until thoroughly mixed. Let the microwave time your beating for you!
Gradually beat the hot water into batter. Batter will be thin. Fill three muffin cups (no more than 2/3’s full) with batter (fill the remaining empty muffin cups halfway with water before baking), then divide remaining batter between the two cake pans. Bake 30-35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Check cupcakes at 30 minutes and layers at 35 minutes. Cool cupcakes and layers over a rack for 10 minutes, then loosen around the edges and turn out of pans. Cool thoroughly before icing.
For the Icing:
Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. Stir in cocoa and blend well. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, beating until smooth and creamy with each addition. Stir in vanilla extract.
To Create Teddy Bear Cake:
Spread a spoonful of icing directly onto the cake board to “glue” your Teddy Bear in place and prevent sliding later. Place one cake layer on the board, near the bottom to allow room for Teddy’s ears. Top evenly with icing. Add second layer and cover top and sides well with icing. Place two cupcakes, wide side up, directly on the cake board, just touching the top rim of the “face” to form the “ears”. (Remember to spoon a small amount of icing directly onto the board to hold Teddy’s ears in place!) Invert the remaining cupcake (small end up) onto Teddy’s “face” to form his “snout” and cover ears and snout well with icing.
Cut a large marshmallow in half to form two circles and place cut side down on Teddy’s “face” to form the whites of his eyes. Top the marshmallows with chocolate candies (brush the chocolate lightly with vegetable oil before placing on the marshmallows to give Teddy’s eyes a bright shine). Melt red chocolate candies according to package directions and spoon into heart shaped candy molds. Cool thoroughly and pop out a perfect little heart to create Teddy’s nose! (You could also use a large red gumdrop, if you like!) Snip Red String Licorice into small pieces and give Teddy some eyelashes and a smile! And last, but not least…give Teddy a bow and let the Camp-Out begin!
Recipe yields a large nine inch – two layer cake plus Teddy Bear ears AND snout!