Dotted Swiss and Rose Garden Glamour Bonnet

Ingredients List

Instructions

For the Cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F and arrange racks to oven center. Spray three 9-inch round layer pans with a no-stick spray containing flour, and line bottoms with rounds of wax paper or parchment paper. Spray top of paper again for a little added insurance!

Cream butter and shortening with sugar until very light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour with baking powder and set aside. Combine milk with water and vanilla extract. Add flour mixture to batter alternately with milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Divide batter evenly among pans and bake 30-35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool layers in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto racks to complete cooling. Cool thoroughly before icing.

For the Icing:

Beat butter and shortening until smooth and creamy. Whisk confectioners' sugar with flour until evenly blended, then gradually beat into butter mixture. Add vanilla extract and milk, beating to a good spreading and piping consistency.

For the Candy Clay Roses and Leaves:

Beat shortening with corn syrup, salt and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar. Mixture will be crumbly. Gather together by hand and knead until smooth and pliable. Divide and tint as desired with food coloring. If mixture become too pliable, add a little more confectioners' sugar…too stiff, add a drop or two of water. Store in plastic zipper-style bags at room temperature. Candy Clay can be prepared several days in advance, if desired.

To form roses, pinch off a small pea-sized piece of “clay”. Roll into a smooth ball between the palms of your hands, then flatten ball into a smooth, thin oval between the palms of your hands. Beginning at one end of oval, roll up into a spiral coil, to form the center of the rose. Insert a toothpick into one end of coil and pinch well on bottom to form base of rose’s center. Repeat, wrapping ovals around center spiral to form “petals”. Insert the toothpick into Styrofoam (we used an inverted, empty egg carton) to allow roses to dry until they can be handled, at least one hour (or even several days in advance, if you like).

To form leaves, roll clay out smoothly onto wax paper or parchment paper to a thickness of 1/8 inch to ¼ inch. Cut into leaf shapes with cookie cutters or perform some free-form cutting with a small sharp knife. Peel away scraps, and score “veins” into each leaf with the point of a sharp knife. Knead scraps until smooth, and re-roll as many times as needed for your Bonnet’s Bouquet! To give you leaves a life-like appearance, randomly prop their tips, centers and bases
with crumbled bits of wax or parchment paper and allow them to dry until they hold their shape, at least one hour (or even several days in advance, if you like).

HINT: If Candy Clay Roses and Leaves are prepared in advance, allow them to stand at room temperature, loosely covered once set.

To Create Glamour Bonnet:

Spread a spoonful of icing directly onto the serving plate to “glue” your Bonnet in place and prevent sliding later! Assemble cake in center of plate, spreading icing between layers and smoothly over the top and sides of the cake. Don’t worry if you have trouble “smoothing” the icing. Once your Bonnet is fully decorated, those small imperfections won’t even be noticed! Spoon remaining icing into a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip (we used # 5) OR simply fill a small zipper-style freezer bag with the icing and snip off one of the corners to use as a tip! Beginning at the cake’s center, pipe small “Swiss Dots” in a random pattern over the top and sides of the cake. Do not discard any leftover icing. It can be used to sweetly “glue” the lace brim onto the Bonnet.

Pipe remaining icing in a thin line around bottom edge of cake and attach the lace brim. Use a blunt knife or small spatula to slip the lace in place just under the edge of the cake. Tie ribbons around the bottom of the cake to hide your “seam”, then add a large flowing bow. Adorn top of cake (and the rim, too…if you like) with Candy Clay Roses and Leaves and let the Party begin!

Recipe yields one 9 X 3-inch, three-layer cake.