The Surprise of Surprise Cakes

Cake is a treat in itself, however when it's a surprise cake, it turns into a celebration. There's nothing more exciting than slicing into a layered beauty and discovering a picture . They are a sweet, yummy way of celebrating everything, from the impending birth of a child to a birthday to a special event. Surprisingly even home bakers can create this  fun dessert.

One of the first surprise cakes  was the king cake form New Orleans where a porcelain baby or ring was hidden inside. It originally  came from France  but is also still made in other Catholic countries like Spain and Belgium and is served during Epiphany. Our modern day surprise cakes are made a little differently  with  a picture being baked into the dough instead of a trinket. The outside is very sparsely decorated as to not take away from the cake itself .Surprise cakes are big at baby showers with the moms to be finding out about their babies upon slicing into their shower cakes. However the cakes  can also be made for fun holiday parties like Easter, Halloween , Christmas and even the Fourth of July. Easter surprise cakes open up to reveal brightly colored eggs, chicks or bunnies. Halloween has everything from spiders to ghosts to pumpkins while Christmas has snowmen and Christmas trees bursting fourth from loaves.and traditional layers. Now is the time to think of a flag Day or Fourth of July surprise cake with a flag or red white and blue cake under demure white icing. Birthday cakes also can have surprises , such as having the birthday boy or girl's age baked into the cake Pinterest has some interesting ideas as well as recipes you can follow.

Of course bakeries, especially the boutique ones, can create amazing variations of this. Home bakers can also try as well. Keep in mind that there are several different ways  to make surprise cakes. There is the deconstruction method  - that is taking the cake apart and putting it back together either with cake mixture, filling or icing. Another way is baked cake in batter. This is simply taking a cake that is already baked and  then baking again. Often the cake you're baking a second time is usually in designs and shapes. Batter manipulation is the third method. This is taking batter and creating a design in the baking pan.There is also  deconstruction where the inside is taken out and candy and treats are inserted.If you're a neophyte home baker you may want to start with something simple such as a cake with ombre layers. This can be fun, especially done in shades of pink or blue for a little girl  or boy's birthday party. Many recipes require baking two cakes and then double baking. I'd recommend having help for this , however it can be done alone. Many surprise cake bakers swear by  Betty Crocker brand cake mix because the batter produces the least amount of bubbles. You want an all over even crumb. Icing can be homemade buttercream or store bought. and keep the outer decorations to a minimum as to not detract from the cake's interior.

Surprise cakes are a great way of celebrating any event or holiday. Try your hand at them to create a sweet and exciting treat for family and friends.They'll be enjoyed on so many levels from visual to taste.