Checkerboard Cake

Tah-dah! The cake I have been imagining is finally brought to life.  My mom (a baking enabler) bought me this checkerboard cake pan when I was in my twenties.  While I was enthralled with it back then and made several chocolate and vanilla checkerboard cakes, it has been years since I have used it!

I started thinking about it this Winter and decided to make a pink and white checkerboard cake as soon as I was back home in my house and ready for Spring.  

My dad stopped by when I was assembling the layers and loved the ingenuity of the removable ring batter divider.   

We were still visiting when the layers came out of the oven and we were both so happy to see them release from the pan so easily.  I had sprayed the pans with Bakers Joy (nonstick spray with flour) and cut parchment paper circles to line the bottom of each pan.  They came out perfectly!

This 3-layer cake is made from 2 boxes of Pillsbury Moist Supreme "classic white" cake mix.  Make one box and leave it white.  Make the second box and add drops of liquid red food coloring until it looks as pink as you'd like.

The frosting is one batch of homemade butter cream.  I beat 3 sticks of salted butter until smooth.  Slowly add 3 3/4 cups of powdered sugar (confectioners sugar), one cup at a time.  Mix in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and a few drops of liquid red food coloring.  Once the cake has cooled completely, stack the three layers on top of one another without frosting in between, alternating the ring pattern.  Spread frosting on outside of cake.  Voila! 

* I will post about the white chocolate flower decorations on top on Friday, May 3, 2013.