When it comes to the holidays, it can be overwhelming trying to create the perfect dessert as countless cute ideas emerge from internet surfing and cookbook reading. However, when you combine two of the holidays most staple items, the only result can be the ugly Christmas sweater cake!
I’ll admit I’m not a professional baker, nor am I an amateur baker. If you’re like me - someone who reads instructions on the back of the box - this recipe is just for you. Creating the perfect ugly sweater cake is fun and simple since all you’ll need are a few ingredients, imagination, and frosting - lots and lots of frosting.
For the more seasoned home chef, thekitchn.com contains ‘made-from-scratch’ recipes that will have you throwing out that obsolete box mix.
Unfortunately, I do not have a cake mold in the shape of a Christmas sweater, but I will show you how to transform that beautiful 13 x 9 cake into something ugly and delicious.
In this recipe, you’re going to need one box of your favorite cake mix, one cup of water, a half cup of oil, three eggs, aluminum foil or an oven safe median for the arms and torso, two to three cans of frosting, food coloring, pan release spray, small bowls and plastic baggies.
For the cake mix, I chose Pillsbury Yellow Cake as my base along with Pillsbury White Frosting to draw my designs. A spongy, moist cake is never a bad option when partnered with a delightfully sweet frosting to bring everything full circle.
I’m not one to wait, so before mixing anything, preheat the oven to 350 degrees (Fahrenheit) so it’s nice and toasty for your soon to be cake batter.
Pour out the mix into a bowl and combine with one cup of water, half cup of oil (any oil will do - I use canola because it is versatile and cheap) and three eggs.
If you have an electric mixer, let the cake flour, water, oil and egg mixture get to know one another on medium setting (about two or three) for about two minutes. No mixer? No problem, I whisked the batter for about two-and-a-half minutes, until bubbling from the batter stopped or becomes minimal.
Once your mixture has a thick, creamy consistency, spray your 13 x 9 pan with pan release spray to avoid any sticking and pour the batter into it, lightly shaking after to level out the batter.
Now is the time to separate the arms from the torso before baking. I folded a 10 inch piece of aluminum foil into a long strip that could run vertically in the tray. Spray with pan release spray and place it about ⅓ of the way into the batter. Place your tray in the oven and let it bake for about 35 minutes.
While the cake cooks, think about the ugliest Christmas sweaters that you’ve received over the years as inspiration for your design. Patterns are what make or break Christmas sweaters so find a concept you like and integrate it with your inspiration.
Now it’s time to add onto the huge mess already and make our colored frosting.
Separate the frosting into four small bowls, add food coloring and mix them together to make that sweater really pop! Once your frosting is all mixed, scoop each bowl into its own plastic baggie. Cut the tip of the bag where the frosting will escape.
Once your cake is ready, take it out of the oven and let it rest for about 10 minutes. Check on your cake by poking it with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, the cake is ready. If it comes out flaky, more baking time is needed.
Place the larger piece (torso) onto a wire rack and design your ugly sweater cake!
With the smaller piece (arms), cut the rectangle in half and place on the ends of the shoulders of the torso section.
To bring the arms down, cut a very narrow angle from the top point of the arms (where the arm connects the shoulder) diagonally down. Think of it like cutting a grilled cheese diagonally, just a narrower angle. Leave larger portion on tray, eat the section you cut so no one else can.
Design your sleeves and your ugly cake is ready!