April Fools Caesar Salad Cake

I got my new Food Network Magazine today. I saw this Caesar Salad Cake recipe and thought it would be great for April Fools Day, which is also Easter Sunday this year. The croutons are just cubes of extra cake and the Parmesan cheese is shaved white chocolate. This recipe also includes a “dressing”, that’s a bottle of pourable frosting. 

In order to make this recipe you’ll need wafer paper, parchment paper, pastry brush and a vegetable peeler. Total Time to prepare and cook 3 hours. Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons vodka
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Green and yellow food coloring
Cooking spray
1 15-16 oz box of yellow cake mix plus required ingredients to make the cake per box instructions
1 16 oz tub of white frosting
1 oz white chocolate

Directions:

Make the lettuce: mix the vodka and the powdered sugar in a pie dish. Add a few drops of green and yellow food coloring and mix gently with a pastry brush. Do not fully mix as you want to have a few shades of green in the dish.

Lay out the wafer paper on a piece of parchment paper and lightly coat with the cooking spray. Brush on the food coloring mixture to fully cover leaving darker shades of green in some spots. Let dry until crisp, at least 2 hrs.

Coat a 1 1/2 quart oven proof bowl and 3 muffin tins with cooking spray. Prepare the cake batter per box instructions. Pour the cake batter in the muffin tins then the remaining in the bowl. Bake in a 325F preheated oven for 15 minutes for the cupcakes and 45-50 minutes for the bowl cake. Let cool.

Make the croutons:  Cut the cupcakes into 1/4 inch squares. Toast under the broiler until lightly browned. Set aside.

Remove the bowl cake and cut in half horizontally with a large serrated knife. Spread the white frosting on the bottom half and then cover with the top half.  Place the bowl cake in a salad bowl that is slightly larger than the bowl cake. Frost the top of the cake, but make sure you keep 1/2 cup of the frosting for the “dressing “.

Tear the green tinted wafer paper into small pieces and arrange them on top of the cake to look like lettuce. Keep a few pieces for the dressing.

Shave the white chocolate into thin shards with a vegetable peeler. Sprinkle the white chocolate and the croutons on top of the lettuce.

Make the dressing: Melt the 1/2 cup of reserved frosting in the microwave until pourable. Crumble the few pieces of wafer paper into the dressing to resemble herbs. Stir and pour into a salad dressing bottle.

Serve. Yum Yum!