Tasty Food Checkerboard Cake

Pure and simple vanilla cake. Can you really beat 4 layers of fluffy, sweet, and buttery goodness? The answer is yes. Y-e-s, you can. Twist it all up into one seriously mesmerizing checkerboard. So much fun to cut into because the real party is INSIDE the cake!

Checkerboard cake probably seems a like a huge question mark to most. How? Where? WHYYYYY? Some crazy special cake pan? What is going on?! I’m always majorly impressed when I see them, but had no idea how laughably simple they are to prepare. And I think you’ll be surprised too!

I started out with four, 6″ round cake layers, leveled.   You will need to cut two circles from each layer— I used  2″ and 4″ cookie cutters.  The size of your cutters will vary depending on the size of your cake.   The more evenly spaced your rings, the better.  It helps to see this done in pictures…

LEARN CAKE DECORATING WITH MY CAKE SCHOOL! SHARING CAKE TUTORIALS, CAKE RECIPES, AND MORE!

First, insert the smallest circular cutter into the center of each layer (You can also use a template and cut your circles out with a knife.)  Carefully remove the center, leaving them intact.  ** Note– this cake is most easily cut & assembled when partially frozen.

And… another side note. Can I admit to you that I used to have zero cake and cupcake decorating skills? I know I mentioned this back in May, but all of this has come from practice. I’ve never taken a cake decorating class. I’m no where near as talented as some of you, but here’s why I’m telling you all this: if you feel how I did 1 year ago… frustrated, intimidated, and confused by producing beautiful cake creations… then let me encourage you to just TRY. Just start trying. You’ll get there. Just have your family eat the uglies. (I had a lot of uglies.)

There are a few step-by-step pictures I want to show you, but before we get to all that… watch to see how it all comes to life.

Now, it’s time to cut your larger circles!  The idea is to make the width of  the cake in each of your rings as equal as possible, so that the squares of your checkerboard will all appear to be equal in size.

For this reason, I used 2″ and 4″ circles for a 6″ cake.  For a larger cakes, you’ll slightly adjust the size of your cutters (or templates).

Ingredients

• 1 chocolate cake, prepared, 9 inches (23 cm)
• 1 yellow cake, prepared, 9 inches (23 cm)
• chocolate frosting

Preparation

1. Slice the top of both cakes to create a flat surface.
2. Cut both cakes in half widthwise to create four cakes.
3. Place a small plate on top of the cake and cut around to create a smaller circle.
4. Place a glass in the middle of the cake and cut around to create an even smaller circle.
5. Assemble the first layer by placing the outside chocolate ring on a plate or cake stand. Insert the next yellow cake ring and then the inner chocolate cake ring.
6. Frost the cake with a thin layer of frosting in between each layer.
7. Continue forming layers alternating the colors on the outside.
8. After the fourth layer frost the entire cake and cool in the refrigerator.
9. Slice and serve.
10. Enjoy!

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