Dolly Madison Zingers (Devil's Food)

Former U.S. President James Madison's wife did not create this baking company, despite the fact that her name is on every carrot cake, crumb cake, and Zinger that comes off the production line. It was instead company founder Roy Nafziger's brainstorm to use the former firstlady's name, since she was notorious for throwing huge shindigs featuring a fine selection of desserts and bakedgoods.

Nafziger said his company would create cakes "fine enough to serve at the White House." While I don't expect you'll be treated to a tray of Zingers on your next stayin the Lincoln Bedroom, I will agree that these little snack cakes are a tasty way to appease a sweet tooth. You can craft a version at home by making little cakepans out of aluminum foil that is wrapped around an empty prescription pill bottle.

The cake batter is easy, since you just use any instant devil's food cake mix. I like Duncan Hines, but you can use whatever you want.As for the frosting, it may not come out as dark brown as the original since the recipe here doesn't include brownfood coloring (caramel coloring). But the taste will be right on. And I think President Clinton would agree that as long as the sweet little treats taste good, appearance is secondary.

Recipe
CakeDuncan Hines

devil's food cake mix1

1/3 cups water

1/2 cup oil

3 large eggs

Filling

2 teaspoons hot water

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups marshmallow creme (one 7-ounce jar)

1/2 cup shortening

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Frosting

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup Hershey's chocolate syrup

2 tablespoons shortening

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

dash salt

Tear off a bunch of foil pieces about this size. These will be your mini cake pans after folding two times and wrapping around a pill bottle.
Empty prescription medicine bottles are actually good for something.
Use a toothpick or skewer to dig three caverns in the cakes where the filling will live. Later you will cleverly hide these holes with frosting.

1. Prepare the cake batter following the directions on the box.

If you use Duncan Hines brand, you will need

1 1/3 cups of water,

1/2 cup of oil, and

three eggs.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. To prepare the cake pans that will make cakes the size of Zingers, tear off 20 pieces of aluminum foil that are each about 8 inches wide. Fold the foil in half and then in half once more so that you have a rectangular piece of foil. Wrap this piece of foil around a small prescription medicine bottle. Tuck in the ends and take the bottle out, leaving the foil open at the top. This will form a little pan. Flatten the bottom so that the mini pan stands up straight. Place this into a baking pan and repeat with the remaining pieces of foil. When you have arranged all of the foil pans in a baking pan, spray the inside of all the pans with non-stick cooking spray. Fill each little pan about halfway with cake batter. Bake cakes for 15 to 17 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow them to cool completely.

3. To make the filling, combine the hot water with the salt in a small bowl and stir until the salt is dissolved. Let this mixture cool.

4. Combine the marshmallow creme, shortening, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl and mix well with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy. Add the salt mixture to the bowl and mix.

5. To make the chocolate frosting, combine all the frosting ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well with an electric mixer until smooth.

6. To assemble your snack cakes first poke three holes with a toothpick or skewer in the top of a cake and swirl around inside the holes making little caverns for your filling.

7. Use a pastry bag with a small tip to squeeze some filling into each hole. Careful not to overfill, or your cake will burst open. Sure, it's exciting, but this mess won't make for a good clone.

8. Once the cake is filled, use a butter knife to spread frosting on top of the cake over the holes. Drag a fork lengthwise over the frosting making grooves just like the real thing.

Makes 20 snack cakes.

Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream Cake

Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream Cake

Traditional white birthday cakes are pretty boring by themselves. Scoop a little ice cream onto the plate and I'll perk up a bit. But, hey baby, bring a Baskin-Robbins ice cream cake to the party and I'll be the first one in line with a plastic fork.

This 4500-unit ice cream chain stacks several varieties of pre-made ice cream cakes in its freezer, but I've discovered the most popular version, over and over again, is the one made from white cake with pralines and cream ice cream on top. So that's got to be the version we clone here. But don't think you're locked into this formula - you can use any flavor of cake and ice cream you fancy for your homemade masterpiece.

Just be sure the ice cream you choose comes in a box. It should be rectangular shape so that the ice cream layer stacks up right. Then you'll want to find a real sharp serrated knife to cut the ice cream in half while it's in the box. And check this out: That white stuff that coats the cake is actually softened ice cream spread on a thin layer like frosting, and then re-frozen.

After it sets up, you can decorate the cake any way you like with pre-made frosting in whatever color suits your festive occasion. Voila You've just made an ice cream cake at home that looks and tastes like those in the stores that costs around 35 buck each.

Cake

1 box white cake mix

1 1/4 cups water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 egg whites

1/2-gallon box pralines and cream ice cream

4 cups (2 pints) vanilla ice cream

1 12-ounce container white frosting

Optional

colored frosting

A sharp bread knife makes box slicing easy

Ice cream on top of the cake, and all the trimming

1. Make your cake following the directions on the box. If you are making the white cake you will likely blend the cake mix with water, oil, and 3 eggs. Pour the batter into a greased 9 x 13-inch baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. This will make a thin cake for our bottom layer. When cake is done, let it cool to room temperature.

2. When the cake has cooled, carefully remove it from the pan and place it on a wax paper-covered cookie sheet, or a platter or tray that will fit into your freezer.

3. Use a sharp serrated knife (a bread knife works great) to slice the ice cream lengthwise through the middle, box and all, so that you have two 2-inch thick sheets of ice cream. Peel the cardboard off the ice cream and lay the halves next to each other on the cake. Slice the edges of the cake all the way around so that the cake is the same size as the ice cream on top. Work quickly so that the ice cream doesn't melt. When the cake has been trimmed, place it into the freezer for an hour or two.

4. When you are ready to frost the cake, take the two pints (4 cups) of vanilla ice cream out of the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes to soften. Sitr the ice cream so that it is smooth, like frosting. Use a frosting knife or spatula to coat your cake with about 2 cups of ice cream. Cover the entire surface thoroughly so that you cannot see any of the cake or ice cream underneath. Pop the cake into the freezer for an hour or so to set up.

5. When the cake has set, fill a pastry bag (with a fancy tip) with white frosting to decorate all around the top edge of the cake. Also decorate around the bottom of the cake. Use colored frosting and different tips to add inspired artistic flair and writing on the cake, as needed. Cover the cake with plastic wrap and keep it in your freezer until party time.

6. When you are ready to serve the cake, leave it out for 10 minutes before slicing. Cut the cake with a sharp knife that has been held under hot water. This recipe makes 1 large cake (16 - 20 servings).

Tidbits

You may wish to use another flavor cake mix such as chocolate or devil's food for this dessert - even low-fat cake mix works. It's up to you. Just follow the directions on the box for making the cake in a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. You can also use any flavor of ice cream. Just be sure to get it in a box.