The lovely design in the frosting is an impressive way to dress up your favorite cake mix. It does take some time, but it is surprisingly easy to do!
—TASTE OF HOME TEST KITCHEN
PREP: 1 HOUR • BAKE: 25 MIN. + COOLING • MAKES: 12 SERVINGS
1package cake mix of your choice (regular size)
3/4cup butter, softened
3/4cup shortening
2teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8teaspoon salt
9cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2to 3/4 cup whole milk
Pink paste food coloring or color of your choice
1. Prepare and bake cake mix according to package directions, using two 9-in. round baking pans.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter, shortening, vanilla and salt until blended. Beat in confectioners’ sugar alternately with milk, adding enough milk to reach desired consistency; beat until frosting is smooth.
3. Place one cake layer on a serving plate; spread with 1 cup frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread a thin layer of the frosting over top and sides of cake, using no more than 1 cup of the frosting.
4. Remove 1 cup frosting to each of two small bowls; tint 1 cup frosting light pink and leave 1 cup frosting white. Tint remaining frosting dark pink.
5. Cut a small hole in the tip of three pastry bags or in a corner of three food-safe plastic bags; insert the same-size medium round tip in each. Fill each with a different color frosting.
6. To decorate side of cake, pipe a row of four evenly spaced 1/2-in. dots down side of cake, making one white dot, one light pink dot and two dark pink dots. Using the back of teaspoons from your flatware (a different one for each color), gently swipe each dot to the right. Repeat with additional rows, piping each new row of dots to the right of the previous row, until side of the cake is almost completely covered. Pipe a final row of dots to fill the uncovered section of cake side.
7. To decorate top of cake, make concentric circles of different colored frosting, piping dots one at a time and swiping each dot before piping another. In center, pipe four dots of same color; swipe each dot toward the center.