Princess and the Pea Cake

Surprise Inside!

Makes 24 servings

Test your inner princess with a bed made from seven cake mattresses and a candy pea. The vodka-painted sheets and puffy caramel duvet hide a surprise inside: Each mattress layer is tinted to match the sheets.

• 2 recipes Perfect Cake Mix batter (see recipe) made with French vanilla cake mix
• Yellow, red, neon blue, and green food coloring (McCormick)
• 3 cans (16 ounces each) vanilla frosting
• ½ cup white candy melting wafers (Wilton)
• 14 creme-filled vanilla sandwich cookies (Golden Oreos)
• 2 plain 9½-inch bread sticks (Stella D’oro)
• 2 large green gumballs (SweetWorks)
• 1 whole graham cracker
• 1 tablespoon yellow decorating sugar (Cake Mate)
• 20 soft caramels (Kraft)
• 3 tablespoons vodka or orange or lemon extract (McCormick)
• 1 green round hard candy (Runts) plus (optional) 70 green round hard candies for serving
• 1 tablespoon small orange pearl candies (SweetWorks)
• 2 marshmallows
• Whipped cream for serving (optional)

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare four 9-x-13-inch pans (see Please Release Me). Divide the batter evenly among 4 bowls. Tint each bowl a different color with the food coloring: orange (with the yellow and red), yellow, neon blue, and lime green (with the yellow and green). Stir the batter in each bowl to mix the colors well.

2 Spoon each color of batter into one of the prepared pans. Spread the batter to the edges and smooth the top. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 15 to 17 minutes. Transfer the cakes to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes. Invert, remove the pans, and cool completely.

3 Spoon 1 cup of the vanilla frosting into a freezer-weight ziplock bag and ½ cup of the frosting into a second freezer-weight ziplock bag. Press out the excess air and seal the bags.

4 Line several cookie sheets with wax paper. Trim the top of each cake level (see On the Level). Cut each cake in half crosswise to make eight 9-x-6½-inch rectangular cakes. Spread a thin crumb coating of frosting (see Got Crumbs?) on the cakes, filling in any gaps, and smooth. Place the cakes on the prepared cookie sheets and transfer them to the freezer until set, about 30 minutes.

5 Spread the remaining vanilla frosting on the chilled cakes and smooth. Return the cakes to the freezer to chill the frosting, about 30 minutes.

6 As the parts are made, transfer them to one of the cookie sheets. Place the white candy melts in a ziplock bag; do not seal the bag. Microwave for 10 seconds to soften. Massage the candy in the bag, return to the microwave, and repeat the process until the candy is smooth. Press out the excess air and seal the bag.

7 For the mattress supports, place 7 of the vanilla sandwich cookies on one of the cookie sheets. Snip a small (⅛-inch) corner from the bag of melted candy and pipe some on top of each cookie. Place a second cookie directly on top of the melted candy on each cookie, pressing to secure, to make 7 supports.

8 For the bedposts, use a small serrated knife to remove one rounded end from each bread stick. Pipe a small amount of the melted candy on the trimmed end and attach a green gumball. Place in the refrigerator until set, about 5 minutes.

9 For the headboard, place the graham cracker on a work surface. Use a small serrated knife to cut a 5-inch-wide semicircle from the graham cracker. Spread some melted candy on one side of the graham cracker and sprinkle with the yellow decorating sugar to cover. Refrigerate until set, 5 minutes.

10 For the duvet, soften the caramels in the microwave for 3 to 4 seconds. Press the caramels together and roll out on a piece of wax paper to an 8-inch square. Use a small knife or scissors to make a wavy edge around the caramel square.

11 Remove one of the yellow cakes from the freezer. Cut the cake into two 2-x-2½-inch rectangles for the pillows and six 1½-inch squares for the puffy duvet. Discard the scraps. Return the pieces to the freezer.

12 Remove 2 orange cakes from the freezer; place 1 cake on a cardboard cut to fit. Spoon 2 teaspoons of the vodka into a small bowl and tint orange with the yellow and red food coloring. Use a small pastry brush to paint the sides and just over the top edge of the 2 cakes (see Flavor Painting). Snip a ¼-inch corner from the bag with the 1 cup vanilla frosting. Pipe a line of frosting on top along each long side of the cake, about 1½ inches in from the edge. Return the 2 cakes to the freezer. Repeat the process with 6 teaspoons of the vodka, the food coloring, and the remaining 5 cakes, matching colors, piping lines of frosting on top, and returning the cakes to the freezer.

13 Arrange the 7 cookie mattress supports on a serving platter, 1 stack for each corner of the bed and 3 stacks across the center. Pipe a dot of vanilla frosting on top of each stack. Using a large spatula, transfer the orange cake from the cardboard to rest on top of the cookie supports. Adjust the cookie stacks as needed to support the cake. Place 1 green round candy on the edge of one long side of the cake for the pea in the mattress.

14 Transfer a blue cake directly on top of the orange cake, making sure that the green candy stays exposed. Transfer an orange cake directly on top of the blue cake. Repeat the process with the remaining green, yellow, blue, and green cakes (see photo).

15 Push a drinking straw through the stack of cakes in each corner for extra support, trimming the straws flush with the cake. Pipe a mound of vanilla frosting on top of the 2 pillow cake pieces and smooth. Place the pillows, side by side, at one short end of the cake. Top the uppermost green cake layer with the six 1½-inch cake squares, spacing them about ½ inch apart.

16 For the sheet patterns, snip a very small (¹/₁₆-inch) corner from the bag with the ½ cup vanilla frosting. Pipe dots, lines, or Xs on the sides of the cake layers. Place the graham cracker headboard at the back of the pillows, with the sugared side facing the bed, securing with some vanilla frosting. Pipe a line of vanilla frosting along the top edge of the headboard and add a row of orange pearl candies. Pipe a decorative fringe along the outer edge of each pillow.

17 To make the duvet, cut the marshmallows in half lengthwise. Arrange the pieces, evenly spaced, in a row along one side of the caramel square, about 2 inches in from the edge. To make the turndown, fold that edge of the caramel over the marshmallows to cover. Place the caramel duvet on top of the cake, marshmallow end against the edge of the pillows, gently pressing the caramel to mold it to the 6 cake squares.

18 Place the remaining 1 teaspoon vodka in a small bowl and tint it orange with the red and yellow food coloring. Lightly brush the top of the caramel with the orange vodka paint to tint it orange. When the paint is dry, pipe a decorative border along the turndown edge with the vanilla frosting and pipe rows of stitching to outline the cake squares. Pipe several small lines radiating out from the point where the rows of stitching intersect and add an orange pearl candy to the center of each.

19 For the bedposts, pipe vanilla frosting on one side of the bottom half of each bread stick and press one into the cake on each side of the headboard.

20 If you like, add a dollop of whipped cream and several round green candies to each serving.