The good news? MARSHMALLOW PEEP CAKE! Let me take you on a little journey...
Here I am, minding my own business, laying on the couch, grumbling at the dog (she wouldn't stop licking my feet. These feet are NOT made for lickin'!), leafing through the April issue of Food Network Magazine. Of course it's all Easter-y. Meh. Enough of that. It went in the trash (much to the chagrin of media buyers that think magazines have longevity - in my house, they couldn't be more wrong. No clutter, please!).
Welllllllll the trash needed to go out. Badly. I decided maybe I could take the dog and the trash out in one fell swoop (maybe even to the exact same place? damn dog). You're right, this story has nothing to do with Easter cooking and baking.
The magazine fell off the top off the trash as I was going to tie the bag. How that happens, I don't know. I can drop anything (except eggs - I have good luck with eggs. *knocking on wood*), so I dropped it. It was one of those "meant to be" movie moments, really. It fell open-side-down to a page. I picked it up by its binding, was tossing it in the trash again, and saw what had to have been a veritable sign from marshmallow heaven.
YOU GUYS, IT WAS A 10-INCH-TALL PEEP. A MONSTER PEEP. A DESCENDANT-OF-DINOSAURS-SIZED PEEP!!!!
Okay. Okay. It was a cake. IT WAS A PEEP CAKE! A BIG OL' EASTER PEEP CAKE!! Like this:
First of all, they mention in the directions that you need two glass bowls to bake cakes in (along with a regular 13x9 cake pan). If you've never heard of this, it may sound weird. Just check that your glass bowls are oven-safe. Many are.
Be sure to let the cakes cool on cooling racks for the recommended time (in the original recipe). If you don't, they may crumble a bit when you go to trim them. You don't want them all crummy, do you?! I let them cool for a couple hours, actually, while I went and did other things. Next, you're gonna have to trim them. You can't just pile them up and expect them to look like a Peep Cake! First, trim the corners off your 13x9 cake.
Take long strips of wax paper and just BARELY wedge them under the base of your cake - so they're easy to pull out when you're finished. This way you'll get the frosting (and sugar) on the wax paper, and it will go away with the wax paper when you pull it out.
Speaking of toothpicks, taking one of your remaining two corners of cake and attach it to the small round cake to make the base of the nose. Secure it with a couple of toothpicks.
This is the best part! The big reveal! After your guy has his eyes, you're ready to deliver him. Or you're ready to just dig in. I vote DIG IN! Enjoy your Easter. :)