NEW YEAR’S COUNTDOWN CAKE

NEW YEAR’S COUNTDOWN CAKE

Cake:
2 cups Maya Cake Flour
1-1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup cocoa
1/2 cup shortening
1-1/2 cups milk
1-1/2 tsps. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. peppermint extract
2 pcs. egg

Frosting:
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tbsps. water
2 eggwhites
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
green food color
2 tbsps. confectioner’s sugar
12 pcs. chocolate chip cookies
miniature chocolate chips

To prepare the cake:  


Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 2 round pans (9″ x 1/2″).  Beat all ingredients for cake in a large bowl on medium speed, scraping bowl constantly until blended, 30 seconds.  Beat on high speed, scraping bowl occasionally, 3 minutes.  Pour into pans.  Bake until wooden pick inserted comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.  Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pans.  Cool completely.

To prepare the frosting: 

Mix sugar, corn syrup and water in a saucepan.  Cover and heat to rolling boil over medium heat.  Uncover and boil rapidly until candy thermometer registers 242°F or until small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water forms a firm ball that holds its shape until pressed.  As mixture boils, beat eggwhites in small bowl just until stiff peak form.  Pour hot syrup very slowly in a thin stream into eggwhites, beating constantly on medium speed.  Add vanilla and peppermint extracts; beat on high speed until stiff peak form.  Tint frosting with pale green with 4 to 5 drops food color.  Reserve 1/4 cup of frosting for decorating.

To assemble:  


Fill and frost cake with frosting.  Stir enough confectioner’s sugar into reserved frosting until desired consistency for writing.  Make clock design on top of cake as follows.  Using reserved frosting, put numbers (1 to 12) on each flat chocolate chip cookies and place in circle around top edge of cake.  Use miniature chocolate kisses for clock hands.