Recipes

[FunkyHulaGirl]

I've been looking for recipes for things that I can send the troops for Independence Day (Pet peeve: Every country in the world has a "4th of July!"), and came across these. They won't work for my purposes (the Pop Rocks should go in the cakes shortly before serving), but those of you who have children or grandchildren might have fun with them.

Guaranteed to be the most POPular dessert at your 4th of July party, these Pop Rocks-filled treats will surprise everyone's taste buds. Made with a dense, sponge-cake-like recipe, the colored cakes stack nicely and hold together with just a dab of frosting.

Firecracker cakelettes

Yields 10-14 cakes

Ingredients:

• 1 box white cake mix
• 4 egg whites
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup sour cream

• Red and blue food coloring
• 3 packages Pop Rocks candy
• Black licorice ropes
• White frosting (less than 1/4 cup)

Directions:

1

Step one

Mix white cake mix, egg whites, oil, water and sour cream for three to four minutes on medium speed. Split cake batter into three equal amounts, adding red and blue food coloring to two of the portions. Coat three, 4 x 9-inch bread pans with cooking spray and lightly flour the bottoms. Add the three batters to the pans and bake at 350 degrees F for 18-23 minutes. Allow them to cool and remove from pans.

2

Step two

Using a 1-1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut circles from each of the baked cakes. (I got 10 out of each cake, but you might be able to get more if you try.)

3

Step three

Using a serrated knife, carefully trim off the browned, baked bottoms of each cake circle.

4

Step four

Using a jumbo straw or plastic tube (one-half or three-quarters-inch in diameter), remove the centers of the cake circles. Be sure to save the red and blue centers to use as plugs for later.

5

Step five

Put a portion of the red cake plugs back into the bottoms of the red cake circles. Pipe a line of frosting around the centers of the red and white cake circles. Stack the white cakes on top of the red cakes and the blue cakes on top of the white cakes.

6

Step six

Add Pop Rocks down the hollow centers of the stacked cakes. Put a portion of the blue cake plugs back into the tops, covering the center filled with Pop Rocks.

7

Step seven

Cut licorice rope pieces approximately 1-1/2 inches long and insert them into the centers of the blue cakes.

Final product