Earth Day Cake
If you really think about it, Earth Day should be the world’s most important holiday. Obviously if it were not for the Earth, none of us would be here because important holidays are cause for celebration (and I cannot think of anything as celebratory as cake) let’s start the tradition of making flowerpot cake for Earth Day!!!
For the cake (I am using my Recession cake recipe)
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/3 cup sugar
3/4 tsp. Baking soda
1/4 tsp. Salt
3/4 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
1.5 cup hot coffee
1 cup mayonnaise
1 large egg
1 Tbl Vanilla extract
For the Pudding
2 (4 ounce) boxes instant chocolate pudding mix
4 cups cold milk
Everything Else
1 (14 ounce) package Oreo cookies
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons margarine
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 (12 ounce) package Cool Whip
Other Items
1 clean unglazed (very important) terra-cotta pot
1 bunch artificial fresh edible flower
gummy worms
Baking the Cake
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line the bottom of a 8 X 11 baking dish with parchment and grease the sides.
Place flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl, sift and set aside.
Place cocoa powder, chopped chocolate and hot coffee in a small bowl and whisk until chocolate has melted. Add mayonnaise whisk till smooth. Add egg and vanilla and whisk until egg is fully incorporated.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until batter is smooth. Pour batter into prepared dish and bake for 30- 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Allow cake to cool in dish completely. Invert onto a cookie sheet. Cut into small squares.
Assembling other Components
While cake is baking, empty pudding mix into a bowl. Add milk and beat, according to package directions. Let thicken in fridge.
Grind cookies in blender or food processor until you have very fine crumbs that resemble dirt.
In a bowl, beat cream cheese and maragrine together. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy. Fold cream cheese mixture into thickened pudding.
Get your flower pot (mine is about 9” tall) and line the bottom with small square of aluminum foil if the pot has drainage holes.
Layer ingredients into the flower pot in the following order:
Cookie crumbs first. Top with crumbled (or small cubes) chocolate cake. Then pudding mixture. Lastly, Cool Whip. Repeat layering 3 to 4 times. Top off entire pot with 1” of cookie crumbs.
Chill until set. Garnish with flowers. Add gummy worms if you wish. Serve with spade.
