Tulip Cake

Ingredients:

Cake

• Vegetable oil to grease the pan
• 1 package (430 g) of classic yellow sponge cake mix + necessary ingredients

Glaze

• 450 g unsalted butter at room temperature
• 8 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp. whole milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• A large pinch of coarse salt
• 12 drops Leaf green gel food coloring
• 36 drops Christmas red gel food coloring
• 8 drops Soft pink gel food coloring
• Special equipment: standard 12-cup muffin tin, two 9-inch round cake tins, four pastry bags with 1/2-inch round tips. (Item No. 809)

Preparation:

1. Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350°F (175°C). Line three muffin tins with paper liners. Grease the bottoms and sides of two round cake pans.
2. Cake:
   
   Mix the sponge cake batter according to the package directions. Spoon 1/4 cup of batter into each muffin tin (they should be about three-quarters full). Divide the remaining batter evenly among the prepared muffin tins (about 2 cups of batter per tin).
3. Bake the muffins and cake layers, rotating the pans and rotating them halfway through, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins and cake comes out clean, 16–18 minutes for the muffins and 18–20 minutes for the cake layers. Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks and let cool completely.
4. Glaze:
   
   Meanwhile, combine the butter, powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer). Mix on low speed until smooth. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until smooth.
5. In a medium bowl, tint 1 cup of frosting with green gel food coloring. Spoon the green frosting into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip (#809).
6. In another medium bowl, tint 1 cup frosting with 24 drops of red food coloring. Spoon the red frosting into a pastry bag with an 1 1/16-inch round tip (size 809).
7. Tint 1 cup of frosting with 10 drops of Christmas red gel food coloring in a third medium bowl. Spoon the light red frosting into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip (#809).
8. Tint the remaining frosting (about 3 cups) with pink food coloring and 2 drops of red gel coloring. Spoon 1.5 cups of pink frosting into a pastry bag fitted with a 1.7 cm round tip (#809). Cover the remaining pink frosting with plastic wrap and set aside for piping between the cake layers.
9. Assembly:
   
   Place one cake layer upside down on one half of a very large cutting board or platter (at least 20x22 cm) and spread with the reserved pink frosting. Place the second cake layer on top.
10. Using a serrated knife, cut the cake in half crosswise. Make a second cut across the first so that the two cuts form a narrow cross, with the top half of the cross slightly wider than the bottom. You'll end up with two small and two large pieces; the cuts should intersect just below the center of the cake.
11. Remove the small triangle from the top of the cake. Trim the two larger corners to create a diamond shape. Set the trimmed corners aside. Replace the diamond shape between the two larger pieces.
12. Glaze:
    
    Pipe a thick line of red icing onto the large left piece in a semicircle along the outer edge. Pipe a thick line of red icing onto the large right piece in a semicircle along the top of the inner edge, stopping where the four cake pieces meet in the center (the line should not cross the left piece). Pipe a thick border of red icing around the diamond shape in the middle of the cake.
13. Pipe a thick line of light red icing onto the large left piece next to the dark red icing. Pipe two thick stripes of light red icing onto the large right piece next to the dark red icing to continue filling the piece. Pipe a stripe of light red icing into the center of the diamond, filling it completely.
14. Pipe thick stripes of pink frosting in a semicircle next to the light red frosting onto both large pieces, completely covering the cake.
15. Carefully run a small offset spatula from the top of the left large piece to the bottom, following the curved line, to smooth and lightly blend the icing. Wipe the spatula dry and repeat on the right side. Wipe the spatula dry and smooth the icing inside the diamond.