Peek-a-BOO Halloween Pound Cake

 

Even for a person who has probably baked thousands of cookies in her lifetime. 

 

See, I was recently asked to make some cookies for an event. 150 of them. After completing the task of baking 300 cookies for something else, I thought, "PSHH, 150?? I got this."

 

Clearly, I was suffering from a case of "rolling pin muscles." And I am not ashamed to admit such things if it means that it will save you from committing the same mistakes.

 

With too many things going on at once, my focus has not been what it usually is. I have an embarrassingly long list of emails I've yet to return. I've hardly had time to see/talk to/acknowledge my dear friends. I have said, "Yes, let's do that soon!" to too many people knowing full well that I would have to sacrifice something like sleep or going to work in order to accomplish that. 

 

So, my mental "deadline" for starting my cookie project sort of got pushed to the bottom of the list, and mid-week I found myself scrambling to get the process underway. 

 

After I got home from work last Wednesday, I thought I'd crank out a quick 75 cookies. {I say "quick", but these happen to be cut-out cookies. I've yet to discover a way to make this a "quick" undertaking.}

 

I was so proud of myself for having left the butter out a few hours before so that it would be softened by the time I got home; thrilled to discover that I had the exact amount of eggs I needed. I should know by now that it's usually the times when I feel way in control and over-prepared that the "dough hits the fan", so to speak.

 

So, yeah. I mixed. I rolled. I cookie-cut. I even "stamped" each cookie to impart a pumpkin design on them. Times three. {It was a big batch.}

Once I baked them off, I noticed that the color and texture didn't look quite right. That prompted me to sample one cookie for quality control. 

And, OH MY GOSH, I totally forgot to add the sugar. 

Two cups worth, not just a little sprinkle, leaving me with a gigantic batch of pumpkin spice biscuit/hockey pucks. They are not salvageable. Believe me, nothing bugs me more than wasting food, and I tried to think of every possible use. {Our pup is gluten-free & the cookies contained spices that are not good for dogs, otherwise I would have had a lifetime supply of doggy biscuits.}

So there I was, starting from scratch with one day to spare before the event. And still needing to create labels and package them. UGHHHH.

 

In the end, all was well. It almost always is. But I have no desire to see this type of cookie again for a very, very long time, no matter how simple they are.

On the other hand, this Peek-a-BOO Pound Cake... it's one of those things that looks complicated but is actually quite a cinch. Granted, there are several steps to getting it to turn out correctly, but the recipe part is pretty basic.

What looks like a regular pound cake...

... reveals a fun surprise upon slicing.

This version is obviously for Halloween, but you can easily swap out the middle shape for any occasion. You can also use any sturdy pound cake or regular cake recipe, invert the colors, etc. There are tons of combinations!

{For a picture tutorial from SheKnows, click here.}

I'm confident that you can pull this off. Just don't forget to add the sugar.

Peek-a-Boo Halloween Pound Cake
Inspired by SheKnows

You will need:

Your favorite pound cake recipes.
{I used Martha Stewart's Classic Pound Cake and Chocolate Pound Cake Recipes, halved. You can use whatever flavors you'd like or use the same flavor for both parts and simply tint the batter to differentiate between the two. It's up to you!}

For Icing {Optional}

4 ounces cream cheese
½ cup confectioners' sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla extractA
Approximately 4 tablespoons milk or half and half
Decorative Sprinkles

Procedure:

1. Bake pound cake number 1 using desired recipe in a well greased loaf pan. {This pound cake will serve as the interior "cut out" shape, so plan accordingly with flavor or color.}

2. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

3. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight. {The longer the better. It will be much easier to work with if it's cold and "solid".}

4. Using a serrated knife, slice into approximately 1 inch thick pieces.

5. Place each slice flat on a cutting board. With your desired cookie cutter, cut out shapes. {I found it easier to go in the order the slices were originally cut so that they fit back together perfectly. Set aside.

Meanwhile, prepare the batter for the second pound cake*.

6. Preheat oven to the temperature indicated for your pound cake recipe. Liberally grease a loaf pan that is the same size as the one you used for the first pound cake using butter or non-stick cooking spray.

7. Spoon about ¼ cup of the batter into the bottom of the pan and smooth with an offset spatula.

8. Place cut out shapes back in the pan {in the same order is easiest}, giving them a light push into the batter. Spread remaining batter over top of the pieces making sure none of the pieces are exposed.

9. Line a small baking sheet with foil {just in case}, and place loaf pan on baking sheet. Bake for amount 10 minutes less than the amount of time indicated for your pound cake recipe. Check for doneness with a toothpick or skewer {should come out with only a few crumbs}.

10. Remove from oven and let cool for about 20 minutes before removing from loaf pan. Once cooled, carefully remove from pan and cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing.

{Ice/glaze if desired}

A Few Notes:

*Cold pound cake is MUCH easier to slice. Once it starts coming to room temperature, it is more likely to crumble.

*Use a cookie cutter that doesn't have too many delicate details. I lost a few ghost hands because they were easy to break off.

*Note that you will probably not need all the batter for the second pound cake as some of the space will already be taken by the pound cake pieces. I halved the Chocolate Pound Cake recipe I used and it was the perfect amount. If you wind up with extra, you can bake a few mini pound cake rounds in a cupcake tin to use up the rest of the batter, if desired.

*Pound cake should be cooled completely before slicing... unless you want a crumbly mess. I know it's hard to resist, but trust me on this one! Slice warm at your own risk!

*Using a serrated knife helps you get clean slices.

*You will have quite a bit of pound cake scraps remaining. These are perfect for snacking, cake balls, trifles, crumbling over ice cream... go nuts!

Ok, that's all... now get baking! 🙂