Day 181: Danish Cake

Today I thought I'd share the dessert I did for the cook off last week.  The more I think about it, the more I learn from the whole experience.  I had practiced making each dish at home the week before the cook off, but making it at home and making it outside and with a deadline are two totally different things.  I will plan better for the next cook off.  Speaking of the next one, I am entering the Wasatch County Fair with Kris Aagard, who I met at the World Championship Cook offs.  It should be fun!

I got this recipe from an IDOS magazine I got a few weeks back.  It was one of the recipes that was made at the youth cook off, and it is one of my kids favorites.  The practice cake I made at home didn't last an hour.  I finally had to hide piece to save for my hubby. 

Danish Cake
12" dutch oven

Cake

3/4 cup shortening
1 3/4 cup sugar
3 cups cake flour
1/2 tsp. salt
4 tsp. baking powder
1 cup milk
5 egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract

Topping

1 (16 oz.) tub cool whip
1 8oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 lb. strawberries
1 pkg. Junket Danish Dessert, strawberry flavor

Sift and measure the flour.  Add salt and baking powder, and sift again.  In a large bowl, cream shortening and add sugar gradually and cream until fluffy.  Add the sifted ingredients alternately with milk and flavoring.  Beat well after each addition.
Beat egg whites until stiff, and fold into creamed mixture.  Pour batter into 2 lined or greased 12" dutch ovens and bake with 17 coals on top and 8 on the bottom.  Cook for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
While the cakes are cooling, make the danish dessert according to the pie glaze directions on the back of the box.  Flip the cakes out of the DOs onto the lids.  Mix together 1 cup powdered sugar with the cool whip.  Mix well.  In a separate bowl mix 1 cup powdered sugar and cream cheese.  Mix well.  Mix the cream cheese mixture and the cool whip mixture together in a large bowl.  Spread cool whip topping across the top of one of the cakes.  Then lay about 1/2 of the strawberries on top of the cool whip topping.  Place the other cake on top of the first  and repeat cool whip topping, strawberries then spread the danish dessert across the top.

The Finished Product

The Review

This is really good!  The first one I made my kids scarfed down.  The one I made for the cook off tasted great, but since it was so hot, the frosting started melting and I was worried it was going to slide off the plate.  I did love that people had to ask if it was made in a dutch oven.  I was going to decorate this with some sliced strawberries as well, but I just ran out of time.  This cake is seriously delicious and deserves to be made often.  I'm sure you could use different berries and I thought maybe even some sliced banana to give it a different twist.  I may make it for a 4th of July dessert with some fresh blueberries.  Really, your creativity is the limit with how to decorate this cake.  Grade A.