Many years ago while shopping at local discount retailer Ocean State Job Lot with friends, we came across a cookbook titled “All-New Cake Mix Magic” where on the back of the cookbook was photo a “pink purse” cake. Encouraged to make this cake by these friends for our next pot luck, I gave it a try.
Pink Purse Cake
1 package (about 18 ounces) yellow cake mix, plus ingredients to prepare mix
½ cup seedless raspberry preserves
1 container (16 ounces) white frosting
Red food coloring
Black string licorice or Twizzlers twist black licorice
(Optional) licorice candies (like Good & Plenty), black jelly beans, pastel egg sprinkles
Place oven rack on middle run. Preheat oven to 350 degrees farenheit.
Prepare cake mix according to package directions for 13x9-inch cake. Bake cake according to package directions. Cool cake in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan to wire rack; cool cake completely.
From short (9 inch) end use wooden pick to divide the 13 inch length cake into 4 sections with ½ inch scrap: 2 ½ inches, 3 inches, 3 ¼ inches, 3 ¾ inches or 2 ¼ inches, 2 ¾ inches, 3 inches, 3 ½ inches if cake receded from edges of pan during baking or shrunk during cooling process (which happened to me). Use serrated knife to cut cake into these 4 sections. Discard ½ inch strip of excess cake.
Place widest section of cake cut side down on cake board or serving platter. Spread left side of this piece with preserves; attach next widest section cut side down to left of widest section (the preserves is acting as “glue” for these two pieces as top becomes a downward angled slope). Spread left side of section just attached with preserves; attach next widest section cut side down to left of this section. Spread left side of this section with preserves; attaching smallest section of cake to left. Cake should gradually slope downward from right to left.
To make purse shape, measure 1 inch from side of smallest cake section. Using serrated knife, cut back to corner of tallest section making smallest section shorter than tallest section. Repeat on other side of cake. Discard scraps.
Cover cake with foil or plastic wrap and freeze cake for several hours before frosting.
Tint frosting pink using red food coloring. Remove cake from freezer. Frost cake on top and all sides.
To decorate cake, use string of black licorice and gently press into frosting to outline purse flap or strap. Cut ½ inch pieces of black licorice to resemble stitching. Use 5 Good & Plenty pieces to create flower petals and cut a 6th in half to create flower center. To make strap, use another string of black licorice, pushing ends of licorice string into bottom of short end of cake.
Pink Purse Cake decorated with
and
Good & Plenty Flowers
