YIELDS:16 serving(s)PREP TIME:15 minsTOTAL TIME:3 hrs 30 mins CAL/SERV:979
INGREDIENTS:Nonstick cooking spray2 boxes white cake mix, plus ingredients called for on box5 tsp. red gel food coloring, divided1 c. mini dark chocolate chips2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour3 c. (6 sticks) unsalted butter, softened10 c. powdered sugar1/2 c. whole milk (plus more as needed)2 Tbsp. vodka2 tsp. green gel food coloring2 tsp. yellow gel food coloringA handful of black mini jelly beans
Step 1: Turn the oven on to 350°. Grease four 8-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and line them with parchment paper.
DIRECTIONS:
Step 2: To get a watermelon red hue, prepare cake mixes as directed on the package and add 4 tablespoons of red gel food coloring.
Step 3: RCoat the chocolate chips in flour and mix them into the mixture.
Step 4: Split the cake batter among the prepared pans and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, following the directions on the package. After 10 minutes of cooling in the pans, turn the cakes over to cool entirely on wire racks.
Step 5: Prepare the frosting: Using a hand mixer, cream butter and approximately half of the powdered sugar in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in ½ cup milk, ¼ teaspoon salt, and the remaining powdered sugar until frothy. Add extra milk if the mixture seems too stiff.
Step 6: Split frosting into two basins of medium size. Stir the remaining 1 teaspoon of red gel food coloring into the other dish of frosting, leaving one bowl of frosting white.
Step 7: Level each cake's top to get even layers. To hold the cake in place, dab a tiny bit of crimson icing onto the cake plate. Place one cake on the bottom, cover with about ¾ cup of red frosting, and repeat with the second, third, and fourth layers.
Step 8: Fill a pastry bag with a generous ½ cup of frosting, and using a 1-inch tip, pipe a ring around the outside edge of the cake. Apply a crumb coat to the outside of the cake using about a cup and a half of frosting. Place the cake in the fridge for one hour, or until the icing has solidified.
Step 9: Apply the leftover white frosting to the cake's exterior. Red frosting should be piped into the middle of the cake, being sure to stay inside the piped white ring.
Step 10: Arrange the jelly beans in the red frosting on top, gently pressing them in to stick.
Step 10: Combine 1 tablespoon of each of the green, light green, and yellow gel food coloring in 2 small bowls. To create a watermelon rind pattern, use two different sponges to blot the colors up the sides of the white frosting in vertical lines.