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shalannaThis was one of my grandmother's favorite cakes. She made it for her own birthday almost every year. We kids also received cupcakes on the side that we could actually *eat*. You didn't get a piece of Swanny until the birthday dinner with ice cream (Jamoca almond fudge) and presents (you'd better get her something good--she really got disappointed if she didn't!) She made it with a white or yellow cake mix. You can sprinkle mini chocolate chips into a white cake mix for a really yummy outcome.
It's from an old Baker's Coconut baking book, "Cut-Up Cakes," that we'd had forever. We made every one of the cakes at one time or another. My traditional birthday cake was always the elephant, whereas my dad preferred the ones that required two cakes--the Mickey and Minnie faces I remember in particular.
{Swanee Cake, © 1959 by un-named, unsung Baker's Coconut employee from home economics division}
At a birthday party it's pure delight
To bring out this cake, cut up right.
Swanee's beak is gumdrop yellow--
Wouldn't it please a little fellow?
(It was more of a hit with the blue hair crowd and bridge-party and bridal-shower and baby-shower types, if I recall correctly. The Little Fellows prefer a large monster of some type or a Transformers-style machine. I remember making this once for a bridal shower and putting a second cake that was cut in half using a scalloped edge as an "umbrella" way over her head--I made vertical lines with black thin licorice whips so it looked like the staves on the umbrella, if you can envision that, and used jelly beans as raindrops on the platter; it was SUCH a hit! I didn't put the coconut on that version, though, so don't tell Baker's Coconut.)
1. Measure down 4 inches from each corner, 1-3/4 inches at center, of cooled 13x9x2 cake. Cut on a curve at points of long side. Cut corners off to be used for tail and head.
2. From a corner on remaining piece, measure 3-1/2 inches along short side, 5-1/2 inches across long side. Cut through points on curve to form swan's wing.
3. Place pieces as shown. Spread fluffy white frosting over cake. Shake quantities of snowy white Baker's Angel Flake Coconut for Swanee's feathers. Swanee's eye is a gumdrop; her beak, gumdrop strips. (Editor's note: You can use a small jelly bean for an eye and make an eyebrow, as well as those little lines at the bottom of her wing, out of skinny licorice whips. I imagine you could even make the beak out of a large GummySomething that could be carved.)
*I reproduced the text here (for those who can't read that tiny scan) because I'm sure this is out of print and unobtainable unless you have a grandmother/mom/aunt who kept the book. (Ours came through a house fire! But that's because the box with Mama's old recipe books was in the back of a lower cabinet in the kitchen, where the fire didn't "get" everything. The book does still stink of firebox, though. Gives us allergies to handle it even now, twenty years post-flame.) It was a promotional item, so if you make the swan, be sure to buy Baker's coconut!*
If you don't want a white swan, it's easy to dye the coconut with food coloring. Place coconut in large Ziploc freezer bag (1 gallon is better than 1 quart size) and drip in a couple of drops of the color you want. Shake! You can, of course, dye your icing. The old-old-OLD-fashioned cooked icing works best here, but if you like you can get a can of icing from the bakery aisle, or you can even use Cool Whip if you're going to feed 'em immediately. I've never done the Cool Whip thing, so if you try that, let me know how it works.
Heck, if you make it, take a picture and let me know how yours works out!
It's from an old Baker's Coconut baking book, "Cut-Up Cakes," that we'd had forever. We made every one of the cakes at one time or another. My traditional birthday cake was always the elephant, whereas my dad preferred the ones that required two cakes--the Mickey and Minnie faces I remember in particular.
{Swanee Cake, © 1959 by un-named, unsung Baker's Coconut employee from home economics division}
At a birthday party it's pure delight
To bring out this cake, cut up right.
Swanee's beak is gumdrop yellow--
Wouldn't it please a little fellow?
(It was more of a hit with the blue hair crowd and bridge-party and bridal-shower and baby-shower types, if I recall correctly. The Little Fellows prefer a large monster of some type or a Transformers-style machine. I remember making this once for a bridal shower and putting a second cake that was cut in half using a scalloped edge as an "umbrella" way over her head--I made vertical lines with black thin licorice whips so it looked like the staves on the umbrella, if you can envision that, and used jelly beans as raindrops on the platter; it was SUCH a hit! I didn't put the coconut on that version, though, so don't tell Baker's Coconut.)
1. Measure down 4 inches from each corner, 1-3/4 inches at center, of cooled 13x9x2 cake. Cut on a curve at points of long side. Cut corners off to be used for tail and head.
2. From a corner on remaining piece, measure 3-1/2 inches along short side, 5-1/2 inches across long side. Cut through points on curve to form swan's wing.
3. Place pieces as shown. Spread fluffy white frosting over cake. Shake quantities of snowy white Baker's Angel Flake Coconut for Swanee's feathers. Swanee's eye is a gumdrop; her beak, gumdrop strips. (Editor's note: You can use a small jelly bean for an eye and make an eyebrow, as well as those little lines at the bottom of her wing, out of skinny licorice whips. I imagine you could even make the beak out of a large GummySomething that could be carved.)
*I reproduced the text here (for those who can't read that tiny scan) because I'm sure this is out of print and unobtainable unless you have a grandmother/mom/aunt who kept the book. (Ours came through a house fire! But that's because the box with Mama's old recipe books was in the back of a lower cabinet in the kitchen, where the fire didn't "get" everything. The book does still stink of firebox, though. Gives us allergies to handle it even now, twenty years post-flame.) It was a promotional item, so if you make the swan, be sure to buy Baker's coconut!*
If you don't want a white swan, it's easy to dye the coconut with food coloring. Place coconut in large Ziploc freezer bag (1 gallon is better than 1 quart size) and drip in a couple of drops of the color you want. Shake! You can, of course, dye your icing. The old-old-OLD-fashioned cooked icing works best here, but if you like you can get a can of icing from the bakery aisle, or you can even use Cool Whip if you're going to feed 'em immediately. I've never done the Cool Whip thing, so if you try that, let me know how it works.
Heck, if you make it, take a picture and let me know how yours works out!
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no subject
Date: 2008-06-16 08:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-16 08:09 pm (UTC)The Olden Days had their good points. *grin* Now it would be kind of rare to see somebody make a cake like this . . . there are so many premade options and kids' birthdays are usually held at some kind of fancy amusement park. Sigh!
I'm making this for tomorrow night when we have a little get-together for one of my neighbors. Wish I had thought of it in time for that piano party last week. But they had so many fancy refreshments that people might've just laughed at it. They don't have a piano, but I'll bet a piano would be easy enough . . .until you had to frost the keys. Maybe you could use Twix sticks or KitKats for the black keys . . . yeah, that sounds good. *salivating* Better not make THAT one anytime soon.
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Date: 2008-06-16 08:12 pm (UTC)OMG I am so going to make one of these for my 4th of July party... Just gotta figure out which one... LOL
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Date: 2008-10-17 06:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-17 10:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-16 08:04 pm (UTC)http://www.amazon.com/Bakers-Cut-Up-Party-Favorite-Recipes/dp/0785301976/ref=pd_sim_b_img_3
Looks like a lot of the ones I remember are in there!!
And this one has some familiar ones on the cover, too...
http://www.amazon.com/Easy-Cut-up-Cakes-Melissa-Barlow/dp/1423601750/ref=reg_hu-wl_mrai-recs
OK... this just made my afternoon... :)
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Date: 2008-06-16 08:16 pm (UTC)Wow! I looked at those Amazon links and those books have even more DIFFERENT ones from what my book has! Their fish is a little similar there on the Melissa Barlow, and her lion is pretty much exactly like MY lion. But those others, the bunny and so forth, are new to me. They are cool!
But the first one looks to be out of print, only available from secondary sellers. (pout) Ain't that always the way.
We have a Garfield cake pan from Wilton that we got at a cake decorator's supplier's house one time (we were shopping for the parts to go into our wedding cake, which had two bridges and a spiral staircase--imagine!), but we've only used it once. It was a real Be-Yotttch to ice and decorate--it's a 3D cake and meant for a pro to decorate. The cut-up cakes are easy! Have fun!
Let us know which one(s) you end up making. . . .
*drool*
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Date: 2008-06-16 08:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-16 08:13 pm (UTC)My team at work LOVES coconut cupcakes;they'd DIE if I brought one of these in (and I will)
no subject
Date: 2008-10-09 06:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-17 12:12 am (UTC)and you can thicken cool whip with pudding, if you want, for a fast, tasty frosting. instant pudding, in the flavor of choice, mix it well, and spread it on. it will "set up" in a little while, and tint and flavor that "icing". strawberry instant pudding is a killer addition for birthday cakes--one package with a large container of cool whip. *bows, exits, and goes to dust off the cake pans*
can we trade scans? or I can buy your scan.
Date: 2009-08-27 08:48 pm (UTC)I have a newer version of hte book as well... called CUT-UPS It has a choo choo train on the cover. I was wondering if you would like to trade "scanned copies" or sell me a copy of your scan. I miss the book and would love to have it again... thank you so much.. I am making the awan for my mothers 95th birthday, won't the grandchildren love it??? Bet they have never seem anything like this ...
Re: YES can we trade scans? or I can buy your scan.
Date: 2009-08-29 01:22 pm (UTC)I HATE to hear that your 3@$%& threw away the book! ! I never lend anything. I learned from a couple of cases in which I allowed a childhood treasure of mine to be "borrowed" and destroyed (with glee on the part of the destroyer, as "you don't need to keep all that old junk" was what they replied) and when I used to lend out books to people with no respect at all for books. There are two kinds of people in this world, and that other half thinks it's fun to wheedle something out of you and then watch your pain when they destroy it. I don't mind having the "selfish and greedy" label applied if at the end of the day I still have my treasures. They DO bring back the childhood in more than just memories. Sheesh!
You ran a custom cake business?! Wow! Do you watch the food channel's "cake" show? They show this team making all kinds of cakes. MY grandmother loved the swan and used to make it for herself! I think the cut-ups are as good as anything that team makes, actually. (grin) Also think that the coconut and LifeSavers decorations are as cute as the more realistic stuff they sell now. It invokes imagination!
Tell you what--let me know what your email addy is in a comment, or email me at shalanna AT tx DOT rr DOT com and tell me how you want to do this. I think I *might* have a scan of a couple of things out of the new book as well, but not sure--I actually got my scans from somebody else, because our book disappeared after my mother's house file, and the other person sent me some new ones as well.
All I would like in return is that you vote for my novel on a website where there is a contest for a book contract--if that doesn't offend your moral sensibilities (assuming you agree the book is good, that is!) . . . some people I have asked say they don't like that kind of voting, but that's the only way to get seen by an editor. More details in email where I can beg with less humiliation (grin). If you can't in good conscience do it, then that's OK, but I have been reduced to asking people I meet in supermarkets waiting in line, so I thought I'd ask.