all ingredients called for on the pound cake mix box
food coloringwhatever shade you want
2teaspoonspeppermint, vanilla, almond, or etc.extract
Instructions
Preheat the oven to whatever temperature the pound cake package calls for.
Grease a nine-by-five-inch loaf pan (regardless of what size your final cake will be).
Follow the package directions on one of the boxes of pound cake mix to prepare the batter. Beat in food coloring until you get to your desired shade, along with two teaspoons of flavor extract. (I used peppermint to go with my shamrock design. You can also just skip it.)
Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake according to the package instructions.
Once the cake is done, let it cool completely and remove it from the pan.
Choose a cookie cutter that is just barely shorter when standing on its edge than the pan you want to use for your finished cake. For example, I baked my final cakes in a mini loaf pan, so I ended up using a small, one-inch cutter. If you wanted to use a nine-by-13-inch loaf pan, you’d probably use a two- to three-inch tall cookie cutter.
Slice the pound cake into about one-inch slices. Using your cookie cutter, carefully cut out one or multiple shapes from each slice, putting any scraps to the side for another use (or just snacking; I’m not judging you).
Preheat the oven to whatever temperature the pound cake package calls for.
Prep your baking pan by greasing it. Prepare the second pound cake mix according to the package directions, and pour just a bit into the bottom of your prepared pan. Place the cutout shapes, back to back to back, in a line down the center of your prepared pan.
Finish off the cake by carefully pouring the rest of the batter around the shapes, being sure to coat them to hide them from view.
Bake according to package directions.
Once the cake is cooled, remove it from the pan and slice it to reveal your surprise shapes. Store in an airtight container.