Thanksgiving Turkey Cake (Something To Be Thankful For)

Thanksgiving Turkey Cake. A Slice of Heaven. All Your Thanksgiving Food Dreams on a Pedestal. This is the meal you've heard whispered about by people with a twinkle in their eye and a heart of Yukon gold potatoes. Plus it makes you happy. We couldn't stop laughing as we carefully slid it from pan to pedestal and carried it to the table. It's that awesome!

It took about 3 to 3.5 hours total to make all the layers of the cake, but you can make the mashed potatoes, sausage stuffing, cranberry orange sauce and sweet potatoes ahead of time and rewarm them when you need them. There was even time for last minute grocery shopping on Thursday morning.

The following instructions are adapted pretty faithfully from the Chow site, but I'll add a few personal notes. For example, if you use the Sausage Stuffing recipe, you will have a heck of a lot of stuffing. You'd better like stuffing. It's a good thing stuffing freezes. That's all I'm saying. Or I guess you could cut the recipe down by about an eighth.

Have you noticed how raw meat shots are really unattractive? The turkey loaves, or layers if you prefer, taste quite good (probably all the umami in ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan cheese).

There's no getting around it, you'll need to use your hands to hold the stuffing in place as you mash it into the potatoes. Mashed potatoes are the glue of the culinary world.

The Mashed Potatoes recipe will leave you with about 2 cups left over. Good for late-night snacking or if some slips on the floor when you ice the cake.

Watch those marshmallows like a hawk. A hawk that likes perfectly toasted marshmallows.

The real reason the Cranberry Relish is on the side is because it wasn't done in time to go inside the cake. But now I like that is adds color to the table and the plate. Check out those nifty paper towel napkins!

Thanksgiving Turkey Cake with a fancy feather-shaped cranberry plating and a side of carrot almond soup. Yum.

Recipe Time: Thanksgiving Turkey Cake
adapted from Chow site
serves 8 to 10

Ingredients, Turkey Layers:
Unsalted butter, for coating the pans
2 pounds ground turkey breast
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoons minced dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 medium garlic cloves, minced

Cake Components:
About 5 cups or 1 recipe Greek Yogurt Mashed Potatoes, warm
1/2 cup Cranberry Orange Relish, chilled, excess liquid drained
2 1/2 cups Sausage Stuffing, warm
1 cup Sweet Potatoes, warm
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows  

Instructions, Turkey Layers:

1. Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
2. Coat 2 (8-inch) cake pans with butter; set aside.
3. Place all remaining ingredients in a large bowl and mix, using clean hands, until combined (don’t squeeze or overwork).
4. Divide the mixture evenly between the pans, spreading it to the edges and smoothing out the top.
5. Bake until cooked through and the cakes begin to pull away from the edges of the pans, about 25 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven (but leave the oven on), and let cool for about 10 minutes.
7. Using a paper towel, blot away any excess fat from the cake layers’ surface; set aside.

Assembling the Cake:

1. Arrange a rack in the lower third of the oven.
2. Unmold one of the turkey layers and place it bottom-side up on an overturned 8-inch cake pan or in an ovenproof serving dish.
3. Use a spatula to evenly spread 1 1/4 cups of the mashed potatoes over the top of the cake, leaving a 1/2 -inch border (keep the remaining potatoes warm).
4. Using the back of a clean spoon, spread the cranberry sauce evenly over the mashed potatoes. (optional)
5. Using your hands, gently pack the stuffing in an even layer over the cranberry sauce, using one hand to keep any stuffing from falling off the side. Press gently on the stuffing to make sure it adheres to the mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce.
6. Evenly spread another 1 1/4 cups of the mashed potatoes over the stuffing (keep the remaining potatoes warm).
7. Unmold the second turkey layer and place it bottom-side up on top of the mashed potatoes.
8. Transfer the cake pan or serving dish with the partially assembled cake to a baking sheet and bake until heated through, about 30 to 40 minutes (an instant-read thermometer should register 165°F).
9. Remove from the oven and set aside. Heat the oven to broil.
10. Evenly coat the outside (but not top) of the entire cake with the remaining mashed potatoes (you may have a little left over).
11. Spread all of the sweet potatoes on top of the cake. Arrange the marshmallows across the top and gently press them into the sweet potatoes.
12. Return the baking sheet with the assembled cake to the oven and broil until the marshmallows are golden, about 1 to 2 minutes (watch closely so the marshmallows don’t burn). Using two flat spatulas, carefully transfer the cake to a serving dish. Serve immediately.

1-2-3-4 Cake and Cream Cheese Frosting

This recipe can be found on the back of the Swans Down Cake Flour box. In fact, as I look at the box I realize this cake and frosting recipe is probably the one featured on the box front. Our cake does not look as pretty, but it tastes just as good; because butter and sugar have never failed to make a cake rock.*

Before you begin, you might want some kitchen items we did not have: flour sifter, icing spatula, cake stand and cover, hand or stand mixer, blah blah blah. Don't worry about it. Your cake might look nicer and it might take less effort, but without these tools you will build arm strength and learn patience. That's priceless. Did I mention the cake still tastes great?

I think buttering and flouring your pans works more effectively when baking cakes than using the spray and I'm not a spray hater in general. The bonus is getting flour all over the counters. Yay! If you have a mixer use it now! A nice alternative for butter creaming is a fork and a potato masher. Creamed butter and sugar is hard to resist sampling. I dare you to try and resist.

Mix thoroughly after each egg. (Don't eat after adding eggs but before cooking!)

A flour sifter is appropriate, but a metal colander works in a pinch. I've learned that baking is not at all like cooking, it's very strict and science-y. If you don't pay close attention you will be punished (don't pay attention to me, do read and follow the recipe though).

Always add dry to wet when baking. Or add wet to wet. Here we do both. Alternate adding the flour mix and the milk mix to the delicious butter mix.

We split the mix into three pans like the box recommended, but The Art of Baking web site has time suggestions if you want to try cupcakes or two larger pans.

Overall, the cake is buttery, moist and yummy. There was not enough frosting to cover the whole cake, but that's probably because we were not successful with the milk/flour roux the Swans box had in their cream cheese frosting recipe. Meh, what can you do?

Recipe Time: 1-2-3-4 Cake and Cream Cheese Frosting
(adapted from the Swans Down Cake Flour box and The Art of Baking web site)
serves 12

1 cup butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
3 cups sifted Swans Down Cake Flour
3 tsps baking powder
½ tsp salt
4 eggs
1 cup skim milk
1 and ½ tsp vanilla

1. Cream butter. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy.
2. Add eggs one at a time to creamed mixture, beating well after each addition.
   
3. Sift flour with baking powder and salt. 
4. Add flour mixture alternately with milk and flavorings, beating after each addition until smooth. 
5. Pour batter into 3 greased and floured 9-inch layer pans, using about 2-1/3 cups batter in each pan. 
6. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes. 
7. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove from pans and finish cooling on racks.

Frosting

1 stick unsalted butter
8 oz reduced fat cream cheese
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Combine all ingredients at room temperature.
2. Blend well.
3. Spread on cooled cake.

*The red stuff in the first photo is pureed frozen strawberries with a wee bit of confectioners' sugar. A good frosting alternative or addition.