One-Box Polka Dot Cake

There's a recipe for Polka Dot Cake floating around Pinterest created by the talented Deborah Stauch of Once Upon A Pedestal.  I knew I needed to try this for Juliette's first birthday.  It was perfect.  Dots for my Juliette Dorothy (Dot).

There were a few problems, however.  First, I couldn't for the life of me find a bake pop pan.  I found a babycakes baker at Walmart, but it was $30 for this appliance the size of a waffle-make that I would probably never use again.  Second, the "recipe" on Deborah's blog used some awkward quantities - 2 boxes of white cake mix, to make a gorgeous, but strangely tall cake.  I couldn't serve that at a birthday party, so I set out to create my own version.

My first attempt was a big flop.  I started with one box of cake mix (which should in theory be enough to make 2-8" round cakes for a 2 layer stack of deliciousness).  I removed some of the batter and used gel colouring to make 6 cupcakes, which I then used to make cake pops without the candy coating.  Then I baked the rest of the cake as described, hoping I'd have enough batter to cover my "dots".

Not quite what I intended.  This is probably why Deborah used 2 boxes of mix.

Time to make some tweaks.  In order to reserve more of the white cake, I sacrificed 2 colours and made only 4 cupcakes.  I also made smaller balls by using the small end of a melon baller, instead of the 2 tsp cookie scoop I used originally.  Turns out this was the perfect ratio of polka dots to cake.  Here's how I did it:

Ingredients:

• One box of white cake mix (I used Betty Croker)
• Gel food colouring (4 choices)
• One container of whipped buttercream frosting (for cake balls)
• Frosting of your choice to frost the finished cake (I used a 7 minute buttercream from Definitely Not Martha that swirled like a dream in the pics below. Don't try piping this though... it is too delicate to hold its shape.)

Method:

1. Prepare the cake batter according to the directions on the box.  (Tip: If you use egg whites from a carton you won't waste yolks and you will have whites available to make your favourite Swiss Meringue Buttercream or Boiled Icing.)
2. Reserve 1 cup of batter and split it between however many colours of polka dots you wish to have.  For example, I used 1/4 cup for each of 4 colours.  Dye the batter with your gel food colouring, being careful not to use too much (it's very concentrated!), and bake in a muffin tin.  Cool for a few minutes until you are able to handle them.
3. Crumble each colour into a small bowl and add ~1 tsp of frosting.  Mix well until the crumbs hold together enough to form a ball if you roll it in your hands.  (Tip: You'll need less frosting than you think so be conservative and add as you go.  What you don't want is a pasty mess that will sink or melt in your finished cake.  I am guessing cream cheese might also work well, but have yet to try this out.)
4. Using the small end of a melon baller, scoop out the coloured cake and icing mix and roll into balls/dots.  I'm guessing this would be about 1 tsp or less per ball.
5. With the remaining white cake batter, spread a thin layer on the bottom of each of two round cake pans.
6. Distribute your polka dots randomly on top of the batter in each pan.  Divide the remaining white cake batter in half between the two pans, then cover the dots with the rest of the cake batter.  This step is probably the trickiest because you want to make sure each dot is covered with a dollop of batter.  Using a spoon to drop batter on each ball would be easiest, then fill in the spaces between the balls and around the edges with the remaining batter.
7. Bake as instructed on the cake box.  The balls will not overbake, but check your cake at the early end of the baking time for doneness (edges pull away from the pan and the top springs back lightly when touched).
8. Cool thoroughly and frost as desired.