Desserts

Monkeying-Around Cake

photo by:kraft

The monkey cake is so cute and we got nothing but complements on it. It looks tricky but was fairly easy. I mixed up a tiny bit of chocolate frosting for the nose and smi...read more

posted by

a cook

on 5/21/2009

time

prep:

50 min

total:

3 hr 20 min

servings

total:

16 servings

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What You Need

pkg. (2-layer size) chocolate cake mix

pkg. (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

cup cold milk

1/2

cup PLANTERS Creamy Peanut Butter

cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

1/2

cup whipping cream

4-1/2

oz. BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate

NILLA Wafers

Mini OREO Bite Size Cookies

piece black string licorice

Make It

HEAT oven to 350ºF. Prepare cake batter as directed on package; pour into greased and floured 2-qt. ovenproof glass bowl. Bake 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in bowl 15 min.; invert onto wire rack. Cool completely.

BEAT pudding mix and milk in large bowl with whisk 2 min. Add peanut butter; beat until well blended. Stir in COOL WHIP. Cut cake horizontally in half; place flat layer on plate. Frost with half the pudding mixture; cover with remaining cake half, rounded-side up. Spoon remaining pudding mixture into resealable plastic bag; refrigerate with cake until ready to use.

BRING cream just to boil in small saucepan on low heat. Add chocolate; cook until melted, stirring constantly. Cool 10 min. Meanwhile, dip edges of wafers in glaze; place on plate. Let stand until glaze is firm. Spread remaining glaze onto cake.

MAKE 2 small cuts in top of cake; insert wafers in cuts for the monkey's ears. Refrigerate 30 min.

CUT corner off 1 bottom corner of bag of pudding mixture; use to pipe pudding mixture onto cake for the monkey's mouth and into mound on top of head as shown in photo. Cut 6-inch length from licorice; place on cake for mouth. Cut remaining licorice piece in half; add to cake for the nostrils. Split OREO Cookies in half; place creme-covered halves on cake for the eyes. Discard remaining OREO halves or reserve for snacking. Keep cake refrigerated.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Special Extra

Add banana slices to the base of the cake for some fruity fun.

Size-Wise

Sweets can add enjoyment to a balanced diet, but remember to keep tabs on portions.

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a cook

posted:12/14/2009

I borrowed the look and idea of this cake, but it sounded WAY too sweet, even for my sweet tooth. I made a simple round cake with the same monkey face

a cook

posted:7/16/2009

I'm sorry but this is the most horrible cake I've seen. The recipe is soooooooooo sweet the kids will have a hard time going to bed for a month. There is nothing to counter balance the overwhelming sweetness and all those ingredients together taste terrible and frankly it is a big mess.

opheila

posted:7/11/2009

I followed the recipe by the book and found that the face slid down a bit. I couldn't decide if it was a money or a bear at that point. But it was my doing and I was proud of it. Everyone appreciated that special touch of making the cake rather than buying. I also recommend always using apple sauce instead of oil when baking. It adds a healthy touch and keeps the cake moist.

burkka1

posted:7/6/2009

I made the filling without the peanut butter. I would not recommend doing that because the face slid off the next day! It could have used cream cheese to make it thicker so it would have stayed on. Also, the chocolate icing from the recipe tasted terrible, so I just used store bought frosting. Everyone loved the cake - both looks and taste.

a cook

posted:5/21/2009

The monkey cake is so cute and we got nothing but complements on it. It looks tricky but was fairly easy. I mixed up a tiny bit of chocolate frosting for the nose and smile since we couldn't find anyone who would eat black licorice. The peanut butter frosting was divine! My two year old loved it!