Super Fancy Jesus Cake

White Buttermilk Cake

Ingredients:
1 Cup (3 sticks) Butter, at room temperature
2 ⅓ cups Sugar
3 Large Egg Whites
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
3 Cups Cake Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1 cup Buttermilk
Chocolate Syrup (Cocoa in a pinch)
red food color
green food color

Red jelly hearts (see below for alternatives)

1 tube yellow cake decorating gel (I have used Light Blue when Yellow wasn't available).

3  9-inch round cake pans

nonstick cooking spray

1 dripless candle and

1 piece of cardboard or heavy paper ( I use a cookie cutter (star of David)

1. Place one baking rack ⅓ from the bottom of the oven and the second rack, ⅔ from the bottom.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

3. In order to make sure that the cakes come out of the pans easily and without chunks, Prepare 3-9" round cake pans using the following method: on parchment paper, trace around the bottom of each cake pan with a pencil.

Repeat 3 times, so that you end up with 3 circles. 

Cut the traced circles out.

Butter each pan (bottom and sides) and place the parchment circle in each cake pan and butter the parchment paper, as well.

Dust the pans heavily with flour and then shake the excess out.

4. Using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (you can use a hand mixer as well), beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl on medium speed and 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. 

Scrape down the sides of the bowl. 

5. Add the egg whites and vanilla and beat on medium speed for about 1 minute.

6. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl.

7. Add about ⅓ of the flour mixture to the batter and beat on medium speed until incorporated. 

8. Add about half of the buttermilk and beat on medium speed until fully incorporated.

9. Continue adding dry and wet ingredients alternately, scraping the bowl down and beating until completely combined after each addition.

End with dry ingredients. 

The batter will be thick and glossy.

10. Spoon the batter evenly into three separate bowls. You will have about 3 cups of batter in each bowl. 

11. Tint each bowl of batter the different colors. Adding as much (cocoa or) syrup to the "black" one as you would like to get the color and consistency that you would like.

Method:

Bottom layer (black): Combine chocolate syrup and stir.  Combine with one portion of the batter and mix.  Pour into one of the cake pans.

Center Layer (red): Add 10 drops of red food coloring to one remaining bowl of batter and mix well.  Pour into the second pan.

Top Layer (green): Add 10 drops of green food coloring to remaining portion of batter and mix well.  Pour into remaining pan.

12. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans. 

13. Stagger the cake layers on the oven racks so that no layer is directly over another. 

14. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out (mostly) clean and the tops are flat and browned.

15. Monitor each layer as they may be done at different times.

16. Set the cake pans o racks to cool for 10 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the racks and cool completely before frosting. 

(At this point, the cakes may be placed in gallon size freezer zipper bags and frozen up to 3 weeks).

Cream Cheese Frosting: 

Ingredients:

2- 8oz. blocks of Cream Cheese, softened

1 cup Butter, softened

4 tsp. Vanilla

10-12 ½ cups of Sifted, powdered sugar 

Instructions:
1. Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla with a mixer until light and fluffy.
2. Gradually add 2 cups of sugar, beating well. 
3. Gradually beat in additional powered sugar to reach spreading consistency. 

(May need to do this in two halves to fit in your mixer).


Now to frost the cake. Remember to put the black layer on bottom, red in the middle layer, and green on top. Frost the whole cake nice and thick with smooth top.

Decorations: Place the red jelly hearts in a band around the perimeter of the cake.  (If you can't fine red jelly hearts, use a tube of red decorating gel to make the hearts.(I used red hot hearts, conversation hearts, or I have even molded hearts (craft stores have those)).  

Construct a 6 point star out of cardboard or heavy paper and place lightly on top of the cake ( I use a cookie cutter).  Trace the star with yellow decorating gel, remove the star, and fill in the outline of the star with the gel.  Place the dripless candle in the center of the star and light.

Presentation: The shape of the cake is round to represent the world into which Jesus was born.

The bottom layer of the cake is black to signify that we all are sinners, which is why Jesus came to earth.  

The red layer symbolizes  Jesus' blood that was shed on the cross for our sins. 

And the green layer denotes the new life we have in Christ after our sins have been washed away.

The  pure white frosting stands for the righteousness and purity of Jesus Christ, 

and the border of red hearts represents all of the brothers and sisters united in Christ and circling the earth as his witnesses.

On the top of the cake is the gold star, the Star of David.  The star shone bright heralding Jesus' birth and lighting the way to the manger.

The red candle is Jesus who came into the dark world to bring truth and light to all who are willing to receive it.

Together: Each person holds a green candle and lights it from the red candle and says, "We are the light of the world to shine for Jesus." Place the candle on the cake.  When everyone has had a turn, finish by singing Happy Birthday to Jesus.

I found this in Christian Parenting Magazine in 2001. I have tweaked it quite a bit over the years. The original one called for a boxed cake. This one is so much tastier.  It does have many parts to it but, it is worth the trouble when you see the look on faces as you go over the significance of each part.  I think it will be well remembered as the kids get older.  We used to eat this in the morning before opening presents but, the sugar buzz was too strong. So now we celebrate HIS Birthday on Christmas eve with this cake. We will even eat on Birthday plates and use Birthday napkins. Just like everyone else's Birthday.

Traditions are so important to families.  It's amazing what children will pick up as a tradition by accident.  Shouldn't we do our best to make some  traditions on purpose that mean something?