Shamrock Pound Cake (St. Patrick's Day)

By msippigrl

Ingredients

• 2 (16 oz) boxes Betty Crocker Pound Cake mix
• 1 stick unsalted butter, divided, softened
• 4 large eggs, divided
• 1 1/3 cups milk, divided (I used skim)
• Green food coloring (I used Betty Crocker gel color)
• Confectioners powdered sugar, OR Vanilla Cream Cheese icing (recipe follows)
• A 1-inch deep Clover (shamrock) cookie cutter (about 3" at widest point)

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9x5" loaf pan.

Prepare your green pound cake:

Beat together with a hand mixer, 1 box of the cake mix, 1/2 stick (1/4 c) softened butter, 2 eggs, and 2/3 cup milk in a large mixing bowl for time listed on package. Beat in food coloring until you reach the desired color. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for time listed on box. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then loosen edges with a thin knife and remove cake to the rack to cool completely.

Cut cooled cake into slices the same thickness of your cookie cutter. Using the cookie cutter, cut shapes from the slices of cake and stack in stacks of about 4 slices each, aligning them evenly. Set aside.

Prepare your second box of pound cake mix the same as the first, except omit the food coloring. Grease and flour a 9x5" loaf pan; spoon just barely enough batter to cover the bottom of pan. Align your stacks of green cake clovers down the center, keeping them tightly together and pressing them slightly into the batter. Spoon (or pipe) in enough batter to fill in the sides and to cover the clovers, being careful to not overfill so the batter won't overflow. Bake 50-60 minutes or until cake is done. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes then loosen sides with a thin knife and remove cake to rack to cool completely.

When cake is completely cool, sprinkle top with sifted confectioners sugar, or top with the icing below:

Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing:

1 1/2 cups confectioners powdered sugar
2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons whole milk or cream
2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Green food color, optional

In a medium bowl, beat all of the ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Add more confectioners sugar if it appears too thin or more milk if it appears too thick, until desired consistency is reached. Frost top of cake, letting it drip down the sides.

Set cake aside until the icing has hardened. Cut into slices and serve with vanilla ice cream or prepared whipped cream / whipped topping.