Vanilla Pinata Cake

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/ 4 cup malted milk powder
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened and cubed
• 1/ 2 cup full-fat sour cream
• 1 1/ 2 cups sugar
• 1/ 2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 4 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks (room temp)
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons bourbon (optional)
• 3 cups assorted candy, frosting, ice cream or filling of your choice

Piñata cakes are most stable when baked and eaten on the same day. If you plan to make it ahead of time, do refrigerate until you're ready to enjoy it; this will maintain the cake's structural integrity.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour the inside of the piñata pan plus the underside (nonstick coated side) of the piñata insert. If using baking spray, be sure to use a pastry brush to ensure even distribution across all surfaces inside the pan. In a bowl, combine flour, malted milk, baking powder and salt. Set aside.  In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, combine butter and sugars, beating on medium speed until fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add eggs and yolks and incorporate fully into mixture, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides. Add vanilla and bourbon (optional) . Add sour cream and half of buttermilk, mixing on low to combine. Add dry ingredient mixture slowly, then the last 1/2 cup of buttermilk. Beat until ingredients are just combined and take care not to over-beat.

Pour half of batter into prepared piñata pan and lock insert in place. Bake 50-60 minutes, until top of cake is light golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Remove piñata insert gently, and allow cake to cool in pan 5 minutes. Invert onto a cooling rack and remove cake from pan to finish cooling. Wash and repeat grease and flouring process on both parts of the pan, then repeat the baking process with second half of batter.  Cool both halves completely before assembling your piñata cake—this can take up to 1 hour.  To assemble: using frosting of your choice, spread or pipe a generous line of frosting around one half of the cake.  Fill center with desired filling; if using candy, mound it up above the rim of the center, then place second half on top of bottom half and press to seal filling inside. If using frosting or ice cream inside, fill both halves of piñata cake level with the cake top, then place top half on bottom half to seal inside. If using ice cream, freeze cake for 30 minutes before serving.  Frost or decorate the exterior of your piñata cake as desired. The chocolate glaze recipe below will harden slightly, creating a sealed cake.

Chocolate Glaze

4 oz good quality milk or dark chocolate

4 Tbsp butter

2 tsp corn syrup

Glaze:

Combine chocolate, butter and corn syrup in a heat-proof bowl and melt over a pan of boiling water on your stovetop.  Stir with a silicone spatula until smooth and glossy. Use a pastry brush to distribute evenly over the top of your completed piñata cake.