The Dreaming Museum: Cooking Through "The Baker's Man": Firecracker Bundt Cake

Fireworks were documented as being used in China in the seventh century. They were created to accompany festivities, and eventually, the use of these spectacular, aerial displays spread to other countries.

To me, fireworks are beautiful, resembling colorful, exploding stars–magic in the skies. Animated cartoons use fireworks to represent the excitement and passion of kisses. People describe feelings akin to “fireworks going off” when someone grabs another’s hand.

But as lovely as fireworks can be, they can also be dangerous and scary. In chapter fifteen of The Baker’s Man, titled Firecracker Bundt Cake, the repercussions of Anna’s decision have pushed others to make unwise, and potentially deadly, choices. And at the end of Mystic Water's fireworks display, not everything or everyone can be saved.

Firecracker Bundt Cake

Serves: 12

Difficulty Level: Easier than lighting a firecracker (which isn’t easy to me)

Ingredients

1 super-moist, fluffy white cake mix

2 egg whites

⅓ c oil

1 ¼ c water

1 container of fluffy, whipped white frosting

blue food coloring

red food coloring

How to Make

Heat oven to 325°F.
Generously grease 12-cup fluted tube cake pan.
Make cake batter as directed on box, using water, oil, and egg whites.
Pour ⅓ of the batter into small bowl; stir in red food color until well mixed.
Pour another ⅓ of the batter into separate bowl; stir in blue food color until well mixed.
Pour red cake batter into bottom of pan.
Carefully pour remaining white batter over red batter in pan.
Pour blue batter over white batter. (Blue batter does not need to cover white batter completely; it looks better if it just forms a ring in the center of the white batter.) Do not mix the batters.
Bake as directed on box or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.
Cool cake 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, place cooling rack over cookie sheet. Turn pan upside down onto cooling rack. Cool cake completely, about 30 minutes.
When cake is cool, divide frosting evenly into 3 microwavable bowls.
Microwave 1 bowl of frosting uncovered on high a few seconds until smooth enough to drizzle over cake.
With spoon, drizzle all of white frosting back and forth around cake in a striping pattern.
Microwaving second bowl of frosting until smooth. Stir in a few drops blue food color until well blended. Drizzle over cake, scattering frosting back and forth.
Repeat with remaining bowl of frosting and red food coloring, making sure red, white, and blue frostings can be seen on cake.
Let cake stand at room temperature until frosting is set before serving.