A Totally Unique Way to Propose - Marry Me? Reveal Cake

Cut a slice of this unassuming chocolate cake to reveal the big question...Will You "Marry Me?" This Marry Me Reveal Cake, full of surprise and flavor, is sure not to disappoint!

If you are looking for a really unique way to propose to the love of your life, this cake is it.

When your true love cuts into the cake, your intentions will be revealed.

I'd like to say that my husband made a grand gesture when he proposed to me, but that's not how it went. He's a practical, matter of fact kind of guy, who suggested we should start looking for a ring. I wasn't even sure he really meant it as a proposal until we actually went shopping.

I hope your story is more romantic.Using this reveal cake to propose would be so unique and totally sweet.

The outside of this cake is meant to look nice yet unassuming. You don't want to even hint at the surprise that is hidden inside.

This cake is going to take quite a bit of time to create, so to make things easier, I'll show you how to do it using cake mixes. It takes 6 of them! I know that is a lot, but it's necessary to make the letters and the outer cake.The beauty of this cake is that you can personalize it for your sweetie. Use your loved one's favorite cake and frosting flavors and add toppings like nuts, sprinkles, or candy bars. There are so many possibilities.

I chose to make a chocolate cake filled with plain pound cake letters, but any flavored or colored cake will work. Whether you make your cakes from scratch or use mixes be sure to use pound cake to create the letters. The letters are quite small and they have to be pushed out of the cookie cutters and will crumble and break if made out of  a more delicate cake.No matter how you make this cake, it's sure to add a little romance to your proposal. Be sure to let me know how it turns out.

Ingredients:

Pound Cake Letters -
3 Pound Cake Mixes and the ingredients called for on the box

Chocolate Cake-
3 (15.25 ounce) Chocolate Cake Mixes
3 (4 ounce) boxes chocolate pudding mix (1 per cake mix)
12 eggs (4 per cake mix)
1 ½ cups water (½ cup per mix)
1 ½ cups oil (½ cup per mix)
3 cups sour cream (1 cup per mix)

Chocolate Ganache Filling-
8 ounces finely chopped chocolate
⅔ cup heavy whipping cream

Frosting-
5-6 cups frosting

Glaze-
8 ounces finely chopped chocolate
⅔ cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons corn syrup

Special Supplies:
2 - 8 inch by 3 inch square pans (you need the deep 3 inch pans for this cake)
non-stick tin foil or parchment paper
thin wooden skewers (or long toothpicks)
1 ½ - 1 ¾ inch alphabet cookie cutters
small round metal cutter (about ½ inch)
¼ inch diameter wooden dowel
disposable pastry bags

Instructions:


Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two 8 inch by 3 inch square baking pans with non-stick tin foil or parchment paper for easy removal. I found it best to cut two 20 inch by 8 inch strips of foil for each pan and lay them in opposite directions across the pan.

Pound Cake Letters-

Make the 3 pound cake mixes according to package instructions. Equally divide the batter among the two 8x3 inch square pans.

Bake for 65 - 70 minutes, until a thin wood skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Cool cakes in pan for 10 minutes, then remove and set cakes on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

Once the pans are cool, line them again so they are ready when you need them to make the chocolate cakes.

Trim off domed top and about ¼ inch from the sides of each.

Cut cakes into ¾ inch thick by 8 inch long slices. Lay the slices in a single layer on a non-stick silicone mat, non-stick tin foil, or parchment paper lined baking sheet or cutting board. Set in the freezer for at least one hour.

Use the small alphabet cookie cutters to cut out the letters to spell out "MARRY ME?" You'll be able to cut "M" "A" "R" "R" from the slices you cut from one cake and "Y" "M" "E" "S" and "." from the other.

TIPS: Remove one or two frozen slices of cake at a time, then cut the letters.  If the cakes thaw too much they are too difficult to cut.To remove the letters you'll need to push on them using a ¼ inch thick wooden dowel. Move slowly and gently, so you don't break the letters.

My set of cookie cutters did not have a "?," so I used an "S" and a small circle instead. To make the curved part of the question mark, cut out an "S" then turn it over and cut off the bottom curve.

Once the letters are cut, pop them back in the freezer for at least an hour. You want the letters to be well frozen before putting them into cake batter.

Once your letters are frozen, get your cake pan ready, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, Fahrenheit, and grab a few disposable pastry bags.

Chocolate Cake-

Combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water, oil, and sour cream. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds then on medium speed for 2 minutes. You can mix all three mixes together if you have a large stand mixer, or mix them separately.

You'll need to work quickly so that you can get the cakes in the oven as fast as you can.

Pour some cake mix in a piping bag and pipe batter in all the holes in the letters. Keep the letters frozen until they are ready to go in the pan. They will thaw quickly and become very soft and breakable.

Pour about a cup of cake batter into the bottom of each lined square pan.

Pipe batter in between the bottom curves of the "M's." Create a row of "M's" down the left side of one pan. Then continue to create rows of letters so that the first cake spells out MARRY and the second cake spells out ME?

IMPORTANT: You must mark your cakes so that you know which way the letters are facing and which cake say's "Marry" and which say's "Me?". Keep track of this at all times. I cut my tin foil to mark the front of the cakes. 

I piped cake batter under the gaps in the letters, and think this is why my letters aren't all lined up. They look a little wonky, but that's alright. I think it's better than having gaps in my cake.

Add all the cake cut outs to the pan, then fill in arround the letters with batter. I did it as I worked which made it very challenging to add the last row.Once you have both pans filled with letters and have piped batter around the letters, cover them with batter.

Bake them until a thin wood skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour and 25 minutes to 1 hour and 40 minutes.They are very thick cakes and will probably crack a little on top.

Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove and set on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Trim off the domed top of each cake.

Be sure to know which is the front of each cake. It's easy to turn the cake and forget. You can see a thin slice in the front cake. That is where I made a one inch deep cut, so I could peek inside to make sure my letters were facing forward because I got interrupted while leveling the cake and lost track of the front. Oops!

Set the "ME?" cake on an 8 inch square cake board, being sure to mark the underside of the cake board to you know which way the letters are facing. It's super easy to forget which side is the front while you are frosting the cake.

Chocolate Ganache Filling-

Make one batch of chocoate ganache to fill the cake layers. Pour the finely chopped chocolate into a bowl (preferably in a food processor.) Heat ⅔ cup heavy whipping cream in a small saucepan set over medium heat just until the cream starts to bubble around the edges of the pan. Pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for 2-3 minutes. Stir (or pulse a few times if using a food processor) until smooth.

Allow the chocolate ganache to cool for about 15 minutes or so until it's thick enough to spread.

Spread over the bottom cake layer. Top with the MARRY cake layer, making sure the letters face forward.

Pop the cake in the freezer for 30-60 minutes, until the ganache is firm.

Remove and cover with frosting. I chose to frost my cake then add a bit of texture by running a small spatula up and down the cake.

Then make a second batch of ganache, this time adding some corn syrup to the heavy whipping cream. Allow the ganache to cool just long enough so that it can be poured over the cake and have drips that stop midway down the cake. The amount of time will depend on how hot you got the cream and the temperature in your room, but estimate about 15-20 minutes.

Pour the chocolate glaze over the top of the cake, creating small drips along the edge of the cake.

Allow the cake to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving.

To serve the cake, make the first slice at least 1 inch thick. Slice all the way across the front of the cake to reveal your proposal.

What an amazing way to propose.

What's your proposal story? I'd love for you to share in the comments, below.

If you'd like to make this cake, you'll need some special supplies, which you can find on Amazon.com. I earn a commission for any sales. Thanks.

 

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• Author
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Beth Klosterboer

Hi, I'm Beth Klosterboer, a professional chocolatier & baker, cookbook author, and event planner. I love sharing recipes for happy occasions here on Hungry Happenings. I also create easy fudge recipes to share at HowToMakeEasyFudge.com, rice krispie treat recipes at HowToMakeCerealTreats.com, and easy cookie recipes at HowToMakeEasyCookies.com

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