Combination lets you have your pie-cake and it eat, too

Sometimes a person’s culinary advances simply outpace the ability of the average eater to appreciate their significance.

For example, the time I baked a pie-cake, or a p’cake, as I have come to call it.

Me: "Look! I baked a pie inside a cake."

Typical response: "Why?"

Me: "OK, fine. Don’t have any."

Typical response: "Wait! I want some!"

After a few bites we were all in agreement that it was a pretty tasty little conversation starter.

So, back to the question, "Why?"

Because it’s easy. Because it resolves any debate over whether dessert should be pie or cake. Because the Fourth of July is coming and you could bake a cherry pie into a white cake, top it with blueberries and produce a red-white-and-blue dessert.

Idea credit goes to Jessie Jane, who offers entertaining and craft projects through her website, lilyshop.com. On the Hallmark Channel program "Home & Family," Jane baked two cherry pies into a white layer cake. Sliced, it was quite patriotic.

Many variations are possible: I combined a chocolate cake with a cherry pie (a choco-cherry p’cake) and a yellow cake with a peach pie (a peachy p’cake).

If you are an overachiever you could make both pie and cake from scratch, but I suggest using a boxed cake mix and a store-bought pie. You’re mainly doing this for the gimmick, after all, not because it’s high art.

First, equipment notes:

>> The best baking pan is a 9-inch springform, which accommodates a 7- or 8-inch pie (typical of most supermarket bakeries) and a single cake mix. The sides are high enough and the easy release is handy — the cake-pie combo is heavy. If you have a 10-inch springform (like me), you can either find a 9-inch pie or use an 8-incher and two cake mixes. You’ll use one full mix and half of the second, leaving enough batter to make 12 cupcakes.

>> You can also use a 9-inch round cake pan, but it needs to have sides at least 2-1/2 inches high to hold the pie and cover it with cake batter. A 9-inch square baking pan will work, but off course you’ll have corners with no pie in them, and they have a tendency to overbake. A round pan takes one cake mix; a square takes more, so you’ll need an extra box and you’ll have spare batter.

Here is an easy version of Jane’s July Fourth cake, which requires two pies and two cake mixes to make the layers. To see her from-scratch recipes, plus photos of the step-by-step process, go to lilyshop.com/how-make-cherry-pie-cake.

CHERRY PIE CAKE
2 (7- to 8-inch) baked cherry pies
2 boxed white cake mixes, plus ingredients called for on the box (usually eggs, water and vegetable oil)
Vanilla frosting to cover a two-layer cake
2 cups fresh blueberries

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 9-inch springform pans. Pies should be at room temperature, so if you’re using frozen pies be sure to allow time to bake and cool them.

Prepare 1 cake mix according to package directions (do not combine the 2 mixes because the batter for the second layer should not sit out while you prepare the first). Pour about 3/4-inch of cake batter into the bottom of prepared pan. Remove one pie from its tin and place it in the middle of the pan on top of the batter.

Pour rest of batter over and around pie until pie is covered and batter is 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch from top of pan. You may not need all the batter.

Repeat with second cake mix and pie. Bake 50 to 60 minutes on middle rack of oven, until a pick inserted into center of each cake comes out clean (this will take longer than the box mix suggests; the pie slows down the process).

Let cakes cool completely on a rack, then remove from pans. Place first layer on serving dish; cover with frosting. Top with second layer and frost. Make sure entire cake is frosted. Arrange blueberries on top.

Nutritional information unavailable.

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