Ingredients
1-1/3 cups poppy seeds, divided4 packages white cake mix (regular size)1 package (3.4 ounces) instant lemon pudding mixFROSTING:1-1/2 cups butter, softened15 cups confectioners’ sugar3/4 cup half-and-half cream1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract1/2 teaspoon saltPink liquid or paste food coloring
Preparation
Place 1/3 cup poppy seeds in each of four small bowls; add the water called for in cake mix directions to each bowl. Soak for 1 hour.
Prepare cake batters according to package directions, using poppy seed water. Bake in three greased and floured 13x9-in. baking pans and two 8-in. square pans. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Prepare pudding according to package directions; refrigerate.
For frosting, in a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners’ sugar. Add the cream, vanilla and salt; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. (Frosting may need to be made in batches.) Add food coloring to 4-1/2 cups frosting.
Cut a small hole in the corner of two plastic or pastry bags; insert #3 pastry tip in one bag and #5 pastry tip in the other. Place 1/2 cup white frosting in bag with #3 tip and 1/2 cup pink frosting in the other. Cover remaining frosting with a damp cloth until ready to use.
Trim two 13x9-in. cakes into 12x8-in. rectangles as in Fig. 1a; level tops. Cut an 8x2-in. strip off each, leaving two pieces (A). Cut each strip in half, forming four 4x2-in. pieces. As in Fig. 1b, attach two 4x2-in. pieces together lengthwise with white frosting to form a 4x4-in. pieces (B); repeat with two remaining pieces and set aside.
Trim remaining 13x9-in. cake into a 12x7-in. rectangle as in Fig. 2; level top. Cut cake in half to form two 7x6-in. pieces (C); set aside.
Level tops of 8-in. square cakes.
Each frosted layer of the cake consists of two cake pieces with a lemon pudding filling in between. Place one piece A on a covered board; spread with pudding to with 1/2 in. of edge. Place second piece A on top; set aside. Repeat filling procedure for remaining layers (pieces B, C and 8-in. squares) and place on covered boards.
For bottom layer, frost piece A with 3-1/2 cups white frosting. If desired, attach a ribbon across the corners of piece A (as shown in photo).
For second layer, frost 8-in. cake with 2-1/2 cups pink frosting. With prepared bag of white frosting, pipe a continuous string, curving up, down and around so strings never touch or cross on cake.
For third layer, frost piece C with 2 cups white frosting. With prepared bag of pink frosting, pipe dots 1/2 in. apart over entire cake.
Frost piece B with remaining pink frosting. Add bow on top.
For bottom three layers, cut a 1/4-in. dowel into five pieces the height of each layer. Insert dowels 1 to 2 in. apart in center of each cake to support the next layer. Carefully stack layers on a serving platter, working from largest cake to smallest. Decorate with ribbon and silk flowers as desired. Remove dowels before cutting each layer.
