Michigan Tailgate Cake: Winged Helmet Cake

On Saturday Michigan played Nebraska and Frank's tailgate theme for the week was Soups and Stews since the weather here has gotten a little chilly. I couldn't figure out a way to easily translate that into a cake so I decided to make a cake inspired by Michigan's iconic winged helmet for the tailgate.

I used a two layer chocolate cake recipe with the Wilton Helmet Pan to make the cake. I used some thinned white buttercream icing for a crumb layer and then used white icing to create a background behind the facemask and ear hole. I sketched out the lines for the wings with some icing and once I was happy with the shape I filled it in with maize and blue icing with a #16 star tip. I finished the helmet off by piping the facemask with some extra whipped chocolate ganache from the chocolate chili cupcakes I had made the day before. The facemask of the Wolverines' helmet is actually blue but I didn't think it would show up very well on the cake if I made it blue plus I think it is a crime to waste leftover chocolate ganache.

The tailgate was a lot of fun. It was a bit chilly but the sun was out most of the day and there was no miserable rain like two weeks prior at the Indiana game. Frank made his cheddar sausage soup which was perfect to keep everyone warm.

The game, however, was not so much fun to watch. Michigan played pretty poorly and for the second week in a row had negative rushing yards. They pulled ahead in the fourth quarter but Nebraska had a touchdown late in the game to seal their 17-13 win over Michigan. Hopefully the Wolverines fare better next week at Northwestern. Go Blue!

On a positive side note, my beloved Duke Blue Devils had a pretty good weekend with the football team beating NC State and the basketball team trouncing Davidson. The football team is now 7-2 which guarantees them a winning record which will be a first since 1994. I watched the basketball game on TV and all I can say is that Jabari Parker is awesome and I am looking forward to a great season. Go Duke! 

Comments

[Sandy]

Thank goodness you didn't waste that ganache! Perfect solution for leftover chocolate. The rest of the cake is pretty impressive too!

Do you make your own ganache? I've never tried. Is it hard to get the right consistency?

[Lisa]

Sandy- Thank you! I do make my own ganache. It's not that hard, I just melt chocolate, cream and butter in a double boiler. After it cools down to room temperature I whip it up in my mixer and then pipe it on whatever I baked. I'll have to share a recipe sometime on the blog.

[Sandy]

I would love to see your recipe! Thanks!

[Lisa]

Sandy- Next time I make it I will take some photos and make a post.

[Us Hs Sports]

If you are a football player then watching this friendly football
match is very important for you. A high school football game will
feature several star players. From which you can learn a lot.
If you want to watch the game, you must visit our site. Please Now.