Double recipe of your favorite Vanilla or Yellow Birthday Cake (I can always trust Martha Stewart for baking recipes. But I add Mexican vanilla if it’s just for kids, or in this case my favorite Vanilla Bean Paste by Nielsen Massey)
Double recipe Vanilla Buttercream Frosting (you won’t use the entire amount, but your children will take care of the rest!)
Cooking spray
Souffle Pan or oven proof large bowl for baking
Candy of your choice for the piñata filling (I used sour gummy worms, Chewy Sweet Tarts and Skittles)
Instructions
After preparing the cakes, divide the batter in half. Bake two cakes according to directions. I baked mine in souffle pans. You want a deep pan so you have enough depth in the cake to scoop out the filling. If you have oven proof bowls or deep cake pans, that will also work well.
Place cakes on a rack and allow to cool fully. Then slice off a thin layer on top (using a serrated knife) so the cakes will lie flat on top of each other. Leaving a half inch perimeter, scoop out 1.5 inches deep of cake filling on bothcakes. Fill generously with candy, piling up high in the center (you want enough candy so it will spill out when you cut it, like a piñata!).
Frost the outer perimeter of the cake, then invert the second cake. Frost the entire cake and decorate as you like. I loved sprinkling the top with small rainbow sprinkles.
When you cut into the cake, the piñata candy filling will pour out. Cut quickly as it will cave as soon as you begin slicing. Enjoy!