Surprise Canada Day Cake

Make the maple leaves: Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, cream the butter with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add the sugar and mix until combined. Add the vanilla extract and egg and mix well. Add the flour mixture in 2 additions, alternating with the milk. Add the red food colouring and dye the batter your desired shade of red. Pour the batter into a greased 9×9 square baking pan and bake at 350F for 20 minutes, or until fully cooked. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely. Use a maple leaf-shaped cookie cutter or a paper stencil to cut out 2 1/2” diameter leaves from the red cake. Set aside.

Make the white batter: Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, cream the butter with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add the sugar and mix until combined. Add the vanilla extract and egg and mix well. Add the flour mixture in 2 additions, alternating with the milk.

Bake the cake: Grease a 9” loaf pan and pour 1/3 of the white batter into the bottom of the pan. Line up the maple leaf cakes in the center of the loaf pan, making sure they are pressed together to create a long, solid shape. Spoon the remaining white batter around the sides and top of the leaves, making sure they are fully covered. Bake at 350F for 50-60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the all edges of the cake comes out clean. This style of cake takes longer to cook than usual, so make sure to check all sides of the white cake to make sure they are cooked. If it is still raw, pop the cake back in the oven for 5 minutes at a time. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then remove from the pan and transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely.

Make the frosting: Place the butter in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined. Add the confectioner’s sugar and beat until pale and fluffy, 3-4 minutes.

Spread the frosting onto the cake and top with Canada-themed sprinkles. Slice to reveal the maple leaf inside!