RED UGLY SWEATER RECIPES

Steps:

• Prepare the Cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13-by-9-inch baking pan with butter and dust with flour; set aside. Beat sugar and butter with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed until well combined, about 2 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until just combined after each addition, about 1 minute total. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl using a flexible spatula.
• Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Stir together milk, water, red velvet bakery emulsion, and vinegar in a 2-cup measuring cup or a medium bowl. With stand mixer running on medium-low speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk mixture, beating until just combined, about 1 minute. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cake cool in pan 10 minutes. Run an offset spatula around edges of pan, and remove cake. Transfer cake to a wire rack, and let cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Prepare the Frosting: Fill a medium saucepan with water to a depth of 1 inch; bring to a boil over medium-high. Reduce heat to low to maintain a gentle simmer. Place white chocolate in a medium-size heatproof bowl (bowl should be large enough to sit inside rim of saucepan but not touch the water below), and place bowl over simmering water. Cook, stirring often, until white chocolate is melted and only a few small lumps remain, about 3 minutes. Remove bowl from saucepan. Stir white chocolate constantly until fully melted. Let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
• Beat cooled melted white chocolate, cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in a large bowl with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on low speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Reduce mixer speed to low, and gradually beat in powdered sugar until combined, about 3 minutes. Measure ? cup frosting into a small bowl; stir in green food coloring until desired shade of green. Spoon green-dyed frosting into a piping bag fitted with a star tip (such as Ateco 822). Reserve remaining undyed frosting in large bowl.
• Place cake on a platter. Spread cake top and sides with an even, smooth layer of undyed white frosting. Arrange cake lengthwise in front of you (with 1 short edge facing you). Pipe green-dyed Frosting into a large "V" on the top third of the cake, with each top corner of the "V" meeting 1 top corner of the cake. Pipe a vertical line running lengthwise down the center of the cake starting at the bottom tip of the "V".  Pipe 2 horizontal lines running crosswise across the cake, 1 line about halfway down and 1 line about three-quarters of the way down the length of the cake. Arrange peppermint candies along the lengthwise, vertical line to make buttons. Fill the different sections of the cake "sweater" with assorted sprinkles.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray.
• In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. In small bowl, place 1 1/4 cups of the batter; stir in 1/2 teaspoon of the green food color. In another small bowl, place 1 1/4 cups of the batter; stir in 1/2 teaspoon of the red food color. Pour remaining cake batter in bottom of pan. Drop tablespoonfuls of each colored batter in random pattern over top; pull table knife through batter to make swirls.
• Bake 28 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Run knife around side of pan to loosen cake. Place cooling rack upside down over cake. Turn upside down carefully so cake is on rack, and remove pan. Turn upside down onto another rack, and flip cake right side up. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• In medium bowl, place 1 1/2 cups of the frosting; tint with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons green food color. In small bowl, place 1/3 cup of the frosting; tint with remaining 1/2 teaspoon red food color. Spoon into small resealable freezer plastic bag; partially seal bag. Cut off small corner of bag; set aside. Spoon 2/3 cup untinted frosting into another small resealable freezer plastic bag; partially seal bag. Cut off small corner of bag; set aside.
• Place cake, top side up, on serving platter. Spread green frosting on top and sides of cake. Using untinted frosting, pipe an upside-down triangle for the V-neck of the sweater in center of cake. Pipe 2 thick lines of untinted frosting lengthwise in center of cake. Pipe 2 red lines horizontally on either side of center line.
• Using photo as a guide, decorate as directed below: Buttons: Place 4 peppermint candies on center line for buttons. String of Lights: Pipe a line using cookie icing, place 2 of each color (blue, red, orange and yellow) chocolate candies on line. Candy Canes: Place 2 miniature candy canes crossed in center into frosting. Gumdrop Flowers: For each flower, place 6 halved pieces in a circle with 1 yellow chocolate candy placed in center. Santa Claus: Pipe a circle of untinted frosting for face, beard and brim of hat. Using red frosting, pipe a triangle for hat, and top with a small dab of untinted frosting for pom pom. Place 2 candy eyes in center of circle. Add a red cinnamon candy for a nose. Christmas Tree: Place 14 green chocolate candies to make a triangle, place 1 yellow chocolate candy on top of triangle for star, place 2 brown chocolate candies for trunk. Reindeer: Place Peanut Butter Cup top side down into frosting. Squeeze small amount of untinted frosting to attach 2 candy eyes and milk chocolate for nose, place halved pretzel for antlers.
• Cut cake in 4 rows by 3 rows. Store loosely covered at room temperature.