24 Pies = 1 Cake-full

This post has been a long time coming.  Yesterday was my husband's birthday, and of course I am always responsible for making cakes on such occasions.  This cake, however, was no ordinary cake.

In 2007, Sam and his friend Vance had this conversation over Google chat:


Sam: we should invent a cake that has little tiny pies in it, that way you wouldn't have to choose
Vance: that may be the best idea you've ever had
Sam: yeah, way better than chocolate pants

Five years later, I decided to make that wish come true. I made a cake with tiny pies in it. Here's how I did it.

Step One: The Pies

I decided to keep this part pretty simple, since I knew the whole thing was going to be a bit of work, and I didn't know if it would actually work out in the end anyway.  So I had Sam make some pie crust, and I just used some store-bought cherry filling to make some pretty adorable tiny pies.  I used a mini muffin pan, which worked really well.  If you don't have one, I highly recommend getting one because they are a lot of fun!

Step Two: The Cake


In an effort to keep the flavor palate simple, I went with a plain yellow cake, which I often forget is quite delicious.  I mixed the batter, poured it into the pans, and simply placed the tiny pies on top.  In hindsight, I should have put the pies in upside down so they would end up being right side up once the cake was assembled.

Step Three: Assembly

I cooled the cake layers thoroughly, and assembled them as I would any other cake. I was afraid the pies would make the cake crumble more easily, but I think they actually held the cake together even better! I decided to make a simple whipped cream topping for this cake.

Whipped Cream for Cakes

~3c heavy whipping cream

~1c powdered sugar (to taste)

~2tbsp vanilla extract (to taste)

Whip until stiff enough to spread/pipe.

Here's the finished product!

I made this cake on Thursday, but had to wait until the party on Friday night to see if it actually worked, and if it actually tasted good.  It was a fun and exciting time for everyone, because we were all trying something totally new.  Also, we have a fairly new tradition with our friends, in that we put a shot on top of a birthday cake rather than candles.  His was bourbon and orangecello.

I was nervous to cut into the cake because I was certain that the texture/density disparity between the cake and the pies would make the cake fall apart, but it actually did really well until the very end, when most cakes  begin to fall apart anyway.  Here's the first slice!

Thanks to Melissa Gogo for the awesome photos!!

I was so excited to see it actually worked!  And not only did it look really neat, but it tasted SO good!  The cherry pie plus the moist yellow cake, with bits of buttery, flaky pie crust and creamy whipped cream - delicious!!  I honestly did not expect to enjoy it, but I really did!  I think the key is to not over-saturate with flavor to keep the cake light.

So delicious!

Some other flavor combinations we came up with during the party:

Chocolate cake with banana cream pies

White cake with lemon pies and meringue frosting

German chocolate cake with pecan pies

Spice cake with apple pies and caramel frosting

Can you think of any others?  If you try a pie-filled cake, let me know in the comments!!

I'm glad that Sam enjoyed his birthday, and delicious pie-filled cake was had by all.