Catholic Recipe: Appetizer Cake

Men love sweets and generally admit it. So no matter how they may pooh-pooh the idea of a birthday party, they'll be pleased when a beautiful, rich, extravagantly decorated birthday cake appears. Skip the candles, probably, unless there are children in the family who insist on helping Daddy blow them out. But don't miss the opportunity to have the cake his favorite — chocolate, angel's food, golden daffodil, or marble — and with the frosting swirled high and handsome.

For a birthday cocktail party for a man, this Appetizer Cake is a delightful novelty. The bread is shaped as a cake, with layers with fillings of chicken, egg and ham fillings, and covered with a cream cheese frosting.

DIRECTIONS

Dissolve yeast in water according to package directions. Add sugar, evaporated milk, oil, parsley flakes, instant minced onion, fines herbes, and salt. Stir in 1 cup flour; beat until smooth. Cover; let stand in warm place (80°-85°) 1 hour, until bubbly. Stir in remaining flour. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead until smooth. Place in greased bowl; cover; let rise until double in bulk. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into 9-inch circle; place in 2 greased 9-inch layer cake pans. Let rise until doubled. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Remove from pans at once; cool on rack. Split cooled layers and spread 3 of them respectively with Egg Filling (see recipe), Chicken Filling (see recipe), and Ham Filling (see recipe). Top with fourth layer; frost "cake" with Cream Cheese Frosting (see recipe). Sprinkle top with grated sharp Cheddar cheese. Decorate with sliced stuffed olives. Cut in small wedges to serve.