New Year’s Typography Cake

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9 x 4-inch (22 x 10 cm) loaf pan with nonstick spray.
• In a large bowl, whisk together ¾ cup water, ⅓ cup (80 ml) oil, 3 egg whites, the flour, and 1 box of cake mix until smooth. Whisk in the purple gel food coloring until the color is evenly distributed.
• Pour the cake batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake according to the package instructions, 45–50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a wire rack and cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Set a wire rack over a baking sheet and grease with nonstick spray.
• Once completely cooled, trim ⅛ inch off both ends of the cake to expose the purple interior. Use the depth of the cookie cutter to measure the width and cut the cake into equal slices. It is important that the slices are even in width so the number cut-outs will all be the same size.
• One at a time, transfer the cake slices to a cutting board. Working carefully, use the cookie cutters to cut “2020” out of each slice. Use a cotton swab to gently release each punched-out number from the cookie cutters. Transfer the numbers to the prepared wire rack.
• In a small bowl, whisk together 2 egg whites. Brush the numbers on all sides with the egg whites. Transfer to the freezer and freeze uncovered for 6 hours, up to overnight.
• In a medium bowl, beat the remaining 3 egg whites with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy, just before soft peaks form. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9 x 4-inch (22 x 10 cm) loaf pan with nonstick spray.
• In a large bowl, combine the remaining cup of water and ⅓ cup (80 ml) oil. Add the remaining box of cake mix and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the rainbow sprinkles. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the whipped egg whites.
• Pour 1 cup of batter into the bottom of the prepared loaf pan and spread evenly. Remove the punched-out numbers from the freezer. Arrange the numbers crosswise in rows by standing upright in the batter so each row reads “2020”, leaving about ¼ inch (6 mm) of space at the ends of the pan.
• Gently pour the remaining batter over the numbers, but do not overfill the pan. You may have about ⅓ cup of batter left over.
• Bake the cake for 40–50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a wire rack and cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Use an offset spatula to spread the vanilla frosting over the cake. Decorate with gold flakes and sprinkles as desired.
• Place the sparkler candles in the cake, if using.
• Slice to reveal the numbers and serve.
• Enjoy!