Baking for the Bach: Frosted Picnics

Whew, last week was something. The episode was jam-packed with dates and ended on a cliffhanger, which is always kind of odd on reality TV. I already mentioned how cute I thought the idea was behind Matt's date with Bri (toppling vehicle not-withstanding) and I like their chemistry too.

On the backend of this, the group date—an essentially messier version of 'capture the flag'—was beyond crazy to me. Have none of these girls ever had to play that game in gym class? Also, were the paintball rules really necessary to throw in there? They would get messy enough with all the tackling anyway. I couldn't follow it. What really got to me, and always gets to me on this show, is how many girls were so concerned with how important it was to win so that Matt could learn about them rather than being excited to learn about the guy they supposedly came there for. And meanwhile, every time someone shares something upsetting or traumatic, Matt's first response is "how can I make this easier for you?" Victoria may be looking for a king, but this man is a saint!

We didn't get much in the ways of date plans in the preview for this episode, but we sure got a lot of drama. According to some online chatter, there is a group date involving some girls writing steamy love scenes, which should get...interesting. Our other nod to a date beyond the drama is a one-on-one picnic—which strangely looks like its surrounded by donkeys that keep trying to eat their food and drink their champagne—the definition of romance.

While we're freezing our butts off in Matt's native NYC, the weather there seems perfect for an outdoor meal. So I decided to combine the best of both with a checkerboard cake, which I will be referring to as a Frosted Picnic. The pattern on the cake mimics one you'd find on an old school picnic blanket, and of course, what cake comes without frosting?

This is probably the most logistically difficult cake I've made in the series, if only because there are so many steps. The key here is to get the layering just right so that when you cut into it, it creates a checkerboard pattern. Step 1: bake your cakes!

I went with two alternative recipes for this one, an everyday (but still delicious) vanilla cake and a picnic staple, the brownie.

The recipes came out great, with the vanilla cake tasting exactly how you hope the classic would and the brownie, rich and decadent while still being able to hold up and bounce back like a cake would (instead of the fudgey brownies that are more for snacking than stacking). Now in the spirit of remaining true to its namesake, I recommend freezing the cakes before moving on to assembling. I had a square tin and found a great tutorial that walked me through how to outline and cut it without having to buy a ton of cake molds I'd likely never use again.

One cut, I had to make the icing. A regular buttercream works for this (another classic), but if you're feeling creative, feel free to riff and use whatever you'd like. You're going to want to stack them in alternating flavors (brownie outside, then vanilla, then brownie center, or vice versa), and frost the top, then do the opposite on the next layer. Again, the tutorial is way more helpful—and less confusing—than I am.

Once its done, you should get a pattern similar to what you see in the picture above. While technically, this is a bit more difficult than your average cake, the merging of flavors and the presentation is so incredible and fun. The chocolate and vanilla work together to create a fully rounded and luxurious flavor profile, elevating the two classics. Here's hoping the picnic date is as entertaining as this cake!