Cherry Chip Celebration Cake with Hershey’s Birthday Cake Kisses

Created by cookingupsomedough on September 12, 2016

1 package White Cake Mix
Replace water with equal amount of milk
Replace oil with butter and double the amount
1 additional egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons cherry syrup from maraschino cherries (from jar below)
10 fluid ounces jar maraschino cherries, drained, stemmed and finely chopped (reserve syrup)

Mix cake according to package directions, making the addition of the egg and replacing oil and water with melted butter and milk. Add the vanilla and cherry syrup and mix.
Stir in the maraschino cherries by hand. Bake cake according to package directions.
While the cake is baking, make your buttercream frosting. Refrigerate.
Unwrap the candy kisses. Cut about 40 in half. Set both aside until ready to decorate.
After the cake has completely cooled, lay strips of parchment or wax paper around the edges of the cake stand. Add a dollop of icing in the center of the plate and lay the first layer of the cake on top. The icing anchors the cake and prevents it from sliding as you decorate and the paper strips keep the plate edges clean. Give both layers a crumb coat and refrigerate about 30 minutes until buttercream is firm.
Ice cake again generously with the buttercream. Gently press sprinkles into the side of the cake. Press kisses randomly into the sides of the cake, adding a few of those that have been cut so that inside is facing outward. After decorating the sides, add kisses to the top of the cake. Add sprinkles to the top to cover the spaces between the kisses.
Once your icing and decorations are complete, gently pull the paper strips from under the edges of the cake.
Enjoy!