Snow Castle Cake Food

MAMA'S SNOW CAKE

Steps:

• In a bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks and extracts; beat well. Combine flour, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Add coconut and orange zest. In a small bowl, beat egg whites with remaining salt until stiff peaks form; gently fold into batter. Pour into three greased 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (if wood burning stove is used, start peeking after 25 minutes). Cool in pans for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. , For icing, combine sugar, egg whites, water and corn syrup in a heavy saucepan or double boiler. With a portable mixer, beat on low for 1 minute. Continue beating on low speed over low heat until frosting reaches 160°, about 8-10 minutes. Pour into a bowl; add vanilla. Beat on high until stiff peaks form, about 7 minutes. Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread with frosting and sprinkle with coconut. Repeat. Top with last layer. Frost top and sides of cake; sprinkle with coconut.

EASY CASTLE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease and base line a round 13cm cake tin and a round 18cm cake tin. Place two muffin cases in a muffin tin.
• Put the butter and sugar into a large bowl and beat together until light and creamy. Add all the remaining ingredients except the jam and beat well. Half fill the muffin cases and then fill the two cake tins 3/4 full. Bake in the oven placing the cake tins on one shelf and the muffin tin on another. Open the oven door and remove the muffins and smaller cake quickly when they are done as you don't want to let the heat out of the oven. The muffins will take about 35 mins, the 13cm cake about 1 hour 10 mins and the 18cm cake about 1 1/2 hours. You know each is done when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow the cakes to become completely cold before icing.
• Trim the tops of the two cakes so they are flat. Slice each one in half, spread with jam and then sandwich together again. Using a 6cm cutter, cut each muffin to make a cylinder. Trim the tops flat. Sandwich together with jam to make a tower.
• To make the butter icing put the butter into a bowl and beat until soft. Gradually beat in the icing sugar. Spread the butter icing over both cakes and the muffin tower. Roll out the white icing and use to cover the two cakes. Place the larger one on a cake board. Put the smaller one on top. Roll a strip of white icing and wrap around the muffin tower. Place on top of the cake. Push a wooden skewer though the cakes to hold them together.
• Using about 150g pink icing, mould into an onion shape for the dome. Put to one side. Roll out a little pink icing and cut out a 6cm round and place on top of the muffin tower. Using the made up royal icing, attach the dome to the top of the tower.
• Using the pink icing make two doors and two curtains. Attach to the cake using royal icing. Make windows by rolling out the lilac icing and cutting out hearts using medium, small and tiny cutters. Attach these upside down to the cake with royal icing. Roll a small piece of lilac icing into a thin sausage and stick around the curtains to make the window frame.
• Again using the royal icing, stick on the pieces of gum around the doors, and the sugar cubes around the edge of the cakes. Attach silver balls to the dome to decorate and to the doors to make handles. Score horizontal lines down the doors to give a textured effect. Attach a piece of gum under each window on the middle tier and then stick three flowers on top to make window boxes.
• Colour the remaining royal icing green and spoon into a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle. Pipe creeper branches up the castle walls. Attach mini sugar flowers.
• Stick coloured flags or candles into the middle tier of the cake. Sprinkle a little edible glitter over the dome and sugar cubes.

SNOW CASTLE CAKE

Steps:

• Line 9-inch square pan with plastic wrap. Arrange cake slices on bottom and up sides of pan. Add boiling water to gelatin mixes in large bowl; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Add ice; stir until gelatin is slightly thickened. Remove any unmelted ice. Whisk in 1 cup COOL WHIP until blended. Refrigerate 15 min.
• Pour gelatin mixture into cake-lined pan; cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm.
• Unmold dessert onto plate; remove plastic wrap. Frost dessert with remaining COOL WHIP. Decorate with ice cream cones and candies to resemble a castle as shown in photo.

SNOW GLOBE CHEESECAKES

Steps:

• For the crust: Add the graham cracker crumbs, butter and salt to a large bowl and mix to combine. Mix in the red sprinkles.
• Divide the crumb mixture equally among the cavities of a 5-cavity silicone muffin mold with 4.57-ounce cavities and press into the bottom. Put the mold on a baking sheet and freeze while you make the cheesecake mixture.
• For the cheesecake: Combine the gelatin with 1/4 cup water in a small microwave-safe bowl and set aside to soften, about 5 minutes.
• Beat the cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until completely smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the confectioners' sugar, sour cream, lemon juice, vanilla and salt and beat on medium-high speed until incorporated and smooth, about 1 minute.
• Microwave the gelatin mixture, stirring as needed, until melted, about 30 seconds. Add the gelatin to the cream cheese mixture and beat on medium-high speed to combine, about 30 seconds.
• Divide the cheesecake batter among the cavities of the silicone mold on top of the crust and smooth out the tops. Tap the baking sheet a few times on a tabletop to release any air bubbles in the cheesecake. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
• For the gelatin snow globes: Place the attached PDF of Christmas trees on a rimmed baking sheet and place a piece of parchment on top.
• Add the green candy melting wafers and coconut oil to a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 15-second intervals, stirring in between each, until melted and smooth, about 1 minute. Add about 3 drops of green food coloring and mix to combine. Transfer to a small piping bag.
• Trace the outside border of the Christmas trees with the melted candy, then fill inside the borders, using a toothpick to move the melted candy around. Freeze to harden, about 5 minutes, and set aside at room temperature.
• Pour 3/4 cup of the lemon-lime soda into a small saucepan, sprinkle over the gelatin and whisk to combine. Let stand until the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes.
• Add the granulated sugar to the gelatin mixture and heat over medium-low heat, whisking occasionally, just until the gelatin and sugar dissolve, about 5 minutes.
• Pour the gelatin mixture into a large liquid measuring cup and stir in the remaining 2 cups lemon-lime soda. Use a spoon to scoop away any bubbles at the surface. Let sit at room temperature until the gelatin just begins to thicken and is the consistency of thin fruit jelly, about 20 minutes. Add the silver glitter and stir with a spoon. Scoop away any bubbles or lumped up sprinkles at the surface.
• Pour the mixture into the cavities of a 5-cavity silicone half-sphere mold with 4-ounce cavities and scoop away any bubbles at the surface. Refrigerate until the gelatin has thickened and is slightly set on top but still very wobbly, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Push a tree straight down into the center of each cavity and hold for a few seconds to allow the gelatin to split and fill back up around the tree. Refrigerate until completely set, at least 6 hours and up to overnight.
• To assemble: Fill a 9-by-13-inch glass dish with warm water. Set the half-sphere mold into the water and let sit until the gelatin spheres have loosened from the mold, about 5 minutes. Lift the mold from the water and invert onto a baking sheet. Set aside in the refrigerator.
• Carefully unmold the cheesecakes from the mold. Put the white nonpareils in a small bowl. Carefully dip the top of each cheesecake into the white nonpareils and transfer to a serving platter. Add a gelatin snow globe on top of each cheesecake.

SNOWBALL CAKE

Steps:

• In a bowl, sprinkle gelatin over cold water; let stand for 1 minute. Add boiling water; stir until gelatin is dissolved. Stir in sugar and lemon juice until sugar is dissolved. Add pineapple. Refrigerate until partially thickened, about 20 minutes. Fold in 4 cups whipped topping., Line a 3-qt. round bowl with plastic wrap. spoon about 2 cups pineapple mixture into bowl. Layer with half of the cake cubes and half of the remaining pineapple mixture. Repeat layers. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours., Unmold onto a serving plate. Spread remaining whipped topping over cake. Sprinkle with coconut.

SNOWMAN CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter and line the bases of two 18-19cm cake tins with baking parchment.
• Beat the butter and sugar with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the lemon zest, vanilla, flour, milk and a pinch of salt and blend until just combined, then evenly divide the mixture between the tins.
• Bake in the centre of the oven for 25-30 mins until a skewer inserted into the middle of each cake comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their tins for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
• To make the buttercream, put the butter in a large bowl and beat with an electric whisk until fluffy. Add the icing sugar 2-3 tbsp at a time until it is all incorporated, adding the vanilla and milk halfway through. Sandwich the cakes together with a little of the buttercream and put on a board. Use the remaining buttercream to cover the sides and top of the cake. Chill for 30 mins.
• To decorate, roll out the white fondant icing on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar until large enough to cover the top and sides of the cake. Drape the fondant icing over the cake and carefully mould to fit. Trim off any excess, wrap and set aside.
• Roll out the green icing and cut out a semi-circle, using the base of the cake tin as a guide; this will be the snowman's hat. Brush one side with a little water and stick on the cake. Cut a strip of green icing and make some markings to make it look like the band of a hat, then trim to the correct length and stick on.
• To make the nose, shape a round, flat lump from the orange icing. Mark a smile by gently pressing the rim of a water glass into the fondant. Cut out two circles from the black icing for the eyes, then add a small circle of white icing (from the offcuts) to make the eyes appear to sparkle. To make the scarf, wrap a strip of the blue icing around the base of the cake, then use a knife to add cuts for the fringe. Will keep for up to a week in an airtight container in a cool place.