Nutcracker Cake Recipes

NUTCRACKER CAKE

Steps:

• To make legs: Cut one paper towel tube in half widthwise. Roll out a small portion of red fondant into two 6x3x1/16-in.-thick rectangles. (Wrap remaining fondant in plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.), Dip paintbrush in water; moisten the top 3 in. of one paper towel tube half. Wrap fondant around moistened tube. Moisten seam with wet paintbrush; press to seal. Repeat for second leg., For pant cuffs, roll a small amount of yellow fondant into a 1/4-in.-thick rope; cut into two 6-in. sections. Attach to bottom edge of red fondant with water. Place tubes over dowels of Nutcracker Cake Stand. Invert cake stand's round plaque onto dowels; secure with screws according to instructions. , For boots: Shape white fondant into two 2x1-3/4x1-in. blocks; round edges of blocks slightly. Place blocks on base of cake stand in front of legs (arrange legs with seams to the back)., Roll a small amount of black fondant into 1/4-in. thickness; drape over one block and front of leg. Drape a second piece around back of leg, forming a boot. Press seams to seal. Repeat. Set cake stand aside., To make arms: Cut remaining paper towel tube in half widthwise. Using about two-thirds of a pouch of blue fondant, roll a 6x5-3/4x1/16-in.-thick rectangle., Dip paintbrush in water; moisten one paper towel tube half. Wrap fondant around tube, leaving 1/4 in. excess at the shoulder. Moisten inside of tube with wet paintbrush; tuck excess fondant into tube and press to secure. Moisten seam with wet paintbrush; press to seal. Repeat. (Wrap remaining fondant in plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.) Set arms aside., For hands: Tint about 1 pound of white fondant with ivory food coloring. Roll out a small amount to 1/8-in. thickness. Using a 3-in. mitten-shaped cookie cutter as a guide, cut out four hand shapes with 1-1/2-in. tabs at the tops for wrists. Wrap remaining ivory fondant and set aside., Moisten edges of hand shapes with water; gently press two cutouts together to form a hand. Moisten the wrist tabs; attach to the outside of the front and back of an arm (position arm so that the seam and thumb will face the body of the nutcracker). Repeat. Set arms aside to dry, supporting hands with the handle of a whisk or other kitchen utensil., To make cake: In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs and water; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour 2 cups batter into each of four greased and floured 6-in. round baking pans. Pour remaining batter into a greased and floured 1-qt. ovenproof bowl., Bake at 325° for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans and bowl to wire racks to cool completely., To prepare frosting: In a large bowl, combine confectioners' sugar and meringue powder. In the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer, combine the shortening, water and vanilla. Beat in sugar mixture until smooth., To make cuffs: Roll out a small portion of black fondant into two 6-1/2x1x1/16-in.-thick rectangles. Wrap around arms, covering wrists and forming cuffs. Attach with water., For trim, roll a small amount of yellow fondant into a 1/4-in.-thick rope; cut into four 6-1/2-in. sections. Add to top and bottom of each cuff, attaching with water., To assemble body: Using a serrated knife, level tops of three round cakes if necessary. Place one cake on a 6-in. cake circle; spread top with 1/2 cup frosting. Insert four 1-1/2-in. wooden cake dowels. Place several dabs of frosting on the round plaque base of the Nutcracker Cake Stand; top with cake., Place a second cake layer on remaining cake circle; spread top with 1/2 cup frosting. Top with third cake. Place cake on stand, positioning so that cake is evenly supported by dowels., Insert two 5-in. wooden cake dowels into body of cake, near the center and about 1-1/2 in. apart. Push dowels through top two layers, stopping when the cake circle is reached. (Top 1 to 2 in. of dowels will stick out of top of cake.) Frost top and sides of cake layers., Open remaining pouch of blue fondant; shape into a ball with reserved fondant from arms. Roll into two 10x7-1/2-in. rectangles. Drape one rectangle around back of cake, dividing excess fondant (about 1-1/2 in.) between top and bottom of cake. Gently fold excess over top of cake; fold excess around bottom of cake, attaching fondant to bottom of round plaque with frosting. Repeat with front panel; seal seams at sides of nutcracker with water., For head and hat: Using a serrated knife, level top of bowl-shaped cake and remaining round cake if necessary. Place round cake on a cake turntable or work surface; spread top with 1/2 cup frosting. Top with bowl-shaped cake, forming the head. Frost top and sides of cake., Roll reserved ivory fondant into a 16-in. circle; drape over head and gently tuck edges under. Place on body, allowing dowels to secure head. Roll yellow fondant into a 12x1/4-in.-thick rope; wrap around base of head and secure with wet paintbrush., For domed hat, place a 1-1/2-in. ball of white fondant on the lid of the frosting can. Roll red fondant into a 5-in. circle; drape over ball and lid. Gently moisten edges and secure to can. Roll a portion of red fondant into an 11-1/2x4-in. rectangle; wrap around frosting can and secure with water. Seal seam. Tuck excess fondant around bottom of can and attach with water., Roll a small amount of blue fondant into a 1-in. ball; place on top of hat. Roll yellow fondant into a 1/4-in.-thick rope; trim around ball and around top of hat, attaching with a wet paintbrush., To assemble and decorate: Using a hole punch, punch a hole 1/2 in. from the top of the inside portion of each arm. Carefully insert one end of the 8-1/4-in. wooden cake dowel into an arm hole; gently press dowel horizontally through cake. Attach remaining arm., Roll a small amount of yellow fondant into a 1/4-in.-thick rope; cut into two 6-1/2-in. sections. Moisten the shoulder edge of each arm; attach trim to ends of tubes., For epaulets, roll red fondant into two 1-3/4-in. balls; place on shoulders. Roll yellow fondant into two 3/4-in. balls; attach with a small amount of water to tops of red balls., Lightly spread frosting over top of head; top with hat. For hair, cut a small hole in the corner of pastry or plastic bag; insert #127 petal pastry tip. Fill bag with remaining frosting. Pipe columns around head, forming hair strands., Roll yellow fondant into a 12x1/4-in.-thick rope; attach around base of hat. Roll out remaining fondant as desired to decorate face and jacket. Let stand until set.

NUTCRACKER SWEET

Steps:

• Combine the crumbs, almonds and chocolate; set aside. , In a small bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually beat in 1/2 cup sugar until stiff peaks form; set aside. , In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves and remaining sugar. , In another bowl, beat egg yolks, oil and extract. Add to dry ingredients; beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Stir in crumb mixture. Fold in egg white. Pour into two greased 9-in. round baking pans lined with greased waxed paper. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Carefully remove waxed paper; cool completely. , In a bowl, beat cream and confectioners' sugar until soft peaks form. Add extract; beat until stiff peaks form. Split cake layers in half horizontally; spread almond cream over each layer. Stack on a serving plate. (Do not frost sides of cake.) , Garnish with grated semisweet chocolate if desired. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

NUTCRACKER

Steps:

• Add the rum, vodka, gin, elderflower liqueur, peach schnapps, lemonade, fruit punch and orange juice to a very large pitcher and stir to combine. Keep chilled in the refrigerator until ready to serve or immediately pour into ice-filled rocks glasses.

SWAN CAKE RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 170C/Gas 3. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until pale in colour. Add the eggs a little at a time then fold in the pecans, flour, baking powder, and ginger with its syrup. Divide between the tins and bake for 30 mins, until risen and springy. Remove from the oven, cool in the tins for two minutes, then cool on a wire rack.
• For the buttercream, use a mixer or an electric whisk to beat the butter with the icing sugar and rum. Place a tea towel over the top so that the icing sugar is contained.
• Place the cakes on a board and layer them up with the buttercream, reserving the remainder. Put the cake in the fridge to chill. Leave the leftover buttercream out at room temperature but cover.
• While the cake is chilling, make the gingerbread. Melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a pan then allow to cool slightly. Combine with the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices. Beat in the egg until all combined. Chill the dough for 20 mins.
• Heat the oven to 200C/Gas 6 and roll the dough to a thickness of 3mm, then cut out a 30cm (12in) long head and neck. Bake for 10 mins and allow to cool.
• For the meringue, heat the oven to 110C/Gas 1⁄4. Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, then add the sugar gradually while whisking, until the meringue is thick and glossy. Line a few baking trays with baking parchment, then spoon dollops of the mixture onto the trays, using a palette knife to spread them out to create 'feathers'. Make sure they're not too thin or they'll crack - keep the thickness to at least 1mm. Sprinkle with glitter and place in the oven for two hours until dry. Allow to cool, then peel from the tray using a palette knife.
• For the royal icing, mix the egg whites and icing sugar for five mins, until smooth. Put the icing into a piping bag and draw the outlines of the swan head onto the gingerbread biscuit. Carefully smooth any mistakes with a damp clean paintbrush. Allow to set for 10 mins. Water down the icing sugar with 1-2tsp of water so it's a pouring consistency. Spoon onto the neck and body, avoiding the beak and crown. Use a spoon to tease it into the corners, pop any bubbles with a cocktail stick, then sprinkle with a little glitter. Allow to dry for about 30 mins until the icing is set hard.
• To finish the cake, remove it from the fridge and cut a wedge-shaped piece from one side, as well as a slit for the neck. Trim the rounded side off the piece to create a triangle. Put the main cake and the triangle onto the serving plate at the back to create a heart shape. Cover the entire cake with the leftover buttercream.
• Press the neck into the slit in the cake. Starting from the back, gently push the meringue feathers onto the buttercream, overlapping until you reach the front.