Shower Dome Cakes Tablescape Centerpiece Recipes

TABLESCAPE CENTER PIECE MINI CAKES THREE WAYS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Spray the mini brioche tins with nonstick cooking spray. Lightly dust with flour and place on a sheet tray. Line cupcake tin with white paper liners.
• Prepare the cake mix according to package instructions, substituting the buttermilk for the water in recipe. Fill the brioche tins and cupcakes 2/3 of the way to the top. You should get about 18 cupcakes. Bake, rotating pans halfway, until tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Brioche tins will take about 8 to 10 minutes, cupcakes will take 12 to 15 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and cool 5 minutes before unmolding and cooling completely on a wire cooling rack.
• To make the poured icing for mini fluted cakes: Combine 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar with enough lemon juice to form a thin glaze about the consistency of syrup. Dye with equal amounts of red and blue food coloring until the desired lavender color is reached. Place the cakes upside down on a cooling rack fitted inside a sheet tray. Pour the icing over the top of the cakes, allowing it to drip down the sides and completely coat the cake. Allow to set up.
• Meanwhile, mix enough of the confectioner's sugar (1/4 to 1/3 cup) for the icing to thicken; it should be about the consistency of pancake batter. Add an additional drop or 2 of each food coloring to deepen the color. Place the icing in a small zip top bag and snip the corner. Pipe just over the top of the fluted cake, allowing it to drip down the sides.
• To make the frosting for the cupcakes, combine the can of vanilla frosting with enough of the remaining confectioners' sugar to stiffen slightly and allow the frosting hold a shape when piped. Color with equal amounts of red and blue food coloring to the desired lavender color. Place in a pastry bag or a resealable zip top bag fitted with a round pastry tip. Put 12 cupcakes into lavender cupcake covers. Pipe the frosting on top, holding the tip just above surface of the cupcake and raising slightly as you squeeze to form a ball of frosting.
• To assemble: Place the cupcakes evenly spaced on the largest bottom tier and top each with a small sprig of lavender. On the middle tier arrange the fluted cakes evenly. On the top tier place 4 store bought petit fours. Once on the table, sprinkle the whole stand with edible glitter.

SUGAR CUBE HOUSE (TABLESCAPE CENTERPIECE)

Steps:

• Draw a 7 by 7-inch square in the center of 1 piece of the foam core board as a guide for the foundation of the house. Start gluing the sugar cubes around the outline with either the hot glue or royal icing. Make sure to leave a space for the door and once you get to the third level of cubes, leave space for 2 windows on each side. Once the sides are 5 to 6 inches high, arrange the sugar cubes in a pyramid pattern on 2 ends of the house to form the pitched support walls for the roof.
• Cut the second piece of foam core to form a 10 by 10-inch square and score it down the middle. Bend it in half to form a peaked roof and glue it to the top of the house. Decorate the roof with the marshmallows or round white candies.
• Fill the pastry bag or resealable bag with some of the frosting and use it to fill in any gaps in the house or on or around the roof.
• Use any remaining sugar cubes, round white candies, white chewy candies, or marshmallows to adorn the house or make decorations (trees, bushes, fences, or snowmen) around the house on the foam core board. Use extra icing to create snowdrifts around the house. Place the battery operated votive light inside the house to illuminate it.

TABLESCAPE CENTERPIECE - CANDY CASTLE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray each cake pan and 1 of the cups from the muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Coat the pans lightly with flour, tapping out the excess.
• In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the cake mix with butter. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix to incorporate. Slowly add the buttermilk and mix on medium for 2 minutes, until well incorporated. Fill each prepared pan and muffin cup 2/3 of the way to the top. Bake for 30 to 50 minutes or until tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. The large cake will take closer to 50 minutes, while muffin will be closer to 15 minutes. When cool enough to handle, remove the cakes from the pans and cool completely, right side up, on a wire cooling rack.
• Royal icing: In a medium bowl beat together the confectioners' sugar, meringue powder and lemon juice with a hand mixer or whisk, and slowly add some of the water until smooth. Continue to add water by the teaspoonful with the beaters running until the icing drops from the beaters, but holds a line when drawn in with the back of a spoon. Fill the resealable bag with royal icing and snip the corner when ready to use.
• To assemble: Using a clean pastry brush, lightly coat the sugar cones with piping gel. Hold the cones over a plate and sprinkle each with the pink and orange sprinkles. Make sure the cones are completely coated with nonpareils. Set aside to dry slightly.
• Using a serrated knife, level the tops of each of the square cakes and the muffin. Adhere 1 square cake to the 7-inch square cardboard cake board, and the muffin cake to the 3-inch round cardboard cake board with a dab of frosting. Put a layer of frosting on top of the square cake and put the second layer on top of that. Ice both cakes with a thin layer of frosting and put in the refrigerator to set up about 15 minutes. Ice the cakes again with a slightly thicker layer of frosting.
• Knead the fondant to make it more pliable. On a clean surface dusted with cornstarch roll out 3/4 of the fondant to 1/4-inch thickness. Lift with the backsides of your hands and put it over the center of the frosted square cake. Lightly dust your hands with cornstarch, and smooth the fondant down and around sides of cake. Lift the cake up and trim the excess fondant close to the cake board with kitchen shears or a paring knife. Repeat with the small muffin cake and the remaining fondant, then place center it on top of the square cake.
• Pipe a small bead of royal icing around the base of each sugar cone and put 1 on each corner of the square cake and 1 atop the center of the small round muffin cake. Using royal icing for 'glue' adhere the licorice candies vertically around the sides of the small round cake, close to the top of the cake, spacing them out. Take 2 pink and 1 orange licorice twists and twist them together to form 1 rainbow twist. Repeat with the remaining twists. Secure the licorice twists vertically to the 4 corner edges of the cake with royal icing and toothpicks, if needed. It should cover the edge from the bottom of the cake to the top. Cut 2 orange sour candies in 1/2 along the diagonal and put each 1/2 atop the licorice twists. Arrange 5 orange (Spree) candies in a horizontal line towards the top of 1side of the cake. This will be the front of the cake. Attach the strawberry and cherry candies in a grid pattern close to the bottom of the cake, under the line of orange candies to form a doorway. Cut the remaining orange sour candies in 1/2 on the diagonal, and glue each 1/2 on top of the doorway, pointed side up. Glue the gum vertically along the top edges of the square cake and on the top edge of the round muffin cake making sure to leave a 1/2-inch space between each. Glue the orange segment candies, flat edge down, all along the bottom edge of the square cake, but not over the door. Let the icing sit for 1 hour to dry before transferring the centerpiece to a cake pedestal.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray each cake pan and 1 of the cups from the muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Coat the pans lightly with flour, tapping out the excess.
• In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the cake mix with butter. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix to incorporate. Slowly add the buttermilk and mix on medium for 2 minutes, until well incorporated. Fill each prepared pan and muffin cup 2/3 of the way to the top. Bake for 30 to 50 minutes or until tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. The large cake will take closer to 50 minutes, while muffin will be closer to 15 minutes. When cool enough to handle, remove the cakes from the pans and cool completely, right side up, on a wire cooling rack.
• Royal icing: In a medium bowl beat together the confectioners' sugar, meringue powder and lemon juice with a hand mixer or whisk, and slowly add some of the water until smooth. Continue to add water by the teaspoonful with the beaters running until the icing drops from the beaters, but holds a line when drawn in with the back of a spoon. Fill the resealable bag with royal icing and snip the corner when ready to use.
• To assemble: Using a clean pastry brush, lightly coat the sugar cones with piping gel. Hold the cones over a plate and sprinkle each with the pink and orange sprinkles. Make sure the cones are completely coated with nonpareils. Set aside to dry slightly.
• Using a serrated knife, level the tops of each of the square cakes and the muffin. Adhere 1 square cake to the 7-inch square cardboard cake board, and the muffin cake to the 3-inch round cardboard cake board with a dab of frosting. Put a layer of frosting on top of the square cake and put the second layer on top of that. Ice both cakes with a thin layer of frosting and put in the refrigerator to set up about 15 minutes. Ice the cakes again with a slightly thicker layer of frosting.
• Knead the fondant to make it more pliable. On a clean surface dusted with cornstarch roll out 3/4 of the fondant to 1/4-inch thickness. Lift with the backsides of your hands and put it over the center of the frosted square cake. Lightly dust your hands with cornstarch, and smooth the fondant down and around sides of cake. Lift the cake up and trim the excess fondant close to the cake board with kitchen shears or a paring knife. Repeat with the small muffin cake and the remaining fondant, then place center it on top of the square cake.
• Pipe a small bead of royal icing around the base of each sugar cone and put 1 on each corner of the square cake and 1 atop the center of the small round muffin cake. Using royal icing for 'glue' adhere the licorice candies vertically around the sides of the small round cake, close to the top of the cake, spacing them out. Take 2 pink and 1 orange licorice twists and twist them together to form 1 rainbow twist. Repeat with the remaining twists. Secure the licorice twists vertically to the 4 corner edges of the cake with royal icing and toothpicks, if needed. It should cover the edge from the bottom of the cake to the top. Cut 2 orange sour candies in 1/2 along the diagonal and put each 1/2 atop the licorice twists. Arrange 5 orange (Spree) candies in a horizontal line towards the top of 1side of the cake. This will be the front of the cake. Attach the strawberry and cherry candies in a grid pattern close to the bottom of the cake, under the line of orange candies to form a doorway. Cut the remaining orange sour candies in 1/2 on the diagonal, and glue each 1/2 on top of the doorway, pointed side up. Glue the gum vertically along the top edges of the square cake and on the top edge of the round muffin cake making sure to leave a 1/2-inch space between each. Glue the orange segment candies, flat edge down, all along the bottom edge of the square cake, but not over the door. Let the icing sit for 1 hour to dry before transferring the centerpiece to a cake pedestal.

TABLESCAPE CENTER PIECE - GOLDEN CAKE TOPPER CENTERPIECE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 6 by 3-inch high cake pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, butter, and milk. Using a hand mixer, beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl to be sure the batter is well incorporated. Fold the dulce de leche into the batter, but do not completely incorporate. Fill the cake pan 2/3 of the way to the top. Make cupcakes with the remaining batter. Line a muffin tin with paper liners and using an ice-cream scoop, fill the muffin tins with batter. Bake the cupcakes for 10 to 12 minutes, and the cake for 20 to 25 minutes. The tops should be golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool 10 minutes before unmolding and cooling completely on a wire rack, right side up.
• Frosting: In a mixing bowl, beat together the vanilla frosting and the dulce de leche until well incorporated. Add enough confectioners' sugar to make the frosting thick but spreadable.
• To decorate the cake, use a serrated knife to cut the top of the cake to make it flat. Adhere the cake to a 6-inch cardboard cake board, and ice the top and sides of the cake with frosting in a swirl pattern. Decorate the top with gold dragees, and the number candles. Frost the cupcakes and arrange them on a serving platter.