lindy, Author at Garden Seeds and Honey Bees

We made this Frozen Ice Candy Cake for my Grandma’s Birthday. Make sure to visit the website below for more on the “Frozen” ideas.

White Cake

Recipe is for a two 9 inch layer cake, you will have some extra batter. Only fill cake pans three fourths full or little less.

Dry ingredients:

* 3 cups Cake Flour, 24 ounces
*4 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoon Baking Powder, 1.5 ounces
*2 1/2 teaspoons Salt, 0.50 ounces

Cream together:

*1 1/2 cups Shortening, 12 ounces
*4 cups Sugar, 32 ounces
*2 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract, 0.32 ounces
*1 teaspoon Almond Extract, 0.18 ounces

Add to creamed mixture:

*1 1/2 cups Skim Milk, 12 ounces
*Food Coloring, optional

Mix in the milk and then adding the dry ingredients in small amounts until all is combined.

Bake the Cakes at 350*F for 30-40 minutes being careful not to over bake. Test the cake with a tooth pick, when it comes out clean

Buttercream Frosting for Two Layer Cake

*2 cups Butter, 1 pound
*1 cup Shortening, 8 ounces
*2 pounds Confectioners’ Sugar, about 1 bag plus 1 cup or more
*6 teaspoons Meringue Powder mixed in 2/3 cup Water
*1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
*2 teaspoon Vanilla

Cream together the butter/shortening, sugar and then add all the other above ingredients together. Then blend in mixer on medium speed. Then on high speed until light and fluffy.

Optional: For a softer Buttercream Frosting add 2 tablespoons of Water. We wanted a little bit stiffer frosting so we left it out. If you want to do any piping on the cake, refrigerate the frosting about an hour before piping it onto the cake.

Cake and Frosting Recipes adapted from Wayne Gisslen, Professional Baking

You can see similar decorated cake and Blue Ice Candy at Bubbly Nature Creations

Blue Ice Candy

*3 3/4 cups Sugar
*1 1/2 cups Light Corn Syrup
*1 cup Water

**1 tablespoon Lemon extract, or flavoring of your choice
**Food coloring

Combine the sugar, light corn syrup and water on medium heat and bring to a boil, now without stirring (we used a coated cast Iron pot). **(Flavoring and coloring are added after your candy is done cooking) cook to hardball stage.

Making hard candy takes about 25 minutes to cook so be patient and use a candy thermometer to cook to the right temperature 300 to 310*F. (149 to 154*C), you could also test it by dropping some drops of the Candy syrup into a cup of cold water, it should form a very hardball.

Remove pot/pan from heat and pour syrup onto a greased parchment lined half baking sheet. Allow to cool, remove parchment with hardened Candy and break into desired pieces. You could also dust with powdered sugar before storing in a air tight container.

Hard Candy recipe from Allrecipes

Enjoy!

Jessica

This is yet another recipe from our Jungle Baby Shower.

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

Cream together:

*3/4 cup Butter, at room temperature
*2/3 cup Granulated Sugar
*2 large Eggs
*2/3 cup Brown Sugar, packed
*2 teaspoons Vanilla

Add:

*1 cup Buttermilk, I used powder Buttermilk reconstituted
*1/2 cup Sour Cream, at room temperature
*2 tablespoons Water
Sift the following and then add to the above wet ingredients:
*1 3/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
*1 cup Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate Powder
*1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda

Mix in a mixer until well combined. Add batter to muffin tins, with cupcake liners and fill them three fourths full. Bake the cupcakes in a pre-heated oven at 350*F. for 18-20 minutes. Cool completely before frosting. This recipe made 24 cupcakes, but it will depend on how full you fill each cupcake cup/liner with the batter.

Recipe adapted from Food Net Work

Buttercream Frosting

*1 cup Butter, 8 ounces
*1/2 cup Shortening, 4 ounces
*1 pound 4 ounces Confectioners’ Sugar, about 1/2 bag plus 1/2 cup
*1-2 Egg Whites, 1.25 ounces or 1/3 cup Water and 3 teaspoons Meringue Powder
*1/2 teaspoon Lemon Juice
*1 teaspoon Vanilla
*1/2 teaspoon Peppermint extract
*Green Food Coloring

Cream all the above ingredients together. Then blend in mixer on medium speed, then on high speed until light and fluffy. Being careful not to over mix.

Optional: For a softer Buttercream Frosting add 2 tablespoons of Water. We wanted a little bit stiffer frosting so we left it out. We also refrigerated the frosting before piping it onto the cupcake.

Decorating Cupcakes:

Pipe frosting onto cupcake leaving a rim on the cupcake open to frost with ganache, frost with ganache around the edge of the cup cake and sprinkle mini chocolate chips to the ganache edge of cupcake. Add a mint cookie if desired.

Chocolate Ganache

*9-12 ounces Bittersweet Chocolate, broken in pieces
*1 cup Heavy Cream or I used Whipping Cream and it turned out great
*1 teaspoon Peppermint extract

Put the above ingredients in a double boiler (except for peppermint extract) on medium low heat until melted and chocolate looks glossy then add peppermint extract. Let cool and Drizzle onto frosted Decorated Cupcakes. (This is also the ganache to frost around the edge of the cupcake.)