Christmas Archives - Page 6 of 55 - Garden Seeds and Honey Bees

Sparkling Cider Cake

Recipe makes 24 cupcakes or 3 six-inch round cakes

Line cake pans with parchment paper

Cake

Ingredients:

*3/4 cup Butter, room temperature

*3/4 to 1 cup Sugar, I like the less sugar

*3 Eggs, room temperature

*1 teaspoon Clear Vanilla Extract

*1 and 3/4 cups All-purpose Flour, sifted twice

*1/4 cup Cornstarch

*2 teaspoons Baking Powder

*1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt

*1 cup Sparkling Cider, room temperature and fold in at the end

Instructions:

Cream together in a stand mixer, with paddle attachment, on medium low-speed the butter and sugar until a light yellow color. Then add the vanilla and 1 egg at a time until eggs are fully incorporated.

Sift together in a bowl the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and sea salt.

Slowly add the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture on medium low-speed and mix just until the batter is smooth, be careful not to over mix. Then fold in by hand the Sparkling Cider, batter will be foamy.

Scoop evenly between 3 round cake pans and bake at 350*F. for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before freezing or frosting.

Frosting

Ingredients:

*5 cups Powdered Sugar

*1 cup Butter, room temperature

*1/2 cup White Vegetable Shortening

*1 teaspoon Clear Vanilla Extract

*1/4 cup Sparkling Cider, room temperature, add more as needed

Instructions:

In a bowl combine the powdered sugar, butter, shortening, vanilla and cider. Use a hand mixer and beat together until light and creamy. Frost or pipe on frosting on the cake just before serving and decorate with rose gold sprinkles.

Sparkling Cider Syrup, optional but adds extra flavor to the cake

*1/2 cup Sugar

*1/2 cup Sparkling Cider

Instructions:

In a saucepan on medium low heat, heat the sugar and cider just until sugar dissolves and becomes a syrup. Drizzle syrup over top of the 3 round cakes before frosting.

**Decorate cake right after frosting just before serving with Sixlets, Sprinkles, sugar crystal sprinkles and round decorative candies as desired.

*Wilton’s Rose Gold Sanding Sugar, found at Walmart

*Rose Gold Sixlets for Cupcake Toppers, at Party Stores

*Silver Foil Cupcake Liners,Walmart

Also see Our Sparkling Cider Cupcakes for additional tips.

See our Rose Gold New Year’s Eve Party

Enjoy!

Lindy

Soda Cracker Toffee

Special Supplies:

*1/2 Baking Sheet

*Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil

*Cooking Spray, like Pam

Ingredients:

*1 and 1/2 sleeves Soda Crackers (54 Crackers)

*1 cup Butter

*3/4 cup tightly packed Brown Sugar

*1 cup Milk Chocolate Chips, like Guittard Milk Chocolate Chips

*1 cup 60 percent Dark Chocolate Chips, like Ghirardelli

*1 teaspoon Coconut Oil, like LouAna

Instructions:

Preheat oven 350*F.

On a half baking sheet covered with aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray lay out the soda crackers. Set aside.

In a sauce pan on medium heat add the butter and brown sugar. Bring mixture to a boil and boil for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and pour/drizzle mixture over the soda crackers. Smooth out across soda crackers. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes or until bubbly. Set aside and melt chocolate chips.

In a microwave safe bowl melt the milk and dark Chocolate Chips along with the coconut oil In the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between increment, just until melted. You can also melt the chips in a Wilton’s melting pot. Pour and smooth out the melted chocolate on the candy toffee covered soda crackers. Add desired toppings and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours in the fridge until totally cooled and set.

Topping Ideas:

*Cashews or favorite nuts

*Crushed Candy Canes/Peppermint Candy

*Crushed Toffee, like Heath

*Fleur de Sel

*Holiday Sprinkles etc…

*Mini M&M’s