Pretty Poinsettia Cake
by the Editors of Easy Home Cooking Magazine
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Publications International, Ltd., the Editors of. "Pretty Poinsettia Cake." 31 August 2006. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/pretty-poinsettia-cake-recipe.htm> 29 August 2008.
Pretty Poinsettia Cake
Yield: Makes 16 servings
This holiday floral design is so versatile you can use it all year round. For spring or summer, turn the poinsettias into pastel posies. For fall, pipe them in golds, oranges or rusts.
Ingredients:
2
(8-inch) square cakes
Creamy Decorator's Frosting (recipe follows)
Yellow, red and green paste food coloring
1
to 2 tablespoons milk
Fudge Frosting (recipe follows)
1
(19X13-inch) cake board, cut to fit cake if desired, covered
4
pastry bags with couplers
Tips: Numbers 3, 13, 32, and 352 or 67
Preparation:
1.
Trim tops and sides of cakes (see page 00).
2.
To tint Creamy Decorator's Frosting, tint 1/4 cup pale yellow, 1/2 cup deep red, 1/4 cup green (see page 00) and reserve 2 cups for white frosting. Thin remaining Creamy Decorator's Frosting with milk, adding 1 teaspoon at a time, until frosting is a thin consistency.
3.
Place one cake on prepared cake board. Frost top with about 1/2 cup Fudge Frosting. Place second cake on top. Frost top and sides with thinned frosting to seal in crumbs. Frost again with remaining Fudge Frosting. Smooth frosting on top and sides (see page 00).
4.
Mark cake top into 9 squares (about 2-1/2 inches each) with toothpick, using ruler as guide to lightly score edges of each piece.
5.
For poinsettia petals, mark center of each square with toothpick, using ruler as guide. Pipe 8 leaves (see page 00) around each center mark with red frosting and number 352 tip, overlapping base of leaves slightly.
6.
For poinsettia centers, pipe 1 dot (see page 00) in center of each poinsettia with yellow frosting and number 3 tip.
7.
For poinsettia leaves, pipe 1 leaf on each poinsettia with green frosting and number 352 tip.
8.
For border around each square, pipe rows of tiny shells (see page 00) along scored lines in frosting with reserved white frosting and number 13 tip, starting at top and working downward for each line.
9.
Pipe bottom and top shell borders (see page 00) with white frosting and switching to number 32 tip.
10.
Pipe 1 dot in each corner of bottom border with red frosting and switching to number 3 tip. Pipe leaf on each side of each dot with green frosting and number 352 tip.
Creamy Decorators Frosting
Yield: Makes 16 servings
Ingredients:
1-1/2
cups shortening
1-1/2
teaspoons lemon, coconut, almond or peppermint extract
7-1/2
cups sifted powdered sugar
1/3
cup milk
Preparation:
1.
Beat shortening and extract in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Slowly add 1/2 of sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in milk. Add remaining sugar; beat 1 minute more until smooth and fluffy.* Store in refrigerator. (Frosting may be used for frosting cake and/or piping decorations.)
*If frosting seems too soft for piping roses or other detailed flowers or borders, refrigerate for a few hours. Refrigerating frosting usually gives better results, but you may also try stirring in additional sifted sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, until desired consistency.
Fudge Frosting
Yield: Makes enough to fill and frost 2 (8-inch) round or square cake layers or frost 1 (13X9-inch) cake
Ingredients:
24
large marshmallows, halved
2/3
cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2
cup shortening
1/2
cup water
5
cups sifted powdered sugar
3
teaspoons vanilla
Preparation:
1.
Place marshmallows, chocolate, shortening and water in 1-1/2-quart saucepan. Cook over low heat until melted and smooth, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Gradually beat in sugar and vanilla with electric mixer at medium speed about 6 minutes or until mixture starts to lose gloss. Use frosting immediately.
This recipe appears in: Frosting & Icing
