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Christmas cake!

12/24/2014

6 Comments

 
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My friend Diane gave me a Nordic Ware "Stump de Noel" cake pan.  I used it to bake an adaptation of the Golden Grand Marnier Cake from The Cake Bible. I call this version my "Tipsy Orange-Almond Cake."  I made two glazes to suggest "bark--" again from The Cake Bible, the Chocolate Cream Glaze, one batch with bittersweet chocolate and a small batch with milk chocolate.  The "dirt" is brown sugar and shaved chocolate.  Sugar paste (aka gum paste) leaves and cranberries add color.
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How many years have I said, "I want to make some of those meringue mushrooms...." I finally got around to it!  They are so cute!  So much fun to make, just pipe the caps and stems separately, then attach them with a little bit of extra meringue.  When they're dry, a sprinkle of cocoa powder gives them a realistic look.  This is a recipe from Rose's Christmas Cookies by Rose Levy Beranbaum.  
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Two batches of Chocolate Cream glaze (yep--from The Cake Bible again).  One batch made with bittersweet, one with milk chocolate to add different shades of "bark" to the tree!  The "dirt" is brown sugar, but I did add chocolate shavings at the end. This was so much fun to make!  


I sent one of my Tipsy Cakes to my brother Sam and his wife Abby in Louisiana for Christmas, and gave one to my friend Julie also.  I love these cakes, they are delicious!  


Merry Christmas, everyone!  
6 Comments
Dustin
12/29/2014 01:08:01 am

In the long and prestigious history of cake-that-looks-like-not-cake, this is obviously a new high. First there was dump cake, now there is stump cake!

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vicki link
12/29/2014 04:25:03 am

This is spectacular!

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Jessica
12/29/2014 05:53:12 am

The only moldy cake I will eat.

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Susan H link
1/3/2015 09:36:28 am

Hey there Michele! I love your blog and I LOVE this cake! I have a friend who makes a "Yule Log" that looks similar (it's a chocolate covered jellyroll cake). Some years she would grace the neighborhood with her meringue mushrooms, but it has been years since I have had any. And I believe it was just this year that Haley reminded me of it and said how she wished she could have some of those yummy mushrooms! I know you are having a blast with this blog! What a cool thing--you must be in heaven! Hugs~Susan

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Kimberlie Robert link
1/4/2015 05:01:53 am

Oh Michele, your cake is beautiful! The Grand Marnier cake is truly delicious! I know! Congrats on your success, and Happy New Year to you and your family.

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Camille
1/6/2015 11:04:08 pm

Best of all, this cake still tasted awesome! Sweet but not overbearing. Perfectly suited to a warm cup of tea on a cold winter's night.

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    I'm Michele, and I was born with a wooden spoon in my hand.  Join me in my natural habitat--the kitchen!

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