Weather: 33 degrees
What I’m listening to: two of my kids playing Wii Just Dance Kids (currently Who Let the Dogs Out. Lol.)
Since my daughter had made a special request for a pink cake for her 5th birthday this year, I made this pale pink “Winter Wonderland” cake for her the day after Christmas. When I posted photos of the cake on my Facebook fan page, I got several requests for the frosting recipe specifically.
You can find the cherry vanilla cake and filling recipe I used here. The cake had a delicious cherry flavor and pale pink color with flecks of red from the cherries. However, the cake was not quite as moist as I would have preferred, a flaw I blame entirely on my still-developing cake baking skills and not on the recipe itself. For example, I didn’t have the time to bring all of the ingredients to room temperature prior to mixing as the recipe suggested. This alone may be the reason that I wasn’t able to achieve the moistness I was hoping for. But, like I said, the cake had great flavor and color and it held up well to decorating.
Also, the snowy trees are store-bought sugar cones (for ice cream), rolled in melted white chocolate and then rolled in sugar decorating pearls and chilled to set. For the snowy frosting effect, I frosted the cake generously, then used the backside of a large table spoon in broad swoops and swirls all over the cake. This frosting recipe cooperates beautifully with this technique. This was one of the funnest cakes I’ve ever done and I was extremely pleased with the results, especially the magical wintry landscape.
Fluffy Marshmallow Frosting
Adapted from [Cake Duchess|http://www.cakeduchess.com/2012/04/fluffy-white-icing-marshmallow-frosting.html]
- 4 egg whites
- 1c sugar
- 1/3c water
- 1/2t cream of tartar
- 1t vanilla*
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the egg whites. Let it stand while you do the next step.
In a saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together the sugar, water, and cream of tartar. Bring to a boil and, using a candy thermometer, bring the mixture up to 245 degrees F.
Turn your mixer on high and beat the egg whites until frothy and forming soft peaks. Gradually pour in the sugar mixture. Beat the mixture for 7 minutes (setting a timer helps here). In the last minute, add your vanilla and any food coloring you may want.
Use to decorate cake, fill whoopie pies, put a dollop on top of your hot cocoa, etc.