Sugar Geek Show logo

menu icon
subscribe
search icon

Blog

Cookies

Marbled Valentines Day Cookies

Marbled Valentines day cookies are my new favorite thing! I love the marbled look that is trending right now so when I was thinking of a fun theme to do for my Valentines day cookies, I had to go with some pretty pink marbled cookies. The best part about these cookies is they are seriously so easy to make. Just bake up your sugar cookies, mix up your royal icing and DIP DIP DIP! Even Avalon had a great time joining in on the cookie making action. I dare say her cookies turned out even better than mine!

marbled valentines day cookies

Step 1 - Bake your sugar cookies

If you're going to decorate your cookies with your little one (which I highly recommend) then you're going to want to pre-bake your cookies. In my experience littles have a really hard time being patient during the whole making dough, chilling, baking, cooling phase. Better to just show up with cookies in hand and get right to the fun part!

For my marbled Valentines day cookies, I went with simple heart shapes. I made some big ones and some smaller ones just for variety. I used my no-spread sugar cookie dough. This sugar cookie dough is awesome because it always holds it's shape, is genuinely delicious and stays soft and tasty for days. 

Once they where baked, I set them aside to cool. 

sugar cookies for valentines day ready to be decorated

Step 2 - Make your royal icing

I went ahead and made my royal icing ahead of time because it's so straight-forward. Not much fun involved. But I did let Avalon help me thin it down to the top-coat consistency because she enjoys mixing. I also let her help me make the pretty pink colors. All she really wanted to do was lick the spoon though. Kids. Always a one track mind. 

I diluted all my royal icing down to top-coat consistency (15 second icing). To make 15 second icing, add cool water to about 2 cups of royal icing, 1 teaspoon at a time. Stir until smooth then pick up a big glob and drizzle it back into the bowl. Count how long it takes for the glob to go flat. Keep adding water until it goes flat in 15 seconds.

Then I colored about ⅓ a nice bright pink with electric pink food color gel. Now we're ready to decorate!

making royal icing for sugar cookies

Step 3 - Make your marbled Valentines day cookies

Now we're getting to the fun part! Time to dip our cookies to get that beautiful marbled effect! All you have to do drizzle some of your pink food coloring over your white. Hold your sugar cookie between your thumb and forefinger, and dip the top of the cookie straight onto the top of the royal icing and pull straight up. 

how to make marbled valentines day cookies

Then I shake off the excess or you can give it a little swipe with your finger. If any runs over the edge you can clean that up with your finger pretty easily. Then just set the cookie onto a cooling rack to dry. 

I just love how the marbled look changes with each dip! If you start to lose color, just add some more pink. Resist the urge to mix your colors up too much or you'll ruin the marbled icing effect. 

making marbled royal icing sugar cookies

Step 4 - Sprinkles

For the large cookies I had to spoon on my marbled royal icing because my bowl wasn't big enough. I didn't like this effect as much because you def lost that marbled look but they still tasted great! Avalon enjoyed zazzing these cookies up with some sprinkles from sprinklepolita. 

I always recommend only getting out the sprinkles that match the color or theme you're going for. If you get out all the sprinkles and expect your kid to color coordinate, it's not going to happen.

I just love how these marbled valentines day cookies turned out! They are easy to make, delicious to eat and will make a fantastic little gift for your kids Valentine's day exchange. 

making valentines day cookies

Recipe

how to make beautiful valentines day cookies with pink marbled royal icing
Print Recipe
4.58 from 7 votes

Marbled Valentines Day Cookies

How to make the cutest marbled Valentines day cookies from delicious sugar cookie dough and royal icing! No special cookie skills required, just bake, drizzle, dip! 
Prep Time2 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time2 hours 45 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12 cookies (number of cookies varies depending on size of cookie cutter)
Calories: 473kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Ingredients

Sugar Cookie Ingredients

  • 1 cup Salted butter Room temperature. Can be unsalted butter if you add your own salt to recipe. Add ½ teaspoon of salt if using unsalted butter.
  • 1 cup Granulated sugar
  • 1 large Egg
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
  • 3 cups AP flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoon Baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon Nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon Milk
  • ¼ teaspoon Cinnamon (optional)

Marbled Royal Icing

  • 1 lb powdered sugar
  • 2.5 oz pasteurized egg whites
  • ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Sugar Cookie Instructions

  • Place room-temperature butter, (salt if unsalted butter) and 1 cup of granulated sugar in stand mixer with paddle attachment and mix on low until smooth. Creamed butter should be fluffy and pale yellow in color.
  • Add 1 large egg at room temperature and mix on medium (4 on Kitchenaid mixer) in stand mixer until fully incorporated. Scrape bowl when necessary to make sure egg incorporates.
  • Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Mix until just incorporated.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk dry ingredients (AP flour, baking powder, nutmeg) together. 
  • Add dry ingredients into stand mixer with a scoop (about ⅓ of total dry ingredients at a time) and mix until fully incorporated. Start mixer on slow until flour starts to incorporate, then turn up to medium. Scrape bowl as needed to fully incorporate.
  • Add 1 teaspoon of milk once flour is fully incorporated. Continue to mix on slow until dough becomes a solid mass. 
  • Scrape out mixer bowl, wrap up sugar cookie dough in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for 2 hours. 
  • Knead cookie dough and roll out cookie dough until thin to cut cookie shapes. Use a cookie cutter to cut out uniform shapes.
  • Place cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Put cookie sheet back in refrigerator for about 15 minutes to chill again.
  • Bake chilled cookies at 350ºF for 10-14 minutes depending on size of cookie. Cookies will be slightly golden brown on the edge. Chilled cookie dough will keep it's shape in the oven and not expand or warp.

Marbled Royal Icing

  • Combine your egg whites, sifted powdered sugar, and cream of tartar in the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attached.
    Mix on low to get the ingredients combined then bump up to high for 1-2 minutes. Add in your vanilla extract and whip until it's white. No need to mix for longer than 5 minutes.
    Place the royal icing into a bowl or container with a lid. Your THICK royal icing is now ready to be thinned down to the consistency you desire.
  • Add water 1 teaspoon at a time until a ribbon of royal icing goes flat in 15 seconds. 
  • Color ⅓ of your royal icing hot pink or whatever color you desire. 
  • Drizzle your hot pink icing over the top of the white icing and dip your cooled sugar cookies onto the surface. Pull straight up and tap off any excess icing. Wipe the edges clean.
  • Let cookies dry completely before packaging. They do not need to be refrigerated. 

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 473kcal | Carbohydrates: 78g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 155mg | Potassium: 117mg | Sugar: 53g | Vitamin A: 550IU | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1.7mg

Course Preview

Cake Basics: Cake Structures Tutorial

Skill level: Intermediate

Welcome to Cake Basics: Cake Structures, our video all about making your very own cake structures using a variety of materials. Getting a cake structure right can be one of the most challenging tasks for a cake decorator starting out learning sculpted cakes, and in this tutorial, I break down all the pros and cons of 3 different types of cake structures, how to scale a reference picture to make a structure that supports any design, and why you would chose one structure over another.

I cover all the materials you will need for each structure and my thought process when problem-solving a structure to fit each unique project.

There's a lot to cover in this tutorial, so let's get our tools together and let's get started!

1:26:14 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • Learn how to create 3 different types of cake structures
  • How to scale and plan out a cake structure based on a reference photo
  • Learn how the materials and tools needed for each type of cake structure
  • Several tips and tricks to plan out and make whatever structure you might need for your specific project

Tutorial Chapters

  1. PVC Structure
  2. Tools & Materials 0:30
  3. Setting the Scale 6:50
  4. Cutting PVC & Adjusting 22:05
  5. Assembling 28:24
  6. Threaded Rod Structure
  7. Materials & tools 43:32
  8. Measuring & scaling 48:15
  9. Cutting threaded rod 59:11
  10. Assembly 1:01:10
  11. Multi-Material Structure
  12. Planning & scaling 1:07:06
  13. Cutting threaded rod & wood 1:14:35
  14. Structure assembly 1:16:38
  15. Making armature arms 1:19:27

Paid Video

Cake Basics: Cake Structures

Skill level: Newb

Welcome to Cake Basics: Cake Structures, our video all about making your very own cake structures using a variety of materials. Getting a cake structure right can be one of the most challenging tasks for a cake decorator starting out learning sculpted cakes, and in this tutorial, I break down all the pros and cons of 3 different types of cake structures, how to scale a reference picture to make a structure that supports any design, and why you would chose one structure over another.

I cover all the materials you will need for each structure and my thought process when problem-solving a structure to fit each unique project.

There's a lot to cover in this tutorial, so let's get our tools together and let's get started!

1:26:14 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • Learn how to create 3 different types of cake structures
  • How to scale and plan out a cake structure based on a reference photo
  • Learn how the materials and tools needed for each type of cake structure
  • Several tips and tricks to plan out and make whatever structure you might need for your specific project

Tutorial Chapters

  1. PVC Structure
  2. Tools & Materials 0:30
  3. Setting the Scale 6:50
  4. Cutting PVC & Adjusting 22:05
  5. Assembling 28:24
  6. Threaded Rod Structure
  7. Materials & tools 43:32
  8. Measuring & scaling 48:15
  9. Cutting threaded rod 59:11
  10. Assembly 1:01:10
  11. Multi-Material Structure
  12. Planning & scaling 1:07:06
  13. Cutting threaded rod & wood 1:14:35
  14. Structure assembly 1:16:38
  15. Making armature arms 1:19:27

Entremet

Chocolate Mirror Glaze Cake Recipe

This mirror glaze cake recipe makes a beautiful shiny chocolate heart with a gold glaze accent

I admit that I'm a little addicted to making mirror glaze cakes! I usually make a mirror glaze cake recipe that is colored and marbled but I wanted to try my hand at a decadent chocolate mirror glaze cake recipe and I was so excited about the outcome! Chocolate mirror glaze is so shiny! It really is like looking in a mirror and oh so pretty. 

mirror glaze cake recipe

This chocolate mirror glaze cake recipe is made from chocolate mousse, stabilized whipped cream combined with strawberry puree and chocolate joconde. Freeze that baby solid and then glaze with your chocolate mirror glaze!

Recipe for chocolate heart mirror glaze cake

This cake has a lot of different elements so before you start, you might want to print out all the recipes that are needed for this cake. If you want to use less elements you totally can! To keep it super simple just use the honey mousse and cover in the chocolate glaze. 

Chocolate Mirror Glaze Recipe
Mirror Glaze Recipe (for the gold)
Stabilized Whipped Cream Recipe
Strawberry Puree Recipe
Chocolate Joconde Recipe

How to assemble your mirror glaze cake

To make your mirror glaze cake recipe, you'll need a mirror glaze mold. For this one, I'm using one of my favorites, the heart mold. 

Start by coating the inside with some chocolate mousse. I use the back of a spoon to smooth the mousse around evenly. Then freeze for about 15 minutes.

chocolate mirror glaze cake mousse

Then coat the inside with a thin layer of stabilized whipped cream. Take about ¼ cup of the stabilized whipped cream and combine it with a few tablespoons of strawberry puree. If you don't want to make your own you can use strawberry jam but do not add any powdered sugar to your stabilized whipped cream or it will be too sweet with the strawberry jam. 

chocolate heart mirror glaze cake

Spread a layer of the strawberry cream over the whipped cream. Then cut out a piece of your chocolate joconde into a heart shape and press it into the strawberry layer. Fill in the gaps with more cream and cover the back of the cake as well. Smooth the whole thing out with a spatula and freeze solid (Minimum 2 hours).

freeze the mirror glaze cake

How to make a chocolate mirror glaze cake recipe

To prepare your chocolate mirror glaze, place your first quantity of water, sugar and sweetened condensed milk into a sauce pan and bring to a simmer over med/high heat then remove from the heat. Don't let it burn!

Sprinkle your gelatin over the second quantity of water and let it bloom for 5 minutes. 

Place your bloomed gelatin into the simmering milk mixture and stir until melted. 

Pour the hot mixture over your chocolate/cocoa and let sit for 5 minutes then whisk until smooth. I use an immersion blend after whisking to get out as many lumps as possible. 

Then pour the mirror glaze through a fine mesh strainer to remove any remaining lumps. 

chocolate mirror glaze

Let the glaze cool until its 90ºF before you pour the glaze over your frozen cake. If you pour it too soon, it will all run off the cake. If you pour it too cold then it won't be smooth. I highly recommend a digital thermometer to keep track of how cool your glaze is and stir it occasionally to make sure it's cooling evenly. 

How to make gold mirror glaze

I did a little experiment on making gold mirror glaze for this cake and loved how it turned out. I noticed that mirror glaze is pretty transparent after you first make it and wondered if I added some metallic food coloring if it would be shiny. 

It totally worked! The gold mirror glaze was a success! I went with about 1 teaspoon of TMP super gold dust but you could also use gold shimmer dust. 

gold mirror glaze

To make gold mirror glaze cake recipe simply make your standard mirror glaze recipe as usual but don't add any white food coloring. Instead, add in metallic food coloring. I used gold but you could use other colors! 

I liked the gold mirror glaze as an nice accent to the chocolate mirror glaze cake. 

How to pour glaze for your mirror glaze cake recipe

Cut out a cake board in a heart shape to put the cake on. Place the cake onto a small cup or cake pan and place that inside a larger pan to capture the mirror glaze that goes over the sides of the cake to use on other cakes.

chocolate mirror glaze cake recipe

Pour your chocolate mirror glaze on first and then the gold streaks if you desire. Let the glaze until the glaze stops dripping. Use a hot knife to cut off the drips and clean up the bottom edge of the cake. 

gold mirror glaze over chocolate glaze

Transfer the cake to a plate and enjoy immediately or refrigerate until you want to serve it but the cake will lose it's shiny and appear more matte after about 24 hours so if it's for a client, glaze the same day that you are going to deliver. 

mirror glaze loses it's shine

note: you don't have to use all these ingredients for the cake, you could just use straight mousse or just whipped cream and berries. It's up to you what you fill your mirror glaze cake recipe with! Be creative and use the ingredients that you enjoy. 

mirror glaze cake

Recipe

chocolate mirror glaze cake
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Chocolate Mirror Glaze Cake

This shiny chocolate mirror glaze cake is made from honey mousse, strawberry whipped cream and chocolate joconde. A super decadent treat for a special occasion! 
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time20 minutes
cooling time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 2966kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Ingredients

Chocolate Joconde (for one heart)

  • 50 grams almond flour
  • 42 grams powdered sugar
  • 12 grams cake flour
  • 1 large eggs
  • 1 whole egg whites
  • 7 grams sugar
  • 17 grams melted butter
  • 4 grams cocoa powder

Chocolate Honey Mousse

  • 3 oz dark chocolate
  • 1.5 oz honey
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • ½ teaspoon dark rum
  • 5.5 oz heavy cream

Strawberry Whipped Cream

  • 4 oz heavy whipping cream
  • 2 teaspoon powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon gelatin powder
  • 1 tablespoon cold water
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 oz strawberry puree or jam

Chocolate Mirror Glaze

  • 350 grams dark chocolate
  • 40 grams cocoa powder
  • 120 grams water
  • 300 grams sugar
  • 200 grams sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 100 grams cold water
  • 15 grams powdered gelatin

Gold Mirror Glaze

  • 150 grams sugar
  • 100 grams sweetened condensed milk
  • 2.5 oz water
  • 16 grams powdered gelatin
  • 2 oz water
  • 180 grams white chocolate
  • 1 tablespoon gold powder

Instructions

Joconde Instructions

  • First you need to preheat your oven to 425ºF/230ºC.
    Sift together your almond flour, sugar, and flour so you don't have any lumps.
    Then you should blend in the whole eggs into the flour until smooth.
    In a separate bowl, whip egg whites to soft peaks and slowly add sugar. Continue whipping to firm moist peaks. If they start crumbling you have over-whipped your egg whites and there isn't any way to save them. 
    Then fold your meringue into mixture until just combined. Make sure you don't over mix it or get too rough and break down all the air you built up in your batter or you'll have a very flat cake. 
    Slowly whisk in the melted butter and chocolate mixture.
    Finally, spread the mixture onto your prepared silicone mat or cake pan and bake for 8 minutes. Make sure you don't over bake your cake.
    Once your cake is cooled, sprinkle a thin layer of granulated sugar over the surface of the cake and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit overnight in the fridge. The sugar will dissolve into the cake as a result, the cake will stay moist even if it's exposed to air. Cool huh!

Mousse Instructions

  • Place your chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a pot of simmering water to melt.
    Bring your honey just to a boil and remove from the heat
    Place your egg yolks into a large heat proof bowl. Add ⅓ of your hot honey and whisk until smooth. Then add in the rest of your honey and whisk until egg yolks are thickened
    Add your egg mixture to the melted chocolate and whisk to combine
    Whip up your heavy cream to soft peaks and gently fold into your chocolate base until no streaks are present
    Pour into molds and freeze

Strawberry whipped cream

  • Sprinkle your gelatin over the cold water and let bloom for 5 minutes.
    Melt gelatin for 5 seconds in the microwave. If not fully melted do another 3 seconds
    In a cold mixing bowl, whip your heavy cream to soft peaks
    Add in your powdered sugar and vanilla
    Turn your mixer down to low and drizzle in your gelatin and mix until whipped cream forms stiff peaks
    Fold in your strawberry puree into half of the whipped cream. Save the other half for the back of the mousse cake. 

Chocolate Mirror Glaze

  • Make sure you have these tools on hand: Fine mesh strainer, thermometer, immersion blender
    Combine chocolate and cocoa powder in a large heat proof bowl and set aside.
    Sprinkle gelatin powder over the second quantity of water and let bloom for 5 minutes.
    Place first quantity of water, sugar, sweetened condensed milk in a sauce pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
    Add in bloomed gelatin and stir until completely melted and remove from the heat. Add in your vanilla.
    Pour the mixture over chocolate/cocoa and let stand for 5 minutes then whisk to combine. Use the immersion blender to remove any remaining chunks or unmelted chocolate.
    Pass the mixture through the mesh strainer to remove any bits of chocolate or gelatin
    Let the mixture cool to 90ºF before pouring over your frozen cake. 

Gold Mirror Glaze

  • Add the sugar, sweetened condensed milk, and first quantity of water to a medium-sized saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.
    Pour the second quantity of water into the powdered gelatin and mix with a spoon. Leave to fully absorb for a few minutes.
    When the sugar, milk and water mixture begins to simmer, remove from the heat and add the bloomed gelatin. Stir until the gelatin has dissolved.
    Pour the hot liquid on top of the chocolate chips and leave to sit for 5 minutes to melt.
    Use a whisk to stir the glaze until the chocolate has completely melted.
    Add the gold dust and mix with immersion blender until well-mixed. Pass the glaze through a fine strainer to remove lumps. Leave the glaze to cool.
    Once the glaze has cooled to 90º F / 37º C, pour it over the frozen cake which is on top of a cup, sitting on a tray or plate with a edge to catch the drips.
    Leave the glaze to set for 5 minutes before using a hot knife to remove the drips.
    Transfer the cake to a plate and enjoy right away or refrigerate until you need it. Keep in mind that mirror glaze loses it's shine after 24 hours so if you're making this for a client, glaze the same day as delivery. 

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 2966kcal | Carbohydrates: 283g | Protein: 81g | Fat: 180g | Saturated Fat: 51g | Cholesterol: 1082mg | Sodium: 875mg | Potassium: 401mg | Fiber: 22g | Sugar: 202g | Vitamin A: 3120IU | Calcium: 574mg | Iron: 12.4mg

This gorgeous shiny chocolate mirror glaze cake covers a creamy mousse and strawberry filling and light and fluffy chocolate joconde cake. The gold mirror glaze accent looks so incredible and the whole mirror glaze cake makes a beautiful and stunning dessert for a special occasion like valentines day!

Blog

Easy Chocolate Honey Mousse Recipe

This chocolate mousse recipe is decadent, rich, creamy, and light as a feather! So incredibly easy to make but looks and tastes like it came from a five-star restaurant! I like to serve mine on crumbled cookies for an added crunch! Best part? It only takes 25 minutes to make!

close up of chocolate mousse in a clear cup

There are a lot of chocolate mousse recipes out there that don't use eggs but this recipe is very similar to a classic chocolate French mousse that uses eggs to not only thicken the mousse and stabilize it but adds a richness that you just can't get any other way. The main difference between this chocolate mousse and a traditional mousse is that I fold in whipped cream instead of whipped egg whites at the end. This makes the mousse much creamier, lighter, and melt in your mouth delicious!

What's In This Blog Post

Chocolate Mousse Ingredients

This recipe could not be simpler but with every simple recipe, quality ingredients matter!

  • Chocolate - Use the BEST chocolate you can get your hands on. I highly recommend using LINDT dark chocolate bars because they melt beautifully and taste delicious. I'd advise staying away from chocolate chips or candy melts because they won't melt properly and the taste will suffer.
  • Honey - We use pure local and organic honey for a rich and full bodied flavor! The better the honey, the better the taste! If you don't want to use honey, you can substitute corn syrup, glucose or even agave.
  • Whipping Cream - Make sure you're using whipping cream, not half and half. I prefer heavy whipping cream which is 40% fat and makes a very stable whipped cream.
  • Vanilla - Sometimes I use dark rum in this recipe which tastes delicious but you can use vanilla as well.

How To Make Chocolate Mousse Step-By-Step

  1. Melt your chocolate. I melt mine in the microwave in 30 second increments (be careful not to burn it!) or you can melt it over a bain marie if you don't have a microwave.
  2. Set your chocolate aside. I keep mine in the microwave to keep it warm.
  3. Place your egg yolks into a large heat proof bowl.
  4. Add your honey to a heavy bottom saucepan and heat it on medium-high until it begins to bubble.
  5. Remove the honey from the heat and begin slowly pouring it onto the egg yolks while whisking constantly to avoid cooking your eggs. The heat from the honey will cook your eggs enough to be safe to eat.
  6. Continue whisking until the eggs look light and foamy (ribbon stage).
  7. Add in the rum and mix to combine.
  8. Add ⅓ of your chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and fold together until combined.
  9. Continue adding your chocolate in thirds until it's all added and is cohesive.
  10. Add your whipping cream to the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment (or whisk using a hand mixer).
  11. Whip your cream until it forms firm but soft peaks. The cream should not look curdled or too stiff. Under-mixing in this case is better than over-mixing.
  12. Fold Add ⅓ of the whipped cream to your chocolate mixture and fold until combined. Be careful not to fold out all the air you've whipped in.
  13. Continue folding in your whipped cream in thirds until everything looks cohesive.
  14. I like to put my mousse in a piping bag with a 1M piping tip and pipe the mousse into cups with crushed cookies on the bottom.
  15. Top with more whipped cream, shaved chocolate and a sprig of mint or even some fresh berries. So cute!

You can also use this mousse recipe to use in mirror glaze cakes, roll cakes or even in stacked cakes but you will have to keep the cake refrigerated.

FAQ

Does chocolate mousse have raw eggs?

The simple answer is yes, but the eggs are "cooked" by the hot honey. Not enough to make them into scrambled eggs but enough that they are safe to eat. Similar to a soft set egg.

What's the difference between chocolate mousse and pudding?

The main difference is how much air is whipped in. Chocolate mousse is very light and airy. Pudding does not have any air whipped in and is very dense and creamy.

Why is my chocolate mousse grainy?

Take care to fold your ingredients together carefully and slowly. Don't add your chocolate mixture too quickly to the whipped cream or you will get hard bits of chocolate in your final mousse. Never add the vanilla directly to the chocolate or it can seize the chocolate and cause it to go grainy.

Recipe

close up of chocolate mousse in a clear cup
Print Recipe
4.89 from 9 votes

Chocolate Honey Mousse

This chocolate mousse recipe is decadent, rich, creamy, and light as a feather! So incredibly easy to make but looks and tastes like it came from a five-star restaurant! I like to serve mine on crumbled cookies for an added crunch! Best part? It only takes 25 minutes to make!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 105kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Ingredients

Chocolate Mousse Recipe

  • 6 ounces dark chocolate
  • 3 ounces honey
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla or dark rum
  • 11 ounces heavy cream
  • ½ teaspoon salt
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Melt your chocolate in the microwave in 30 second increments or over a bain marie. Once your chocolate is melted, leave it in the microwave to stay warm while you prepare the other ingredients.
  • In a heavy bottom sauce pan, Bring the honey just to a boil and remove from the heat.
  • Place your egg yolks into a large heat proof bowl.
  • Slowly pour the hot honey into the egg yolks while whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from curdling.
  • Continue whisking the eggs until they are thick and foamy and reach the ribbon stage.
  • In the bowl of your stand mixer, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks. Set aside.
  • Add ⅓ of the melted chocolate to the egg/honey mixture and fold until combined.
  • Continue adding the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture in thirds until it's well combined. Be careful not to over-work the mixture and deflate all the air.
  • Add in the vanilla or the rum and fold to combine.
  • Add the whipped cream to the folded chocolate/eggs in thirds.
  • Fold with your spatula, working it around the bowl and through, folding the mousse over on itself until it comes together in a smooth evenly distributed chocolate color. There should be no streaks or chunks of chocolate.
  • If you plan to eat the mousse as a dessert, put it into a piping bag and pipe directly into the dessert cups (I piped mine over crushed oreos for added crunch), and then chill to set for about an hour.
    Garnish your chocolate mousse with whatever you choose! I went with shaved chocolate, more whipped cream and a sprig of mint. So fancy!

Video

Notes

Chocolate - Make sure you use the best chocolate you can find. It will give the most flavor to your recipe and you don't need much! I love using Lindt chocolate bars. You can change up the flavor really easily and the chocolate melts really well.
Honey - I like to use locally sourced clover honey because it has a ton of flavor but if you don't like honey, you can use corn syrup, glucose or agave. 
Whipping Cream - Make sure you're using whipping cream, not half and half. I like heavy whipping cream (40%) because it's very stable. 
Chocolate Shavings - I used a vegetable peeler on the edge of my chocolate bar to make the shavings. 
Egg Yolks - Fresh, cold eggs are the easiest to separate and farm eggs have more flavor. 
Storage - You can store chocolate mousse in the fridge, covered, for up to a week
This recipe will work best if your ingredients are all about the same temp. If your cream is too cold, it will seize the chocolate when you try to fold it and you will have chocolate chip mousse (not that it's a bad thing!). It worked best for me to keep the other components warm, by setting them in the microwave, while I worked on the next steps. It is also important to have everything ready to go, read through your steps a few times so you have an idea of what happens when. If you take too long between steps this can also affect the temperatures and therefore the final texture of your mousse. 
This recipe comes together really quickly, so even if the first try turns out to be practice, the great news is it is still delicious to eat, even if you don’t love the look of it.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 105kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 8mg | Potassium: 70mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 245IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg

Blog

Chocolate Joconde Recipe

Chocolate joconde is sponge cake with a light chocolate flavor. It can be used to make rolled cakes or for other pastries like mirror cakes

Chocolate joconde is literally just the chocolate version of my super popular joconde cake recipe. It's a light, sponge based batter that is baked really thin in a sheet pan. When it comes out of the oven you can roll it up and let it cool and use it for a swiss roll cake or you can cut it into shapes for small pastries. I usually use my chocolate joconde to make my mirror glaze cakes.

chocolate joconde cake recipe

One of the reasons chocolate joconde is such a great cake is that its very light and not like a typical cake. You can even pipe patterns into it using colored joconde, freeze and then spread more batter over the top and roll it. It's very versatile. 
stenciled joconde

How to make chocolate joconde 

Making chocolate joconde depends mostly on how you whip your egg whites and how you fold them into your batter since that is what we use for the cakes structure, no baking powder or soda. So take extra care in this step. 

  1. Sift together your flour, almond flour and sugar
  2. Combine the flour mixture with the whole eggs with a whisk until smooth
    chocolate joconde recipe
  3. Melt down your butter and combine with your cocoa powder and set aside to cool slightly
  4. Whip your egg whites to a stiff glossy peaks. It should not look broken or grainy. If this happens your whites are over whipped and cannot be used and they cannot be saved so keep an eye on em!
    whip egg whites to firm moist peaks
  5. Add a ¼ of your egg white mixture to your flour/egg mixture and fold gently to combine. Then add in another couple of scoops and fold.
    Fold in egg whites
  6. Add your last bit of flour with the chocolate mixture and fold gently until no streaks remain.
    fold in chocolate mixture
  7. Spread evenly into a ¼ sheet pan lined with baking parchment and bake at 425ºF for 8 minutes.
    spread chocolate joconde batter onto a baking sheet
  8. Remove the cake from the oven and if using for a swill roll, place a tea towel over the top and roll into a log and let cool. That way when you go to roll it up later it's already go the right shape and it won't crack.
    chocolate joconde recipe
  9. If not rolling, coat the top of the cake in granulated sugar and cover with plastic wrap. Let chill overnight. The sugar helps keep the cake moist.
    storing chocolate joconde

So thats all there is to making a chocolate joconde! If you want more chocolate flavor you can add in 10g more cocoa and subtract 5 grams ap flour. 

 

Recipe

chocolate joconde cake recipe
Print Recipe
4.91 from 10 votes

Chocolate Joconde Recipe

Chocolate Joconde is a light and airy sponge cake that you can use to make many types of desserts. Chocolate Joconde does not have a lot of fat in it and is used for many desserts like roll cakes and mirror glaze cakes. 
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time8 minutes
Total Time23 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 1 ¼ sheet pan
Calories: 2966kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Ingredients

  • 200 grams almond flour
  • 170 grams powdered sugar
  • 46 grams cake flour
  • 5 large eggs
  • 6 whole egg whites
  • 30 grams granulated sugar
  • 70 grams melted butter
  • 15 grams cocoa powder

Instructions

  • First you need to preheat your oven to 425ºF/230ºC.
  • Sift together your almond flour, powdered sugar, and flour so you don't have any lumps.
  • Then you should blend in the 5 whole eggs into the flour until smooth.
  • In a separate bowl, whip egg whites to soft peaks and slowly add granulated sugar. Continue whipping to firm moist peaks. If they start crumbling you have over-whipped your egg whites and there isn't any way to save them. 
  • Then fold your meringue into mixture until just combined. Make sure you don't over mix it or get too rough and break down all the air you built up in your batter or you'll have a very flat cake. 
  • Slowly whisk in the melted butter and chocolate mixture.
  • Finally, spread the mixture onto your prepared silicone mat or parchment paper in a jelly roll or shallow sheet pan and bake for 8 minutes. Make sure you don't over bake your cake.
  • Once your cake is cooled, sprinkle a thin layer of granulated sugar over the surface of the cake and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit overnight in the fridge. The sugar will dissolve into the cake as a result, the cake will stay moist even if it's exposed to air. Cool huh!

Nutrition

Calories: 2966kcal | Carbohydrates: 283g | Protein: 81g | Fat: 180g | Saturated Fat: 51g | Cholesterol: 1082mg | Sodium: 875mg | Potassium: 401mg | Fiber: 22g | Sugar: 202g | Vitamin A: 3120IU | Calcium: 574mg | Iron: 12.4mg

Blog

Triple Chocolate Cake Recipe

Triple chocolate cake with chocolate ganache is a chocolate lovers dream

Triple chocolate cake was my favorite chocolate cake for a long time. I loved the little chunks of chocolate in each bite. I used to pair it with easy buttercream and it really reminded me of a Ding Dong cupcake from my childhood. Over the years I have begun pairing it with either chocolate ganache or chocolate buttercream. Maybe it's old age but I just want MORE chocolate in my triple chocolate cake. I mean... the more chocolate the better right?

triple chocolate cake

What makes this triple chocolate cake so good?

Triple chocolate cake isn't for the faint of heart! I wasn't about to skimp on any part of this delicious, decadent cake! I carefully tested this recipe so that each ingredient in the cake added to the overall moisture and tenderness of the cake. 

  1. The reverse creaming method - gives this cake a super fine and decadent crumb that melts in your mouth.
  2. Dutched cocoa powder - this cocoa powder has a stronger chocolate flavor than natural cocoa.
  3. Mayonnaise - gives the chocolate cake an added boost of moisture!

How to make triple chocolate cake

This triple chocolate cake recipe is adapted from my favorite chocolate cake recipe. This cake recipe uses the reverse creaming method

  1. Bring your water to a boil and pour over your cocoa powder. Whisk it until it's smooth. Add in your mayonnaise (straight from the fridge) so it cools the chocolate mixture a bit.
  2. Then add in your vanilla and eggs and whisk to break up the eggs. Set aside to cool. 
  3. Combine the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt) in the bowl of your stand mixer
  4. Attach the paddle attachment and blend on low. Slowly add in your softened chunks of butter and mix until it resembles coarse sand.
  5. Add about ⅓ of the chocolate mixture into the flour mixture and let mix on setting 4 on your Kitchenaid for two full minutes. Trust me, let it mix the full two minutes or your cake will collapse.
  6. Scrape the bowl and then add in the rest of your liquids and let mix for another 30 seconds or so until there aren't any streaks.
  7. Pour the batter into two 8" round cake pans prepared with cake goop or pan spray.
  8. Bake the triple chocolate cake for 30 minutes at 35oºF or until a toothpick comes out from the center with a few gooey crumbs still attached. Don't over bake!
  9. Let your cake cool for 10 minutes in the pan then turn them out onto a cooling rack. I wrap mine in plastic wrap and leave them at room temp to frost the next day because the cake is firm enough but you can also freeze them to seal in moisture.triple chocolate cake

Need more information on how to make your first cake? Check out my tutorial on how to trim your cakes, frost, fill them and decorate them. All the basics for the ultimate beginner!

What frosting goes best with triple chocolate cake?

Since this is my daughter's favorite cake, I made her favorite which is chocolate ganache. She LOVES dark chocolate but her friends prefer milk. I made a compromise and went with semi-sweet chocolate chips for the ganache. 

This ganache is a 2:1 recipe so it's a lot smoother and creamier than the traditional ganache I make for sculpted cakes or wedding cakes. 

After I make my ganache I let it cool at room temperature with plastic wrap over the surface. Yes you can leave ganache on the countertop and the cream will not spoil. Food science! 

Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator

Select an option below to calculate how much batter or frosting you need. Adjust the servings slider on the recipe card to change the amounts the recipe makes.

Choose a pan type

Choose a cake pan size
(based on 2" tall cake pan)

Choose a cake pan size
(based on 2" tall cake pan)

Choose a cake pan size
(based on 2" tall cake pan)

Cupcake Tin Size

Choose number of pans

Cups of Batter Needed

8 cups

Cups of Frosting Needed

5 cups

Note: measurements are estimated based off the vanilla cake recipe using standard US cake pans and sizes. Measurements used are for 2" tall cake pans only. Your results may vary. Do not overfill cake pans above manufacturer's recommended guidelines.

Recipe

triple chocolate cake
Print Recipe
4.89 from 43 votes

Triple Chocolate Cake Recipe

The most amazing decadent triple chocolate cake with chocolate frosting! This cake is best served at room temperature and frosted with chocolate buttercream or ganache.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 cups
Calories: 381kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Equipment

  • Stand Mixer
  • Food Scale

Ingredients

Cake Ingredients

  • 3 oz Dutch cocoa powder
  • 8 oz water
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 5 oz Mayonaise
  • 14 oz Unbleached cake flour
  • 15 oz granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 6 oz unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 8 oz mini chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

Chocolate Ganache Frosting

  • 8 oz heavy whipping cream Heat to a simmer, do not boil
  • 16 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp salt
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cake Instructions

  • Pre-heat your oven to 335ºF. Prepare two 8" cake pans with cake goop or other pan release. I prefer to make my chocolate ganache the day before I need it so to give it time to cool down.
  • Bring the water to a boil and pour over the cocoa powder. Whisk until smooth then add in cold mayonnaise, vanilla and eggs. Whisk to break up the eggs. 
  • Weigh out all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt) and place into a stand mixer bowl and attach the paddle attachment.
  • Turn mixer on low (setting 1 on Kitchen Aid mixers). Add in your room temperature butter in small chunks. Combine on low until you achieve a sandy mixture.
  • Add ⅓ of your liquid ingredients into your dry ingredients and mix on medium for 2 minutes. If you do not do this step, your cake could collapse.
  • Turn your mixer back down to low and add in the rest of your liquids slowly. Stop once or twice to scrape the bowl as needed.
    Once they are all combined, turn back up to medium for another 30 seconds.
  • Fold in your chocolate chips or chocolate
  • Bake for 35 minutes at 335ºF depending on how big your pans are. The bigger the pan, the longer it will take for them to bake. 
    When a toothpick comes out of the center with a few sticky crumbs on it, the cake is done.
  • After the cakes have cooled for about 10 minutes, or the pans have cooled to the point they can be touched, flip the cakes over and remove from the pans onto a cooling rack to cool completely. I cover mine in plastic wrap to keep them from drying out why they cool.
  • Once the cakes are completely cool you can trim them and frost them.  

Chocolate Ganache Frosting

  • Heat your heavy whipping cream until it's just starting to simmer, do not boil.
  • Pour your hot cream over your chocolate chips, making sure they are fully submerged.
  • Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes, then add in your vanilla and salt
  • Whisk until smooth. If you have any un-melted pieces of chocolate, heat the mixture for 30 seconds in the microwave and whisk again. Do not over-heat or you can break your ganache.
  • Cover the surface with plastic wrap and let cool at room temperature for 24 hours before using.

Notes

This recipe works great for carving sculpted cakes! I use the same recipe for wedding and sculpted. I always bake them, de-pan them, wrap them in plastic wrap and then chill in the fridge or freezer (depending on how much of a rush I’m in) and then carve. Chilled cakes make carving or stacking SO much easier!

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 381kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 211mg | Potassium: 236mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 359IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 2mg

 

Course Preview

Winter Wonderland Wedding Cake Tutorial

Skill level: Intermediate

Happy New Year! Guest instructor Ashley Barbey is back with another amazing cake project, featuring a winter theme! You'll love the amazing details and process Ashley demonstrates teaching how to make a winter-themed floral arrangement, complete with rose hip fruits, amaryllis, fern leaves and pine cones.

Ashley breaks down every step of this process including how to secure the floral arrangement to the cake, tips for travel and delivery, how to deal with flower breakage, time-saving tricks for making the flowers and filler elements, how to create the beautiful tree bark texture and more.

2:34:18 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • Learn how to create amaryllis, fern leaves and rose hip fruits
  • How to create a beautiful twig wreath
  • Learn how to create a realistic tree bark texture
  • How to secure a flower arrangement to a cake
  • Learn Ashley Barbey's way of delivering an assembled arrangement with minimal breakage

Tutorial Chapters

  1. Why sketching is important 0:41
  2. Making 2nd set of fern leaves 8:55
  3. Making last set of fern leaves 11:09
  4. How to articulate fern leaves 16:40
  5. Dusting the fern leaves 17:01
  6. Assembling the fern 20:51
  7. Adjusting fern & final dusting 25:36
  8. Making filler leaves 28:43
  9. Making larger leaves 31:17
  10. Dusting filler leaves 32:20
  11. Removing excess dust 34:48
  12. Making large rose hip stamens 42:20
  13. Making small rose hip stamens 45:58
  14. Making a large calyx 48:29
  15. Adding fruit to large calyx 52:39
  16. Making a small calyx 54:36
  17. Adding fruit to small calyx 56:05
  18. Dusting the rose hips 57:34
  19. Dusting the calyx 58:47
  20. Making the pine cones 1:02:17
  21. Dusting the pine cones 1:08:56
  22. Making the amaryllis stamens 1:12:09
  23. Making the amaryllis pistol 1:16:39
  24. Making the amaryllis petals 1:19:44
  25. Making the small amaryllis 1:28:11
  26. Dusting amaryllis petals 1:31:02
  27. A note on assembling stamens 1:33:03
  28. Assembling large amaryllis 1:33:31
  29. Assembling small amaryllis 1:36:11
  30. Wreath explanation 1:38:31
  31. Making the wreath 1:39:13
  32. Making wreath twigs 1:43:39
  33. Assembling wreath 1:46:41
  34. Assembling leaves & rose hips 1:50:02
  35. Adding elements to wreath 1:50:57
  36. Covering cake in fondant 1:54:54
  37. Adding detail to cake top 1:56:21
  38. Adding color to details 1:58:29
  39. Paneling the cake 2:02:38
  40. Blending bark seams 2:06:43
  41. Cleaning up the top edge 2:08:56
  42. Painting whitewash 2:10:50
  43. Why you should steam flowers 2:14:36
  44. Which straw should I use 2:16:03
  45. Making the arrangement 2:19:30
  46. Broken leaf touchup 2:30:18

Paid Video

Winter Wonderland Wedding Cake

Skill level: Intermediate

Happy New Year! Guest instructor Ashley Barbey is back with another amazing cake project, featuring a winter theme! You'll love the amazing details and process Ashley demonstrates teaching how to make a winter-themed floral arrangement, complete with rose hip fruits, amaryllis, fern leaves and pine cones.

Ashley breaks down every step of this process including how to secure the floral arrangement to the cake, tips for travel and delivery, how to deal with flower breakage, time-saving tricks for making the flowers and filler elements, how to create the beautiful tree bark texture and more.

2:34:18 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • Learn how to create amaryllis, fern leaves and rose hip fruits
  • How to create a beautiful twig wreath
  • Learn how to create a realistic tree bark texture
  • How to secure a flower arrangement to a cake
  • Learn Ashley Barbey's way of delivering an assembled arrangement with minimal breakage

Tutorial Chapters

  1. Why sketching is important 0:41
  2. Making 1st set of fern leaves 2:09
  3. Making 2nd set of fern leaves 8:55
  4. Making last set of fern leaves 11:09
  5. How to articulate fern leaves 16:40
  6. Dusting the fern leaves 17:01
  7. Assembling the fern 20:51
  8. Adjusting fern & final dusting 25:36
  9. Making filler leaves 28:43
  10. Making larger leaves 31:17
  11. Dusting filler leaves 32:20
  12. Removing excess dust 34:48
  13. Making large rose hip stamens 42:20
  14. Making small rose hip stamens 45:58
  15. Making a large calyx 48:29
  16. Adding fruit to large calyx 52:39
  17. Making a small calyx 54:36
  18. Adding fruit to small calyx 56:05
  19. Dusting the rose hips 57:34
  20. Dusting the calyx 58:47
  21. Making the pine cones 1:02:17
  22. Dusting the pine cones 1:08:56
  23. Making the amaryllis stamens 1:12:09
  24. Making the amaryllis pistol 1:16:39
  25. Making the amaryllis petals 1:19:44
  26. Making the small amaryllis 1:28:11
  27. Dusting amaryllis petals 1:31:02
  28. A note on assembling stamens 1:33:03
  29. Assembling large amaryllis 1:33:31
  30. Assembling small amaryllis 1:36:11
  31. Wreath explanation 1:38:31
  32. Making the wreath 1:39:13
  33. Making wreath twigs 1:43:39
  34. Assembling wreath 1:46:41
  35. Assembling leaves & rose hips 1:50:02
  36. Adding elements to wreath 1:50:57
  37. Covering cake in fondant 1:54:54
  38. Adding detail to cake top 1:56:21
  39. Adding color to details 1:58:29
  40. Paneling the cake 2:02:38
  41. Blending bark seams 2:06:43
  42. Cleaning up the top edge 2:08:56
  43. Painting whitewash 2:10:50
  44. Why you should steam flowers 2:14:36
  45. Which straw should I use 2:16:03
  46. Making the arrangement 2:19:30
  47. Broken leaf touchup 2:30:18

Blog

Brown Butter Buttermilk Pancakes

 

Buttermilk pancakes made with brown butter are the most fluffy, flavorful and delicious pancakes you've ever had!

Buttermilk pancakes are my favorite weekend treat. This wasn't always the case. I actually used to hate pancakes. They always made me feel bloated and left an odd floury taste in my mouth. I could never figure out what the big deal was about pancakes. 

That was until one day, my husband Dan decided to make a batch of buttermilk pancakes from scratch using a recipe from Cooks Illustrated.

We love experimenting with recipes from this magazine because they do a lot of testing beforehand and everything we try is always so tasty!

buttermilk pancakes made from scratch

So we ditched the box mix and decided to try our hand at homemade. I don't know why I was SO surprised that they were SO incredibly good! I mean... cakes from scratch are better so why wouldn't it be the same for pancakes?

The outer layer of the pancake was crisp and the inside was light and fluffy but the biggest surprise was the flavor! It didn't just taste like a bunch of flour, it tasted like butter, and buttermilk and had almost a cake flavor to it. I was sold. 

fluffy buttermilk pancakes made from scratch

So we've been making these pancakes ever since and have tweaked them a tad to our tastes. We added vanilla and brown butter to the recipe.

This will be my first official breakfast related blog post on Sugar Geek Show. "hey, bakers gotta eat breakfast too right?" So I hope you enjoy these pancakes and let me know if you want to see more breakfast recipes!

How do you make the best buttermilk pancakes?

There are two things you need to make the best buttermilk pancakes you've ever had in your life.

  1. Buttermilk (duh)
  2. Sour cream 
  3. Baking soda AND baking powder
  4. Browned butter 

Bet you didn't see that one coming huh? Buttermilk is well-known to make the most amazing pancakes ever but the addition of sour cream adds even more flavor to your pancakes. They are also acidic much like the buttermilk so you get that classic tang. 

buttermilk pancakes with sour cream

No buttermilk? No problem. You can make a buttermilk substitute by adding 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to one cup of regular milk and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.

Once it curdles, you've got yourself some homemade buttermilk. You can also do this with lemon extract if you don't have any vinegar but I don't like the flavor of the lemon in my pancakes. 

how to make buttermilk pancakes without buttermilk

We're using baking soda and baking powder in our buttermilk pancake recipe so that we get maximum fluff without having an odd taste from using too much baking soda.

Lastly, you'll need three tablespoons of melted browned butter. Browning butter is really easy and only takes a few minutes but adds a lot of flavor to your pancakes! Simply place 4 tablespoons of butter in a sauce pan and melt on med/high heat. Whisk constantly until the mixture turns a nice hazelnut brown color. Pour into a separate bowl while you prepare your other ingredients to let it cool slightly.

brown butter

I know browning butter for pancakes sounds like an unnecessary pain but trust me, you won't regret it!

How to make fluffy buttermilk pancakes from scratch

Ok so let's start making these pancakes! First add your flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a bowl and whisk together.

buttermilk pancakes

Then combine your buttermilk, sour cream, melted butter, vanilla and eggs into another bowl and whisk lightly to break up those eggs. 

Make a well in the middle of your dry ingredients and add in the liquids. Then with a spatula, gently fold your mixture together until it's combined but still lumpy. DO NOT over-mix your batter and try to make it smooth or you will have some flat, not fluffy pancakes. 

buttermilk pancake batter needs to be lumpy

You should see some lumps and a few dry pockets of flour in the batter. 

Let your batter rest for 10 minutes.

How to cook perfect buttermilk pancakes

So let's start heating up our pan. I'm using a cast iron skillet because I like the crispiness that it adds to the outside of the pancake (taste over looks) but if you want your pancakes to have that super even and smooth brown outside like tv pancakes, you'll want to use a non-stick pan. 

Turn your heat up to medium and let it heat for 5 minutes. Add in a pat of butter (or oil) and swirl it around in the pan. Turn your heat down to medium/low. Wipe out any excess with a paper towel. 

best pan for making buttermilk pancakes

Use a ¼ cup scoop to scoop up your batter and place into the center of your hot pan. If it's not perfectly round just use the scoop to push it around to get a better shape.

Now be patient. Wait until you see some bubbles rising to the surface in the middle of the pancake and start to pop. The outer edges of your pancake should also star to look dull and dry instead of sticky and wet. 

buttermilk pancakes

Do a little test with your spatula and lift one edge of the pancake. If it looks golden brown, it's time to flip. If it sticks or its very pale, let it cook for longer. Once it's flipped it's mostly cooked and should only have to cook for another minute or two before it's done. 

Don't worry if your first pancake doesn't turn out right. That's typical and usually what we call the "sacrificial pancake". 

You just made buttermilk pancakes from scratch!

Give yourself a big high five! You just made your own buttermilk pancakes from scratch and now you'll never be able to go back to the box mix. 

fluffy buttermilk pancakes made from scratch

I like to top my pancakes with a dusting of powdered sugar, a pat of butter and some real maple syrup. Try different toppings like chocolate chips, fruit and whipped cream or even a side of bacon.

These pancakes have become a family tradition in the Marek household and I hope you enjoy them as well!

Recipe

stack of brown butter buttermilk pancakes with syrup being drizzled on top
Print Recipe
4.86 from 7 votes

Buttermilk Pancakes

Fluffy and flavorful buttermilk pancakes made from scratch! These will be your new weekend tradition. 
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Servings: 16 pancakes
Calories: 97kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Ingredients

Buttermilk Pancake Recipe

  • 10 oz flour two cups
  • 2 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 16 oz buttermilk two cups
  • 2 oz sour cream ¼ cup
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 tablespoon brown butter cooled
  • 1-3 tablespoon butter for frying

Instructions

  • Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt
  • Combine buttermilk, sour cream, vanilla, butter and eggs. Whisk lightly to break up eggs. 
  • Make a well in the flour mixture and add in your egg mixture. Fold gently until combined but the batter is still lumpy. Let rest for 10 minutes. 
  • Heat a skillet on medium heat for 5 minutes. Melt a tablespoon of butter in the pan and turn the heat down to med/low. 
  • Scoop ¼ cup pancake batter and pour into the middle of the pan. Let cook until you see bubbles popping in the center of the pancake and the edges of the pancake look dry and not shiny anymore. Then flip. 
  • Cook your pancake for 1-2 minutes more then it's done! Top with powdered sugar, maple syrup and butter! Mmmmm! 

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 4oz | Calories: 97kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 151mg | Potassium: 97mg | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 80IU | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 1mg

buttermilk pancakes made from scratch using brown butter and of course buttermilk! The fluffiest most flavorful pancakes you'll ever make and sure to be a new weekend tradition

 

 

Blog

How To Make Brown Butter The Easy Way

Have you ever tried brown butter? With its nutty aroma and rich, caramelized flavor, browned butter adds a unique dimension to both sweet and savory dishes. The best part? It's soooo easy to make! It may sound intimidating but don't worry, I'm going to show you how to make easy browned butter in 15 minutes flat and your baked goods will never be the same again.

Before we delve into the process of making browned butter, let's understand what it actually is. Also known as buerre noisette in French, is simply butter that has been cooked until the milk proteins in it turn a golden brown color, resulting in a nutty flavor profile. This process intensifies the butter's natural flavors, making it a delightful addition to your favorite recipes.

What The Heck Is Brown Butter?

brown butter in a clear jar

If you've ever eaten a chocolate chip cookie, you know how magical brown butter can taste. That crispy crunchy browned bottom of the cookie is the butter browning naturally during the cooking process. This browning is called the Maillard reaction which is when heat is applied to foods and creates a bunch of new and complex flavors that weren't there before heating. I could go on and on but I won't bore you. Just trust me, it's amazing!

close up of chocolate chip cookie cut in half

When you make browned butter, you can add that magical flavor to any recipe like brown butter cake, brown butter buttercream, and even brown butter chocolate chip cookies (because why not?)

What Kind Of Butter Should You Use?

close up of two butter sticks stacked on top of each other

To achieve the best results, it is crucial to select the right butter for making browned butter. Opt for unsalted butter, as it allows you to have better control over the saltiness of your final dish.

Remember, when you brown butter, you're actually evaporating some of the liquid out of the butter as well so you're condensing the flavor. Look for high-quality, European-style butter with a higher butterfat content, as this will yield richer and more flavorful result. I love Kerrygold or Plugra but you can really use any kind of butter.

How to make brown butter step-by-step

  1. Start by melting the butter: Place the butter in the bottom of the pan or heavy bottom skillet over medium heat. It's best to use a light-colored pan to help you watch the browning process more easily. A heavy bottom and wide pan will help distribute the heat more evenly and allow the butter to melt and brown more evenly.close up of butter melting in a stainless steel pan
  2. Heating and melting: As the butter melts, it will go through different stages. Initially, it will start to foam, and the milk solids will sink to the bottom. I use a wooden spoon or a whisk to occasionally mix the butter so that all the butter solids brown evenly. If you don't mix then the butter solids could burn.close up of melted butter in a saucepan
  3. Brown the milk solids: Continue cooking the butter until you notice a change in color. The liquid will start to turn a deep yellow and the milk solids will gradually turn golden brown and emit a nutty aroma.
  4. Keep a close eye on the process, as the butter can go from browned to burnt quickly. Once you see the butter solids have reached a nice golden brown, remove the pan from the heat. Continue stirring occasionally for a few minutes because the residual heat will continue to brown the milk solids.brown butter in a shallow stainless steel pan
  5. Straining: You can run the melted butter through a sieve or cheesecloth to remove the browned solids or you can leave them in. I personally love the look of the little brown specks in my baked goods and frosting so I leave it in.brown butter in saucepan
  6. Cooling: If your recipe calls for your butter to be soft but not melted (which most baking recipes do) then you'll want your browned butter to firm up. I pour mine into a shallow baking sheet and let it solidify at room temperature or if you're in a hurry, you can pop it in the fridge for about 20 minutes. You can also store it in a heat proof bowl. Make sure you let the butter cool a bit before storing it. Once the butter has solidified at room temperature, you can mix the butter to distribute the browned bits.
brown butter in a heat proof bowl surrounded by butter and a spoon

Tips for Success 

  • Pay attention: The browning process can happen quickly, so stay vigilant and stir the butter occasionally to prevent burning.
  • Start with room-temperature butter so that it melts evenly and the butter doesn't start browning too quickly before all the butter is melted. Cold butter will also splatter a lot more. If your butter is cold, cut it into small cubes and it will be soft enough to melt in about 15 minutes.
  • Medium to medium-low heat: Avoid high heat, as it can lead to uneven browning and increase the risk of burning the butter.
  • Quality over quantity: Start with a small stick of butter, especially if you are new to making browned butter. It will be easier to control the process with a small amount of butter and achieve the desired results.
  • Experiment with variations: Once you've mastered the basic technique, don't be afraid to experiment. Try adding herbs, spices, or even citrus zest to infuse additional flavors into your browned butter for use in sweet or savory recipes.
  • Once your browned butter has firmed up but is still spreadable, you can whip it up to distribute the brown flecks or even add in some honey to make browned honey butter. SOOO good.

The Best Way To Use Brown Butter

Browned butter's unique flavor can elevate a multitude of dishes. Here are a few ideas to inspire your culinary adventures:

  • Use browned butter in place of regular butter in any of your favorite recipes to add another layer of flavor and complexity.
  • Toss cooked pasta in browned butter, along with fresh herbs and grated Parmesan cheese, for a simple and flavorful pasta sauce.
  • Vegetable enhancement: Brown butter works wonders with roasted vegetables, such as Brussels sprouts, asparagus, or cauliflower, lending them a delectable nutty taste.

There's a reason they call browned butter "liquid gold". It's literally so valuable in baking and savory recipes. It's such an easy way to elevate basically any recipe so why not?

FAQ

Is Ghee the same as brown butter?

Ghee and brown butter are very similar but Ghee is not browned as much and is always strained so it has a creamier texture.

How do you store brown butter?

You can store brown butter the same way you store regular butter. You can refrigerate it or even freeze it.

Recipes That Use Brown Butter

Recipe

close up of browned butter in a skillet with a wooden spoon
Print Recipe
5 from 12 votes

Brown Butter Recipe

How to make browned butter to add a nutty, caramalized flavor to all your recipes.
Prep Time1 minute
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time11 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 9 oz
Calories: 271kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Equipment

  • Light-colored saucepan
  • Whisk

Ingredients

  • 12 oz unsalted butter

Instructions

  • Cut the unsalted butter into squares and place them into a heavy bottom, wide saucepan and melt it on medium heat. 
  • Whisk the butter every 1-3 minutes. As it melts, the butter will foam up.
  • After about 5 minutes, you will begin to see the butter turning a darker yellow and less foam will be present. Continue ocassionally whisking.
  • You will smell a nutty, caramel aroma coming from the butter when it's done.
  • Once you see the butter solids starting to turn a golden brown color (not black) you can remove everything from the heat. Continue whisking a bit while it cools down so it doesn't burn from the residual heat.
  • You can strain the butter to remove the brown flecks or leave them in. Your browned butter is now ready to use!

Video

Notes

Use unsalted butter so your browned butter is not too salty.
Start with room-temperature butter so it doesn't splatter or burn while it's melting.
Use a high-quality, European-style butter for the best flavor.
Brown your butter over medium to medium-low heat and whisk frequently to prevent burning.

Nutrition

Serving: 1oz | Calories: 271kcal | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 4mg | Potassium: 9mg | Vitamin A: 945IU | Calcium: 9mg

Blog

New Years Eve Cake

 

Ring in the new year with this New Years Eve cake with buttercream stripes, water ganache drip and chocolate cake topper

New Years Eve cake to kick 2018 to the curb.

Happy almost New Year! I don't know about you but I'm really excited to say goodbye to 2018 and ring in 2019! I just have a feeling it's going to be an awesome New Year.

New years eve cake with buttercream stripes and water ganache drip and chocolate cake topper

Last years New Years Eve cake was a big hit and people who had never tried pink champagne cake are now in love! I totally get it, I love me some pink champagne cake too and it has such a tasty flavor.

pink champagne cake

For this year, I'm creating something a bit different! I'm trying out my new cake combs from Ester Cakes to make some buttercream stripes. They have a whole bunch of different patterns and styles! Works really great on ganache too. 

How to make a New Years Eve drip cake

To make my drip cake, I start off with three 6" layers of my pink champagne cake and stack and fill them with easy buttercream frosting. I get a quick crumb coat on there then chill 15 minutes.

After chilling, I smooth the layers down as usual with my bench scraper. If you need some more tips on how to bake and decorate your first cake, check out my beginner cake decorating tutorial on how to make your first cake ever. 

After I got my cake smooth I chilled the cake again for about 20 minutes. 

new years eve drip cake

Making the buttercream stripes

To make the buttercream stripes on your New Years Eve cake, you take the Ester Cakes cake comb and slowly start scraping away buttercream to make the stripe indents. I go nice and slow and take my time. Then after my comb hits the board, I chill the cake for about an hour so that the buttercream is really hard! That way the stripes don't get messed up later. 

buttercream stripes

After the cake is chilled, I add some gold colored buttercream. I colored my buttercream with some ivory food coloring gel to make the gold color. 

Scrape away the excess buttercream with your smooth bench scraper to reveal your stripes! Pretty cool huh!

Making the chocolate cake topper

For the chocolate cake topper, simply melt down some candy melts. Place them into a piping bag with the tip cut off. Print out the free New Years Eve chocolate cake topper template. Place some parchment paper over the top of template #2 and just trace the image with your piping bag. I chilled mine in the fridge for about 5 minutes to make it set up. 

easy DIY chocolate cake topper

After the word is piped you can paint it gold. I used Edible Artist Decorative paints glamorous gold because it's fully edible and has a nice pretty shine. It takes a couple of coats for complete coverage on chocolate just FYI.

Once that's set, I pipe the #1 template onto some parchment paper the same way we did the first one. You'll notice this one is a bit thicker and bolder. That's so that we can place the chilled word on top and it will have an outline. 

Finish the topper off with a little cake pop stick for placing into the cake. 

Making the water ganache drip

To make our water ganache drip, simple melt down 6 oz of your colored candy melts. I used Wilton royal blue. Then add in 1 oz of hot water and mix until it's a smooth consistency. I added in some more blue food coloring and a touch of black to make my drip more of a royal blue in color. 

water ganache

Adding food color gel to water ganache will not make it seize up. 

Place your water ganache into a piping bag with the tip cut off and begin piping around the outside edge of your cake. once you get all the way around, squeeze the excess into the center of the cake and smooth it out with your spatula. 

Finishing the New Years Eve cake

All that's left to do now is to add some gold star sprinkles and place your chocolate cake topper on top! I love how the blue water ganache drip reminds me of a melting starry night sky. 

New Years Eve Cake

I hope you enjoyed this simple and fun New Years Eve cake tutorial! If you have any questions, just leave them for me in the comments section and I'll get back to you. 

Happy New Year!

 

Recipe

New Years Eve Cake
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

New Years Eve Cake

Ring in the New Year with this fun and festive pink champagne cake covered in white and gold buttercream stripes, water ganache drip and a yummy chocolate cake topper!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 60 oz
Calories: 248kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Ingredients

Champagne Cake

  • 12 oz AP Flour
  • 10 oz sugar
  • 8 oz unsalted butter
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon sparkling wine candy flavor (optional) affiliate link: https://a.co/74ZOSgf
  • 4 large eggs room temp
  • 6 oz champagne room temp
  • 2 oz vegetable oil
  • 1-2 drops electric pink food color

Blue Water Ganache

  • 6 oz blue candy melts chocolate
  • 1 oz hot water

Easy Buttercream

  • 8 oz pasteurized egg whites
  • 2 lbs powdered sugar
  • 2 lbs unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoon clear vanilla extract

Instructions

Champagne Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350F. Make sure all of your ingredients (champagne, eggs, butter) are at room temperature
  • Place butter in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and mix on low until smooth and creamy. Sprinkle in sugar and turn up to medium and let mix until very light in color and fluffy (about 8-10 mins)
  • Combine your flour, salt, baking powder and sift. Set aside
  • Combine your champagne, food color and flavorings. Whisk to combine and set aside
  • Once your sugar is ready, add in your eggs ONE AT A TIME. Letting mixture mix for one full minute after each egg is added before adding the next egg. 
  • Add in ⅓ of your flour to your butter/egg mixture and once combined, add in ½ of your liquid, then flour, then liquid, then flour. Let mix just until everything is combined.
  • Divide into two 8" round pans. Bake for 25-30 mins until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool and then chill before trimming and stacking your cakes.

Water Ganache

  • Melt down your white chocolate until they are almost melted. Stir with a spoon until completely melted then add in your hot water. Stir until combined and smooth. Add in a couple of teaspoons of dark blue food coloring if you want a darker blue. 
  • Place melted chocolate into a piping bag for the drip

Easy Buttercream

  • Place powdered sugar, egg whites, vanilla and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Whip on high for 5 minutes then add in butter on low in small chunks. 
  • Once all the butter is added, go back up to high until the buttercream is thick and white. This can take ten minutes. 
  • Take out two cups of the buttercream and color it with ivory food color gel and mix until you don't see any streaks. 

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 8oz | Calories: 248kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 93mg | Potassium: 32mg | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 520IU | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 0.4mg

New Years Eve Cake tutorial with buttercream stripes, water ganache drip and chocolate cake topper with free template! Super fun and simple cake for a New Years Eve celebration!

Cake

German Chocolate Cake

Classic German chocolate cake with coconut-pecan filling and chocolate buttercream

German chocolate cake is a very light, moist chocolate cake with a rich coconut-pecan filling and a little chocolate swiss meringue buttercream to hold it all together. The cake does not have a strong chocolate flavor, almost like a red velvet cake without the food coloring. If my death by chocolate cake is the epitome of a chocolate lovers cake, then German chocolate cake is the polar opposite.

close up of german chocolate cake on a blue patterned plate with cake in the background

German chocolate cake is German at all. It's actually American and is named after Samuel German, the creator of a popular dark bakers chocolate. The cake was developed to market the sweet chocolate which is used in the original recipe for German chocolate cake.

close up of german chocolate cake frosted with chocolate swiss meringue buttercream and coconut pecan frosting

German chocolate cake was actually my Dad's favorite cake. Every year for his birthday we would buy a box of Duncan Hines German chocolate cake mix and a can of the coconut pecan frosting. Into a glass baking and into the oven. Thirty minutes later I would be unsuccessfully trying to frost a warm cake with a cold can of frosting and tearing the thing to pieces. Oh, I wish I knew then what I know now. Chill your cakes!

So I do believe it's time I re-created this classic cake and shared it with you all. This recipe is pretty true to the original recipe you can find on the inside of the Baker's chocolate packaging with the addition of a little vegetable oil which I feel makes the cake a bit moister. It truly is delicious made from scratch!

What does Baker's German Sweet Chocolate taste like?

bakers sweet dark chocolate

German's sweet chocolate is not as bitter as a bar of typical dark chocolate but also not as sweet as a bar of standard milk chocolate. It's a cross between the two with 48% cocoa content.

You can buy Baker's German chocolate from most grocery stores like Target or Kroger in the baking aisle.

closeup of german chocolate cake with coconut pecan frosting and chocolate swiss meringue buttercream frosting

What's the difference between german chocolate cake and regular chocolate cake?

The main differences between german chocolate cake and regular chocolate cake is the type of chocolate used and the amount of chocolate you taste. A regular chocolate cake is flavored with milk chocolate cocoa powder and has a strong chocolate flavor.

German chocolate cake does not have a strong cocoa flavor, the star of the show is the coconut pecan frosting. It is sometimes frosted with chocolate buttercream to hold in the filling and occasionally decorated with marachino cherries.

german chocolate cake

How to make German chocolate cake from scratch

The first thing you should do when baking this German chocolate cake is melt your chocolate and let it cool. I melted the chocolate for the swiss meringue buttercream and the cake batter all at once in a glass bowl then set it aside to cool down.

To make your chocolate cake, gather all your ingredients ahead of time to make sure you have everything you need and you're not rushing to find certain ingredients. I'm following the recipe from the inside of the chocolate bar box with the addition of some vegetable oil for moisture.

The mixing method is very similar to my southern coconut cake. Whipping up egg whites and then folding them into the finished batter makes a very light and tender cake.

Be careful when you are folding your egg whites into the cake batter and take care not to crush all the air out the egg whites. Fold your batter gently by using a spatula and gently lifting the batter from the bottom of the bowl and folding it over onto itself.

The box calls for three 9" cake pans but I only have two so I used 8" cake pans instead and it worked out great. The color of the finished cakes will be very light.

Coconut-Pecan filling

The next thing you should do is make your coconut-pecan filling. This also takes a bit to cool down so it's best to make it before you bake your cakes.

The filling actually comes together really easily but you need to basically be whisking the mixture for 12 minutes straight to ensure your eggs don't curdle.

I have made coconut pecan filling with regular milk before but the traditional way is to use evaporated milk. Evaporated milk stands up to high heat better than milk so it's less likely to curdle or scorch. Evaporated milk is not the same thing as condensed milk which has sugar added.

After your filling has thickened and darkened in color, all that's left to do is fold in your coconut and pecans. To me, this is the best part of a German chocolate cake!

German chocolate buttercream

While my cake was baking, I made my swiss meringue buttercream. I could have added a little cocoa powder to the buttercream to make it chocolate but I wanted to stick with the bakers chocolate flavor so I used melted chocolate instead.

Oh my GOSH was it delicious and so creamy! I might make all my chocolate buttercream this way in the future. I also noticed it stayed cream even the next day instead of getting kind of spongy like my easy buttercream tends to do.

Because you have to heat the egg whites to melt the sugar, you have to give the meringue time to cool down before you add in the butter or your buttercream will turn to butter soup. I speed up the cooling process by putting some ice around the base of the bowl while it's mixing but you can also scoop all the meringue out and put it into a shallow pan and into a the fridge to cool.

If you don't want to fuss with making SMBC then you can use my easy chocolate buttercream instead.

Other cake recipes you might enjoy
White Velvet Buttermilk Cake
Ermine Buttercream frosting
Easy Chocolate cake
Whipped Chocolate Ganache 

Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator

Select an option below to calculate how much batter or frosting you need. Adjust the servings slider on the recipe card to change the amounts the recipe makes.

Choose a pan type

Choose a cake pan size
(based on 2" tall cake pan)

Choose a cake pan size
(based on 2" tall cake pan)

Choose a cake pan size
(based on 2" tall cake pan)

Cupcake Tin Size

Choose number of pans

Cups of Batter Needed

8 cups

Cups of Frosting Needed

5 cups

Note: measurements are estimated based off the vanilla cake recipe using standard US cake pans and sizes. Measurements used are for 2" tall cake pans only. Your results may vary. Do not overfill cake pans above manufacturer's recommended guidelines.

Recipe

close up of german chocolate cake on a blue patterned plate with cake in the background
Print Recipe
4.91 from 32 votes

German Chocolate Cake

Light in texture and rich in flavor, this moist, German chocolate cake recipe is a slice of heaven! It is perfectly paired with coconut pecan frosting and creamy, heavenly chocolate swiss meringue buttercream! A true labor of love, but oh SO worth it!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 24 servings
Calories: 645kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Equipment

  • Stand Mixer
  • Whisk Attachment

Ingredients

For the German Chocolate Cake

  • 4 ounces Baker's German Chocolate melted
  • 4 ounces water warmed
  • 4 large eggs (yolks and whites separated) room temperature
  • 12 ounces All-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 8 ounces unsalted butter room temperature
  • 14 ounces granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 8 ounces buttermilk
  • 4 ounces vegetable oil

For the Coconut-Pecan Filling

  • 4 egg yolks
  • 12 ounces evaporated milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 10 ounces granulated sugar or brown sugar for a richer flavor
  • 6 ounces unsalted butter
  • 7 ounces flaked coconut
  • 7 ounces pecans chopped
  • ½ teaspoon salt

For the Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

German Chocolate Cake Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC).
  • Prepare three 8″x2″ cake pans with cake goop or another preferred pan spray.
  • Melt your chocolate in a heatproof bowl in 15-second increments until just melted. Do not overheat or you could burn your chocolate.
  • Then, add your warm water to the chocolate and whisk to combine. Set aside.
  • Next, place the room temperature egg whites in a separate bowl with the whisk attachment and whip until you reach firm but moist peaks. They shouldn’t look broken or crumbly. Set aside.
  • Combine the room temperature buttermilk and the vegetable oil and then set aside.
  • Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt and then set aside.
  • Then, in the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together the room temperature butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy in color.
  • Add in your egg yolks one at a time, letting each mix in fully before adding in the next.
  • While mixing on low, add in your melted and cooled chocolate and vanilla and then mix until it’s combined.
  • Next, while mixing on low, add in ⅓ of the flour mixture, and then ⅓ of the buttermilk mixture. Repeat two more times with the remaining flour and buttermilk.
  • Gently fold in your egg whites until they are blended.
  • Pour the batter into your prepared pans.
  • Bake the cakes immediately at 350ºF (177ºC) for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out from the center clean.
  • Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes inside of the pan before flipping them out.
  • Flip the cake onto a cooling rack and let it cool completely. I chill my cakes before handling them, or you can wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze them to trap moisture in the cake.
  • Thaw the cake on the countertop while it’s still wrapped before frosting.

Coconut-Pecan Filling Instructions

  • In a medium-sized saucepan, whisk together the evaporated milk, egg yolks, and vanilla over medium heat until blended.
  • Add in your butter and sugar and continue to cook over medium heat until the mixture begins to thicken (this will take about 12 minutes). Whisk continuously or you risk overcooking your eggs. The mixture will be thick and golden brown when it’s ready.
  • Remove the mixture from the heat and fold in your coconut and pecans.
  • Transfer the filling to a heat-proof bowl and cool it completely. You can make this a day ahead and refrigerate it for up to 4 days.

Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream

  • Bring 2″ of water to a boil in a medium saucepan then reduce the heat until it’s just simmering.
  • Next, place your metal or glass mixing bowl on top. The bowl should not be touching the water.
  • Then, pour the egg whites and sugar in the bowl and whisk occasionally to dissolve the sugar and keep the egg whites from cooking. Once the mixture reaches 110ºF or you can no longer feel any granules of sugar in between your fingers, it’s ready.
  • Place the bowl on your stand mixer and whip on high speed (setting 4 on my Bosch Mixer, setting 8-10 on a KitchenAid) until you reach VERY stiff peaks. This can take between 10-15 minutes. The tips should stand straight up when you touch them and the meringue should feel very thick and dense.
  • Pour your meringue out into a shallow dish and pop it into the fridge for about 10 minutes to cool the meringue. You can also put your entire bowl of meringue into the fridge, but it will take longer to cool. If you don’t cool the meringue it will melt your butter. Then you’ll have buttercream soup. You can also place a large bag of ice under the bowl as you’re mixing to cool the meringue down faster.
  • Reduce the speed to low, then slowly add in your butter in small chunks (remove this part about the salt, chocolate and vanilla) followed by your salt, melted and cooled chocolate, and vanilla extract.
  • Whip it on high for 8 to 10 minutes until the color is light and fluffy. Give it a taste and if it still tastes buttery, keep whipping.
  • Reduce the speed to low again and then drizzle in your cooled chocolate, salt, and vanilla and mix until it’s smooth.

Video

Notes

If you don’t want to fuss with making SMBC then you can use my easy chocolate buttercream instead. 
Important Things To Note Before You Start
  1. Bring all your ingredients to room temperature or even a little warm (eggs, buttermilk, butter, etc) to ensure your batter does not break or curdle. 
  2. Use a scale to weigh your ingredients (including liquids) unless otherwise instructed (Tablespoons, teaspoons, pinch etc). Metric measurements are available in the recipe card. Scaled ingredients are much more accurate than using cups and help ensure the success of your recipe. 
  3. Practice Mise en Place (everything in it’s place). Measure out your ingredients ahead of time and have them ready before you start mixing to reduce the chances of accidentally leaving something out.
  4. Using Baker's German chocolate will really set your recipe up for success. You can buy Baker's German chocolate from most grocery stores like Target or Kroger in the baking aisle.
  5. If you do not have buttermilk on hand, you will want to use one of my preferred buttermilk substitutions. 
  6. Make sure you allow the meringue to cool down before adding butter! This is very important. 
  7. Chill your cakes before adding the filling and frosting. Learn more about decorating your first cake. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 645kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 27g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 201mg | Potassium: 152mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 48g | Vitamin A: 944IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 1mg

Blog

How To Decorate A Cake (Beginners Guide)

Learn how to decorate a cake for the first time with this beginner-friendly step-by-step guide! These tips are one of the first skills I teach beginners in my cake decorating classes because it gives you the foundational techniques you need to make your first cake look amazing. In this guide I'll walk you through everything you need to know, from choosing the right cake recipes and frostings to finishing your cake with professional-looking decorations.

close up of decorated cake on a blue plate

Quick Glance: How To Decorate A Cake

  • Name: How To Decorate A Cake (Beginners Guide)
  • Why You'll Love It: Step-by-step instructions from baking, stacking, frosting, and easy ways to decorate a cake.
  • Time and Difficulty: Varies
  • Main Ingredients: Cake, buttercream
  • Method: Bake, cool, level, fill, frost, decorate!
  • Texture and Flavor: Moist and delicious!
  • Quick Tip: Always work with cakes that are completely cool.
ChatGPT
Google AI
Perplexity
Grok
Add us as a trusted site on Google
[feast_advanced_jump_to]

If you've ever been tasked to make a birthday cake, a wedding cake, or just want to challenge yourself with making your first decorated cake, this blog post will tell you everything you need to know.

I was inspired to make this post because my daughter's teacher approached me one day, asking if I had any tips on how to decorate a cake for the first time. It was her Mother's birthday, and she had never baked or decorated a cake but had her heart set on making one.

So here is my complete guide on how to make a cake for the very first time from start to finish! Even if you've never made a cake before, this will clear it all up for you. I recommend you read through this entire post first before you start baking so you can be sure to have all your tools and ingredients ready to go.

Pair this technique with a sturdy, easy-to-stack cake like my vanilla cake, chocolate cake, or red velvet cake while you practice your buttercream skills.

Cake Decorating Tools For Beginners

If you're just getting started, these are my favorite cake decorating tools for beginners that make decorating much easier. You don't need everything on this list, but if you get serious, it's a good list to follow. Below are the absolute MUSTS to have before you decorate your first cake, and where to get them.

Offset spatula, serrated knife, turntable, piping bags, and piping tips for cake decorating
  1. Offset spatula - You don't need two sizes, you could get away with just the small one really but I do use both sizes on every cake. The offset spatula is a must so that you don't actually get your fingers in the buttercream as you're smoothing out your layers of buttercream. You can buy them at most grocery or even online.
  2. Serrated knife - A serrated knife is also known as a bread knife. As long as it has those little teeth, it will work just fine for cutting the tops off your cakes to make them nice and flat. You probably already have this knife in your kitchen. If you're nervous to level your cakes yourself, you can also use a cake leveler.
  3. Turn Table - You're definitely going to want a turntable. It just makes frosting the cake so so much easier. My first turntable was the little plastic one from Michaels, and I used my 40% off coupon to buy it. You can also use a lazy susan if you have one with a flat top.
  4. Piping Bag - I love me some disposable piping bags. If you don't have any or can't find any, you can use a ziplock bag in a pinch with the tip cut off.
  5. Piping Tip - Don't forget a piping tip if you want to pipe some pretty rosettes on the top of the cake! My favorite tip is a 2F, but any star tip will do, like a Wilton 1M.

You can find my full list of recommended cake decorating tools here.

BONUS TIP: Bake your cakes a day in advance so they are completely cool by the time you decorate your cake. Cool cakes are much easier to handle than warm cakes.

Choose Your Cake Recipe

There are a lot of cake recipes you could choose from, but if you're intimidated by baking, I would recommend one of the following recipes. They are easy to mix and bake up beautifully. I also highly recommend a good cake pan with straight edges if you don't have one. Most of my cake recipes are made to make three 8" cake layers. Three layers generally look better than two layers, but it's not necessary!

If you only have two cake pans (which a lot of us do), then no worries. Just bake your cake layers and then leave your cake batter in the fridge until you're ready to bake it.

Choose Your Frosting

You can use frosting for filling and for going on the outside of your cake. My favorite frosting to use is my easy buttercream recipe. It's smooth, easy to make, and easy to use. Of course, you can use any kind of frosting you want, but just keep in mind some frostings, like whipped cream maybe be more difficult to use as a beginner.

How To Decorate A Cake Step-By-Step

After you bake your cakes and let them cool, it's time to start stacking and preparing to decorate! Watch my video on how to decorate a cake for beginners if you learn better by watching.

Trimming the dome off a cake layer with a serrated knife
  1. If your cake layer has a dome (some do, some don't) then you will want to trim that off so that your cake layers stack up nice and flat. You can use your serrated knife or you can use a cake leveler. I also like to trim the brown edges off the sides and bottom but it's not necessary!
Stacked cake layers with buttercream filling between each layer
  1. Place your first leveled cake layer onto your cake board or your cake platter. Add some frosting on top and spread it flat with your offset spatula. Repeat this process with the second layer of cake, and finally put the final layer of cake on top.

    If you're making a taller cake, you may want to learn how to stack cakes safely so your layers stay stable.

BONUS TIP: If you want to add a filling like lemon curd, strawberry reduction filling, or raspberry filling, you will have to make a dam of buttercream first in between the layers so the filling doesn't ooze out. Remember not to make the filling too thick.

Applying a crumb coat to a layer cake
  1. Add a thin layer of buttercream all over the cake. This is called the crumbcoat because it seals in all the loose crumbs. This should be thin and it does not have to be neat and tidy. The final layer of buttercream will be the pretty one. Then place the crumb-coated cake into the fridge for at least 15 minutes or until the frosting feels firm.
Smooth frosted cake with final buttercream coat
  1. Now it's time for the final coat of buttercream. Add another layer of frosting and use the bench scraper and the offset spatula (see the video) to get everything nice and smooth.
White cake with a gold drip decoration
  1. Add a drip cake finish for instant celebration vibes.

Decorated beginner cake with pink buttercream and gold drip
  1. Adding some swirls of buttercream using your piping tips and adding some sprinkles to the side of the cake is a great way to finish off your cake! Other easy ways to decorate a cake are to add fresh flowers to the cake.

How To Decorate A Cake Video Tutorial

Cake Decorating Ideas For Beginners

Here are a few beginner-friendly cake decorating ideas:

close up of buttercream flowers
close up of chocolate drip on a chocolate cake
close up of fresh strawberries on swirls of buttercream atop a cake
close up of fresh flowers on a cake
two tier cake covered in gold and black glitter on a black cake stand
close up of chocolate cake with a chocolate drip with chocolate candy on top

• Edible Glitter
• Pressed Flowers
• Fresh fruit decorations
• Buttercream textures
• Naked Wedding Cake
• Dried Pineapple Flowers
• Simple buttercream borders

Each of these techniques can transform a simple frosted cake into a beautiful centerpiece. If you want to add more advanced decorations, learn how to pipe buttercream flowers or how to pipe buttercream decorations for a vintage cake.

BONUS TIP: Oftentimes, people will complain that a cake was dry when really it was just cold. Before slicing up your pretty cake to serve, make sure you leave it at room temperature for at least a few hours so the butter in the buttercream has time to soften.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

When learning how to decorate a cake, beginners often run into a few common problems.

• Decorating a warm cake
• Using buttercream that is too soft
• Skipping the crumb coat
• Not leveling cake layers
• Trying complicated designs too early

Avoiding these mistakes will make decorating much easier.

Final Thoughts

Learning how to decorate a cake may seem intimidating at first, but once you understand the basics of stacking, frosting, and simple decorations, it becomes much easier. Start with simple designs and practice your smoothing and piping techniques. Before long, you'll be decorating cakes that look just as good as they taste.

close up of a decorated cake with pink frosting and a gold drip

Top FAQs For Decorating A Cake

How do I get rid of bubbles in my buttercream?

Mix it on low speed with a paddle attachment for 5-10 minutes, or manually stir it vigorously against the side of the bowl with a spatula. Other effective methods include microwaving a small portion of the icing for 5-10 seconds, mixing it back in. You can also use an immersion blender.

How do you transport a decorated cake safely?

Transport a decorated cake safely by chilling it until firm, placing it on a flat, non-slip surface (like the floorboard or a rubber mat) in a cool car, and using a properly sized, snug box. Keep the car air conditioning on high, and drive slowly to avoid sudden stops.

How do you fix buttercream that is too soft?

To fix soft or runny buttercream, chill it in the refrigerator for 10-20 minutes to firm up the butter, then re-whip it to restore a fluffy texture.

How to fix buttercream that is too stiff

It depends on the buttercream. If it's an egg white and butter-based buttercream like my easy buttercream, it's probably too cold. Remove about 1 cup of the buttercream and microwave it until it's barely melted. Add it back in and mix until soft, smooth, and fluffy.

If it's a powdered sugar and butter-based buttercream like my American buttercream, then add in 1-2 Tablespoons of heavy whipping cream, milk, or boiling water, and continue mixing until it's nice and soft.

How do you color buttercream frosting?

The best way to color buttercream is to add gel food coloring to the buttercream and then mix it in. Avoid using liquid food coloring unless you plan on making very light colors. For darker colors, you can use an immersion blender, which will help darken the colors. The color will also deepen overnight.

How Do you make buttercream flowers

There are many ways to make buttercream flowers, but this is an easy tutorial on how to make buttercream flowers for beginners.

How do you stack a cake?

Stacking a cake requires cake boards and cake supports like wooden dowels or plastic straws so that the top tier doesn't collapse into the bottom tier. Here is a tutorial on how to stack cakes safely.

More Cake Tutorials To Try

Ready To Master Cake Decorating?

Join Sugar Geek University and learn professional techniques through detailed cake decorating courses, tutorials, and real kitchen demonstrations by
award-winning cake decorator, Liz Marek.

Start Learning Now

 

 

 

 

 

Course Preview

Champagne Bottle Cake Tutorial

Skill level: Intermediate

Celebrate the New Year with a splash! Our latest sculpted cake tutorial is the perfect show-stopper for any celebration. Featuring a champagne bottle design with fun and intricate details, including a gravity-defying splash of pink champagne!

The perfect cake for any black tie celebration, let's get our tools together and get started!

52:58 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • How to create a beautiful champagne bottle cake
  • Learn how to stack and sculpt a tall cake while giving it structure so it doesn't fall
  • How to make a beautiful pink champagne splash
  • Tricks on how to create the details for the bottle neck

Tutorial Chapters

  1. Coloring ganache 0:11
  2. Making the cake structure 3:05
  3. Ganache crumbcoat 5:16
  4. Stacking the cake 8:24
  5. Bulking the bottle neck 19:41
  6. Making the champagne splash 23:43
  7. Making the letters 26:55
  8. Finishing top of bottle 29:51
  9. Adding shine to bottle 35:16
  10. Painting details 36:30
  11. Attaching letters to bottle 37:08
  12. Adding bottle ribbon 38:35
  13. Making bottle seal 40:15
  14. Attaching the label 41:24
  15. Forming the splash 42:49
  16. Attaching splash to bottle 52:07

Paid Video

Champagne Bottle Cake

Skill level: Intermediate

Celebrate the New Year with a splash! Our latest sculpted cake tutorial is the perfect show-stopper for any celebration. Featuring a champagne bottle design with fun and intricate details, including a gravity-defying splash of pink champagne!

The perfect cake for any black tie celebration, let's get our tools together and get started!

52:58 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • How to create a beautiful champagne bottle cake
  • Learn how to stack and sculpt a tall cake while giving it structure so it doesn't fall
  • How to make a beautiful pink champagne splash
  • Tricks on how to create the details for the bottle neck

Tutorial Chapters

  1. Coloring ganache 0:11
  2. Making the cake structure 3:05
  3. Ganache crumbcoat 5:16
  4. Stacking the cake 8:24
  5. Bulking the bottle neck 19:41
  6. Making the champagne splash 23:43
  7. Making the letters 26:55
  8. Finishing top of bottle 29:51
  9. Adding shine to bottle 35:16
  10. Painting details 36:30
  11. Attaching letters to bottle 37:08
  12. Adding bottle ribbon 38:35
  13. Making bottle seal 40:15
  14. Attaching the label 41:24
  15. Forming the splash 42:49
  16. Attaching splash to bottle 52:07

Blog

Gifts For Bakers

28 Awesome Gifts For Bakers

If you're reading this, you might know an amazing baker. Maybe they're your best friend, maybe you're married to them. Maybe it's your neighbor that brings you all her leftover cookies. Whoever the baker is in your life, you can bet they will absolutely FLIP for any of these amazing gifts for bakers

The ultimate guide for awesome gifts for bakers! 28 amazing gift ideas from small to omg I have been wanting one of those for years!

Now this isn't just some random list of gifts put together for the sake of selling, no sir! I polled my followers and listened to what THEY want the most for the holidays as well as throwing in a few finds that I think any baker would love. So you know these gifts for bakers will be spot on!

*Full disclosure, there are affiliate links in this post. This doesn't cost you anything but I may make a few bucks from the post.

Gifts For Bakers Under $25

You don't have to spend a fortune to get the perfect gift for bakers! Here are my top choices for gifts for bakers under $25

1 Quality Cake Pans $9.99

One of the first things a baker needs are some really good cake pans! If you're in need of a beginners gift for bakers that they will absolutely LOVE, you can't go wrong with a set of professional cake pans. I love my Fat Daddio cake pans but another popular brand is Magic Line.

gifts for bakers

2 Glass Mixing Bowls - $24.99

Every baker needs a set of clear glass bowls for mise en place (everything in it's place). Mise en place is when you get all your ingredients together in bowls before you start baking so that you don't forget any important steps. Plus it makes food videography look so much cleaner and you can stop wondering where your cereal bowls have gone.

gifts for bakers

3 Mini Red Silicone Rolling Pin - $7.99

If the baker in your life is a huge Sugar Geek Show fan (which I hope they are) then they are probably familiar with my famous tiny rolling pin. People ask me ALL THE TIME where I got mine! In all honesty, I don't even remember. I've had it for so long but recently I found the same one on Amazon! Don't ask me why I love my tiny red rolling pin, I just do.

gifts for bakers

4 Chocolate Tempering Spatula - $21.99

Every good baker needs to know how to temper chocolate and unless you have a chocolate tempering machine, it can get a little tricky (and messy). Luckily I discovered this awesome spatula that has a thermometer inside so you can easily keep track of the temperature of your chocolate while tempering.

gifts for bakers

5 Food Jewelry - $18

Ok so maybe it's just me but I LOVE tiny foods!! There is just something so cute about it! I have a pair of donut earrings and I always get compliments on them. Now I just need this necklace...

gifts for bakers

6 Momofuku Milk Bar Book - $21.49

Christina Tosi is pretty much the baker's version of Madonna. She's one badass chick who's super talented! I've tried many of her recipes and they always please the crowds! If you want to get a gift for a baker that loves to try new recipes, this is a great gift! Just make sure they haven't already bought it for themselves

gifts for bakers

7 Rose Gold Baking Utensils - $17.97

Who wouldn't want this chic utensil set? Rose gold is a very popular color right now and pretty much goes with everything. *adds utensils to shopping cart*

gifts for bakers

Gifts for bakers from $25-$50

Don't have a lot of cash but want to impress? Don't worry, we've got you covered! Any baker would love to have these gifts make a sudden appearance in the kitchen.

8 Kitchen Scale - $36.05

If you want to bake from scratch and you want to do it well, you simple must have a kitchen scale (that almost rhymes). Seriously though, this is the scale I use in all my recipes and I lurve it soooo much.

baking gift kitchen scale

9 Baking Basics - $21.39

Speaking of baking, my favorite cake author of all time, Rose Levy Beranbaum (author of the best cake book ever, The Cake Bible) has come out with a new book all about teaching you how to bake and the fundamentals of baking. If that's not a book for a baker I don't know what is.

baking basics book

10 Gel Food Coloring Student Kit - $22

Good food coloring is hard to find. Toss that watery junk you buy from the grocery store and get the good stuff!

baking gift food coloring

11 Cake Photography Backdrop - $36.99

Nothing will help a bakers business grow faster than professional looking photos! This simple white vinyl backdrop is what I use to take clean looking photos of my cakes.

baking gifts photography backdrop

12 Kitchen Torch - $28.73

You wouldn't believe how often one needs to set things on fire (on purpose) for cake decorating! This kitchen torch runs on butane (same thing as a lighter) has an easy on/off valve and is perfect for all the torching things.

baking gift kitchen torch

13 Turntable Expander - $39.99

If you ever make a cake over 10" then you definitely need this turntable expander! It turns your 12" turntable into 20" and is big enough to support a sheet cake! I could not live without mine.

baking gifts turntable expander

14 Crystal Mold - $37.99

Crystal cakes and geode cakes are still super on trend and it looks like it's going to stay that way. These crystal molds are perfect for making beautiful crystals out of sugar!

baking gifts crystal mold

15 Isomalt Beginners Kit - $44.99

Speaking of isomalt, this kit just came out for the budding sugar artist! Everything you need including isomalt, torch, gloves, mat and bowl so you can start whipping up some amazing isomalt sculptures

baking gifts isomalt basics kit

16 Chocolate Skull Mold Deluxe Set $49.99

This chocolate skull mold was designed for the sculptor! Everything you need to cast a chocolate skull, make realistic sugar eyes and sculpt an anatomically correct face for your bust cakes. Check out the bust cake tutorial for more info on sculpting realistic cakes.

baking gifts skull mold

17 Metallic Paint Palette - $48

Edible metallic paints are all the rage right now in cake decorating but totally edible can be hard to find! This metallic paint palette is soooo pretty (and edible) I might just use it for my face instead of the cakes.

baking gift

18 Inspired Women Hoodie - $40

Does the (lady) baker in your life inspire you and those around her? Why not get her a hoodie that's comfy and cozy to wear on those cold caking nights. Then we can be twinsies.

gifts for bakers hoodie

19 Personalized Cake Fork - $31

I love this cake fork! The perfect gift for bakers! Or ya know, people who like cake (everyone). Personalize the fork with fun sayings like "my slice" or "piece of cake" or even the business name so you can use it for client tastings!

gifts for bakers

Gifts For Bakers $50+

Ready to really impress? These gifts for bakers are definitely on the "someday I'll buy this for myself but I'll feel really guilty if I do". Some of these are tools a baker really needs for their business or maybe it's just something they really want but would never buy. Bakersguilt is a real thing ya'll. Buy it for them.

20 Kitchenaid Pasta Machine Attachment - $59.88

Does the baker in your life love to make sugar flowers? Do they have a hand held pasta machine because "it's fine" and "get's the job done". Well let me tell you from experience, hand-rolling hundreds of gumpaste petals sucks. I could not live without my pasta machine attachment. Making sugar flowers already takes too much time, make their life easier with this gift.

gifts for bakers

21 Innovative Sugar Works Turntable - $77.83

A really quality turntable is invaluable to bakers and cake decorators! I love this turntable from Innovative Sugar Works because it's not too heavy and has a knob on the side so I can lock the wheel when I'm decorating and it's easy to clean. It also goes perfectly with that turntable expander *hint hint*

gifts for bakers

22 Arkon Mount - $99.95

If you're not a baker, you probably have no idea what this is but trust me, every baker needs one! This Arkon Mount is for holding your phone while you bake... anything really! You can record yourself hands-free while you bake, decorate or demo a technique. Video is the #1 driver of traffic and super important for advertising and social media. You can also use my special promo code "SUGARGEEK" at checkout to get 20% off your purchase!

gifts for bakers

23 Spa Day - $Depends On Your Location

When we polled our followers for what gift they really want for Christmas, "massage" was #1 on the list. Pretty crazy huh? It makes sense though, bakers spend a lot of time on their feet hunched over a table decorating cakes for other people and usually putting themselves last. Why not give them something they would never take the time to give themselves. Just do a quick search for "spa day" near you and book it! Or better yet, ask their best friend to recommend a place and get them a package deal so they can have a friend spa day.

gifts for bakers

24 Cake Decorating Airbrush - $84.99

The #1 tool I get asked about the most is "what airbrush do you recommend". I 100% stand behind the Clairella Cakes Airbrush. It's designed by a cake decorator and is so simple to use. There are multiple settings for how powerful of an airflow you need. The greatest airbrush for beginners or for a travel airbrush.

gifts for bakers

25 Cake Safe Mini - $299

This is definitely one of those gifts that every baker really wants and needs but will put off buying for themselves! A cake safe is an amazing transportation box for delivering cakes without the risk of them falling over. I even traveled all the way across the country with a competition cake in my cake safe, checked it onto a plane and it arrived perfectly! Definitely worth the investment.

Even better, here's a code that's valid until 12/25/18. It's HOLIDAY2018 for 10% off orders over $25, and surprise free gifts will be added to the orders that use the code!

gifts for bakers

26 Camera and 50 mm Lens - $499.99

I get asked a lot, what is the best camera to buy for cake photography? The answer is not specific but will hopefully be enough information for you to find the best deal. I prefer Nikon for photography and you want to get a lens that is a 50mm f/1.8 lens. This low number on the f-stop means the background will be blurry and will look magical when you take photos of your cakes or for food photography.

gifts for bakers

27 Edible Printer - $220

Another question I get asked about a lot is what edible printer I recommend. I have been using my Canon printer from photofrost for years. I never have to clean the cartridge heads and I don't get any streaks or lines. Make sure you watch my video on how to print edible images so you have great results. Check out this video of me printing out some plaid onto a photofrost sheet!

gifts for bakers

28 Cake Leveler (Agbay) - $149.95

This is one of those tools that a baker really needs if they have to level a lot of cakes quickly! The Agbay is so sharp you can level a cake in literally less than 5 seconds. Definitely a "wish list" gift for bakers!

baking gifts

Did we nail this gift for bakers list or did we miss your Christmas gift wish? Leave it in the comments and share this list with anyone who needs some gifts for bakers inspiration 😀

The ultimate guide for awesome gifts for bakers! 28 amazing gift ideas from small to omg I have been wanting one of those for years!

 

 

Blog

Gingerbread House Ideas

Gingerbread House Inspiration! My Top 10 List For 2018

The holidays are right around the corner and I'm already thinking about making my annual gingerbread house! My first house was a down right disaster but once I discovered the secret to a strong royal icing to hold my gingerbread house together, things got a lot funner! Now I'm pushing myself to create bigger and more elaborate gingerbread houses!

One of the best parts of building a gingerbread house is getting inspiration. Enjoy these photos of some of the best gingerbread house designs I've ever seen. Some of them are simple, some of them are downright crazy elaborate but all beautiful!

Amazing gingerbread house display made by Sonny Robertson of Freed's bakery in Las Vegas. I love the colors so much! I absolutely love this super bright design! The colors, the candy, it just makes the inner me SO happy! I think it might be my most favorite gingerbread house of all time. Display made by Sonny Robinson - Freeds Bakery

Check out these awesome in-process pics that Sonny was so kind to show me! Amazing to see the process of building such a cool display. Sonny states that he builds a template out of foam core and works out all the measurements ahead of time so that he knows how the final pieces will fit together.

gingerbread house template

For curved pieces of gingerbread, he takes them fresh out of the oven while still warm and places them onto the curved pieces of foam core so they dry curved! If that's not genius then I don't know what is. Check out the video of the final piece on his facebook page.

What a beautiful gingerbread house! Delicate royal icing piping and melted sugar windows. So elegant
I am a sucker for simple! Beautifully piped gingerbread house with melted sugar windows - Chatka z piernika

cute gumdrop gingerbread house! I love the nella wafer stairs
Super cute gumdrop gingerbread house with nella wafer stairs - sassybeautimous

lovely A-frame gingerbread house with amazing piped doors and sugar glass windows
lovely A-frame gingerbread house with amazing piped doors and sugar glass windows - Jeff Kyle

Grand price winner Patricia Howard's winning gingerbread house display

Probably my most favorite gingerbread house of all time. The textured gingerbread, the railing, everything is amazing! - Patricia Howard

waffle gingerbread house

This waffle gingerbread house is from a Target ad and isn't even gingerbread but seriously! can this be a thing?? There's a freaking bacon pathway! I need this to be my next Christmas brunch f'real.

gingerbread doghouse

Another cute idea! A gingerbread dog house! Love this idea! Get the gingerbread doghouse kit from walmart

gingerbread hogwarts

This is the gingerbread Hogwarts built by Cherry Bay Cakery using a whole lot of gingerbread, royal icing, and over 50-pounds of fondant. It took over 100 hours to complete! My jaw is definitely on the floor!

Now this is a brilliant idea! Using gelatin sheets for windows! Love the effect that is has on this beautiful gingerbread greenhouse!  

gingerbread house ideas

This adorable gingerbread house made by Catherine Bedall Edible Art is SO cute it's hard to believe its really a cookie! It looks like it could be a piece of art!

How to make a gingerbread house

Making your first gingerbread house doesn't have to be stressful. All you need is a pattern, some strong royal icing, candy and your imagination! Learn to make my simple gingerbread house recipe with complete guide to the perfect gingerbread house on the first try. You can even learn how to make some beautiful stained glass windows out of candy.

gingerbread house tutorial

Don't forget to use the royal icing recipe too so that you can easily glue your house together and add all that delicious candy!

gingerbread house recipe

Gingerbread House Pattern

Looking for the perfect gingerbread house pattern? I've got a super simple one for ya! This pattern makes a house that isn't too big so you don't waste a ton of candy decorating it but big enough that you can put some lights inside and make a pretty decoration for your mantle for the holidays.

gingerbread house pattern gingerbread house pattern

Can you eat a gingerbread house?

Technically, yes you can eat a gingerbread house. Traditionally the house is build on the first day of December and then eaten on Christmas morning but if you ask me, that doesn't sound very tasty. Who wants to eat stale gingerbread?

gingerbread cookies

Also, gingerbread dough that is sturdy enough for houses works great for building but not so great for eating. It's very hard! I suggest making these super yummy gingerbread cookies that are soft and chewy in the center and OH SO yummy! My hubby pretty much ate them all 😀

gingerbread house ideas

 

Blog

Giant Gingerbread Man Cookie

Giant gingerbread man cookie that is soft and chewy on the inside and a whole lot of fun on the outside

My husband Dan is only slightly addicted to gingerbread cookies. I actually had no idea until one day I went to go get one for myself from the latest batch and they where all gone! The betrayal! We made a little joke about it but it was pretty awesome seeing that he liked them so much! Nothing feels better than baking up some goodies to be devoured by those you love!

giant gingerbread man cookie

This gingerbread man cookie bakes up nice and soft and chewy on the outside but firm enough that it can easily hold it's shape. I like to decorate my giant gingerbread man cookie with royal icing and some gumdrop buttons.

giant gingerbread man cookie with ugly sweater

Or you can take it up a notch and use your royal icing to make an awesome ugly sweater ensemble. Don't pretend like you don't want to, I know you do 😀

How to make a giant gingerbread man cookie

To make the giant gingerbread man cookie, I start off with a batch of my gingerbread cookies dough and my free gingerbread man template.

giant gingerbread man template

Roll your dough out to about ¼-1/2" thick and use the template to cut out a couple of gingerbread men. I like to do this on top of the parchment paper so they are easier to move. You can use the leftover scraps to make more gingerbread men if you like.

giant gingerbread man template

Bake your giant gingerbread man for about 14-18 minutes. Longer for thicker cookies then let them cool completely before you remove them from the parchment paper to prevent any premature crumbling of your cookies.

giant gingerbread man cookies

Once cool, you can decorate your giant gingerbread man however you like! Here's a really simple way to decorate yours the way I did mine.

giant gingerbread man cookie

How to decorate a giant gingerbread man cookie

First I thin down some royal icing to the consistency of top glazing so I don't have to fuss around with piping and flooding and I can get right to the fun part. I use a #2 piping tip and a piping bag and fill it with a few spoonfuls of the royal icing.

I start by piping a little squiggle on the arms, legs and through the middle of the gingerbread man. Then a couple of dots in the center to glue on the gumdrop buttons.

how to decorate a giant gingerbread man cookie

All that's left is to pipe a couple of eyes. I color a tiny bit of the royal icing red and green for the mouth and then for the eyebrows. All done! Isn't he so cute!

giant gingerbread man cookie decorating

Giant gingerbread man cookie with ugly sweater

Ok so I had a ton of royal icing left and wanted to challenge myself a bit so I went a little crazy and made a giant gingerbread man cookie with an ugly Christmas sweater! So fun!

I started out by taking the same white royal icing in the #2 piping tip and outlined the whole cookie. Then I added a collar, cuffs and a hem.

giant gingerbread man cookie

I piped some of my green into all the spaces for the collar, cuffs and hem. This is seriously so easy, I have zero piping skills but this is like color by number.

giant gingerbread man cookie

Next I made a rectangle of white in the center of the sweater and outlined it with a stripe of the red royal icing and the green royal icing. I filled the sleeves in with the red as well. Then I piped some little crude snowflakes into the white rectangle.

giant gingerbread man cookie

Continue the stripes of red, green and white above and below the white rectangle until the space is filled. Use a toothpick to drag lines through the icing to create the knit look (see video). Add pants if you felt like your gingerbread man was a little naked (Like I did) and you're all done!

giant gingerbread man cookie with ugly sweater

I personally love the sweet flavor of royal icing on cookies so for me the more decorated gingerbread man tastes better and sure is a lot of fun!

giant gingerbread man cookie

Want more gingerbread fun? Check out our gingerbread man cake tutorial

giant gingerbread man cake

Recipe

giant gingerbread man cookie
Print Recipe
5 from 9 votes

Giant Gingerbread Man Cookie

A giant gingerbread man cookie that is soft and chewy and taste amazing thanks to molasses, butter and spices. Great for decorating with royal icing and bringing to your next Holiday party or to give as gifts. 
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time18 minutes
Resting Time1 hour
Total Time22 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 cookies
Calories: 797kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Ingredients

  • 20 oz AP flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp cloves
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 7 oz unsalted butter
  • 5 oz brown sugar
  • 8 oz molasses
  • 1 large egg

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF
    Whisk together your flour, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.
  • Melt butter and add to your stand mixer. On low add in brown sugar, molasses, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves and mix until combined, let cool for a few minutes.
  • In the bowl of your stand mixer, once the mixture has cooled to about room temperature, add in the egg and whisk until combined.
  • Switch to your paddle attachment and add in your flour mixture. Mix until your dough starts to form. Dough will still be slightly sticky.
  • Divide dough in half, form into a rectangular shape and wrap tightly with plastic wrap and place in fridge for at least 1 hour. 
  • Once the dough has been chilled. Roll out dough to ¼”-½" thickness on a clean, floured surface. The thinner you roll your dough, the crisper the cookies will be. If your dough gets sticky, you may need to re-flour your dough (both sides) as you go.
  • Cut your cookies out using the giant gingerbread man cookie template
  • Bake on a parchment lined cookie sheet for 14-18 min or until the edges are slightly brown.
  • Let cool completely for several minutes before removing from cookie sheet and placing them on a cooling rack to completely set. 
  • Decorate your cooled cookies!

Video

Notes

Making gingerbread men cookies can be so fun! Just make your dough, bake your cookies and then frost details with royal icing! No special piping skills required. I used a piping tip #2 and a piping bag and red, black and green food color gel from americolor. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 797kcal | Carbohydrates: 125g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 102mg | Sodium: 531mg | Potassium: 789mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 51g | Vitamin A: 870IU | Calcium: 169mg | Iron: 6.7mg

What to do with that leftover gingerbread cookie dough? Make some giant gingerbread men of course! This giant gingerbread cookie with royal icing piping makes an excellent gift for a cookie exchange or an alternative to decorating a gingerbread house! Best part? The cookies are DEE LISH US! Soft and chewy from molasses, butter and sugar. You might want to be prepared to eat more than one. Download the free giant gingerbread man template!

 

 

Cookies

Soft and Chewy Strawberry Macarons

A strawberry macaron that is soft and chewy on the inside, crisp on the outside, and has just the right amount of strawberry flavor.

I admit that I was nervous about learning how to make French macarons but once I learned how to make them, I could not stop! I immediately had to make a strawberry version because strawberry anything is a winner in my book! 

strawberry macaron

There are a bunch of ways to get that strawberry flavor into your macarons. I've seen people use freeze-dried strawberries ground up into a powder, or you can use strawberry puree like I use in my strawberry cake recipe. 

I think the easiest and most convenient thing to use to get great strawberry flavor into your strawberry macarons is to use strawberry emulsion. Just a teaspoon adds tons of strawberry flavor, a nice light pink color and it doesn't affect the consistency of the macaron batter.

What Is Strawberry Emulsion?

Strawberry Emulsion is basically a super concentrated flavoring made from natural ingredients. It has a very strong flavor and typically takes less to flavor your recipes than using extract alone.

strawberry emulsion

Strawberry Emulsion is great for flavoring cakes, frostings, fillings, and more. Use it in place of strawberry extract to give your baked goods a stronger flavor and richer aroma. Emulsions are the preferred choice of professional bakers for their exceptional taste and more potent flavor.

You can switch out the strawberry emulsion for any emulsion and make any flavor you like!

How To Make An Easy Strawberry Macaron

To make your strawberry macaron, we start with the basic macaron recipe. For a printable version, jump to the recipe card below. Make sure all your tools, bowl, and whisk attachment are completely clean and oil-free or your egg whites won't whip up. I highly recommend using a stand mixer for macarons, it takes a very long time for the meringue to whip with a hand mixer. I like to use a KitchenAid or a Bosch Universal Plus mixer.

Start with room temperature egg whites. Whip for 30 seconds or so until they get some bubbles. Add in your cream of tartar and slowly sprinkle in the sugar. Continue whipping on high to STIFF glossy peaks. We want to make tiny air bubbles in our meringue, small bubbles will pop slower than large bubbles.

soft glossy meringue peaks

After you get your egg whites to stiff peaks form, go ahead and add in your strawberry emulsion.

You can also use strawberry extract if you don't have emulsion but also add in a drop of pink food coloring. I used 1 teaspoon of strawberry emulsion... kinda looks like blood splatter in this pic. Maybe we should have re-thought this one lol.

strawberry emulsion in macarons

Sift together your powdered sugar and almond flour. Remove and discard any large lumps. Sift a second time to just make sure everything is blended well. Some people like to use a food processor, but it's not necessary.

Add ⅓ of your flour mixture to the egg whites and fold in gently. Follow my easy macaron video for more visuals on folding properly.

Once your mixture is cohesive, go ahead and add in the remaining dry ingredients. 

Continue folding gently until the batter falls in ribbons from the spatula and you can draw a figure 8 with the batter without it breaking. The batter should flow like lava.

strawberry macaron batter in a bowl

Place your batter into a piping bag fitted with a #14 round piping tip and then pipe onto parchment paper.

After conducting a test in my latest YouTube video, I've discovered a macaron silicone mat works better than parchment paper. This is the mat I used. 

the best macaron silicone mat

Make sure you hold your piping bag straight up and down while squeezing to ensure the cookies are all the same size and in a circle. I pipe about a tablespoon at a time for small-sized macarons.

Once you have finished piping, tap the pan a few times on the counter to pop any surface bubbles. You can also use a toothpick to pop any bubbles below the surface. 

strawberry macarons drying on a silicone mat

If you want to add some sprinkles to your macarons, now is the time to do it. Just don't use anything too heavy like metallic sprinkles or they will sink through the top of your macarons during baking. 

strawberry macarons with sprinkles on top

Now let your strawberry macaron cookies sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes until a skin forms over the surface and you can touch them without feeling anything sticky. If you don't let the macarons develop a skin, they will not have feet when they bake. Now is a good time to preheat the oven to 300ºF.

strawberry macaron with skin developing on the surface

I bake my macarons in the oven at 300ºF for 15 minutes. The cookies should be left to cool fully before trying to peel them from the parchment paper. If they stick then they were not finished baking and you'll have to remember to bake them for longer next time.

strawberry macaron held in the hand with macarons blurry in the background

If you want your strawberry macarons to have a strawberry filling you can fill them with a strawberry reduction. You can also mix some strawberry reduction in with your buttercream and pipe that into the center. 

All that's left to do is fill your strawberry macarons with buttercream and serve them up!

I love the silky texture of Italian meringue buttercream with strawberry macarons, but if you want an easier filling, try my easy buttercream frosting.

How long do macarons last?

These macarons will last 2-3 days in the fridge. In fact, it is recommended that macarons be stored in the fridge for at least 24 hours to improve the texture of the cookie. 

You can freeze unfilled strawberry macaron shells. Thaw them out to use as you need them or if you're like me, you'll just sit there and eat them without guilt haha!

strawberry macarons filled with italian meringue buttercream

Want more macaron recipes? Check these out!
Chocolate Macaron Recipe

French Macaron Recipe

Pistachio Macarons

Recipe

Print Recipe
5 from 22 votes

Strawberry Macaron Recipe

These tasty little cookies never go out of style! Light and crisp on the outside, soft and chewy in the center. Color them, flavor them and fill them! I decorated my cookies with some sprinkles before baking for some extra color.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
resting time20 minutes
Total Time1 hour 8 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 18 cookies
Calories: 50kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Equipment

  • Medium round piping tip and piping bag
  • silicone macaron baking mat
  • Stand Mixer
  • Candy Thermometer optional, for Italian buttercream

Ingredients

  • 57 grams almond flour
  • 113 grams powdered sugar
  • 57 grams egg whites
  • ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 28 grams sugar
  • 1 teaspoon strawberry emulsion

Italian Meringue Buttercream

  • 16 ounces granulated sugar
  • 8 ounces water
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 8 large egg whites (8 ounces)
  • 24 ounces unsalted butter softened
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon non peril sprinkles optional
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Strawberry Macarons

  • Sift together the powdered sugar and almond flour, twice if not blended. You can also use a food processor if you'd like.
  • Whip the egg whites to frothy consistency and slowly add the sugar and cream of tartar, whipping until soft glossy peaks form.
  • Add the strawberry emulsion to the meringue. 
  • Fold meringue into batter. Fold your spatula under the batter and around the edges and then cut through the center. Your meringue is ready when it forms a ribbon off the spatula and the batter that settles almost dissolves all the way back into the rest of the batter but still leave a bit of a line. 
  • Place parchment paper onto your sheet pan. Pipe small rounds about 1" in diameter. Use a template if needed. I pipe about 1 tablespoon at a time. Add sprinkles on top if desired.
  • Allow the cookies to dry uncovered until a crust forms on the surface. About 30 minutes - 60 minutes or until a dry film develops over the surface of the cookie. This will help the macarons rise and develop feet. Preheat the oven.
  • Bake at 300ºF for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on the pan for a few minutes. If they are sticking, try putting the cookies back into the oven for 1-2 minutes more.
  • Pipe frosting onto the bottom cookie, and sandwich it with another on top. Refrigerate macarons in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days.
    I love the silky texture of Italian buttercream with strawberry macarons, but if you want an easier filling, try my easy buttercream frosting.

Italian Meringue Buttercream

  • On a stovetop, mix together the water and sugar, cover with a lid and bring to a boil on medium-high heat.
  • Keep the lid on the pot for 3-4 minutes and bring to ensure all the sugar granules are dissolved, otherwise, your sugar can get gritty and crystalize.
  • Remove the lid, insert the candy thermometer carefully and continue cooking on medium-high until the syrup reaches 240° F.
  • When the sugar solution is at about 235° F, begin whipping the egg whites on high speed. Add the salt to the egg whites.
  • When the egg whites reach soft peaks, pour the sugar solution in a steady stream on to the whipping whites while mixing on low speed.
  • Continue whipping the egg/sugar mixture until it reaches stiff peaks. I wrapped an apron around my bowl with an ice pack to help the meringue cool down faster. You can also cool the meringue by scooping it out of the bowl and placing it into the fridge for 15 minutes.
  • Once the meringue is cooled, whip in soft butter and vanilla until the buttercream is light and fluffy and no longer has a butter taste.

Video

Notes

To test for doneness, sacrifice one cookie and try to remove it from the silicone mat. If it removes easily, they are done. If it sticks, they need another minute. 
For the best possible results, read through the blog post and recipe to avoid common mistakes.
Use a scale to weigh your ingredients (including liquids) unless otherwise instructed (Tablespoons, teaspoons, pinch etc). Metric measurements are available in the recipe card. Scaled ingredients are much more accurate than using cups and help ensure the success of your recipe. 
Metric measurements (grams) are available by clicking the small box under the ingredients in the recipe card labeled “metric”
Practice Mise en Place (everything in it's place). Measure out your ingredients ahead of time and have them ready before you start mixing to reduce the chances of accidentally leaving something out.
Try to use the same ingredients as the recipe calls for. If you must make a substitution, be aware that the recipe may not come out the same. I try to list substitutions where possible.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 50kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 12mg | Sugar: 7g | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 0.1mg
 

Course Preview

Holiday Isomalt Techniques Tutorial

Skill level: Intermediate

Guest instructor Sidney Galpern of SimiCakes joins us for this holiday-themed isomalt tutorial. Sidney is a master of isomalt techniques and brings us a wealth of knowledge for this fun isomalt centerpiece project!

1:30:55 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • How to create a beautiful isomalt holiday centerpiece
  • Learn how to blow a Christmas ornament bulb with isomalt
  • How to pull holly leaves, red berries, candle shapes with sugar and isomalt
  • How to use molds to create unique elements and modify designs
  • Sidney offers several tips and tricks to get the most out of your isomalt

Tutorial Chapters

  1. What is isomalt 0:31
  2. Melting isomalt 1:22
  3. Pouring isomalt 2:05
  4. Shaping the tray 3:43
  5. Coloring the tray 17:59
  6. Pouring pinecone isomalt 22:04
  7. Making snow 25:28
  8. Prepping sugar for candles 26:21
  9. Pulling the candle shape 32:23
  10. Adding drips and lights 41:16
  11. Prepping sugar for holly 50:09
  12. Pulling holly leaves 51:54
  13. Making red berries 57:51
  14. Blowing the ornament 1:03:06
  15. Attaching cap & bows 1:14:52
  16. Painting details 1:17:53
  17. Attaching all the isomalt pieces 1:20:11
  18. Sealing the isomalt 1:29:36

Paid Video

Holiday Isomalt Techniques

Skill level: Intermediate

Guest instructor Sidney Galpern of SimiCakes joins us for this holiday-themed isomalt tutorial. Sidney is a master of isomalt techniques and brings us a wealth of knowledge for this fun isomalt centerpiece project!

1:30:55 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • How to create a beautiful isomalt holiday centerpiece
  • Learn how to blow a Christmas ornament bulb with isomalt
  • How to pull holly leaves, red berries, candle shapes with sugar and isomalt
  • How to use molds to create unique elements and modify designs
  • Sidney offers several tips and tricks to get the most out of your isomalt

Tutorial Chapters

  1. What is isomalt 0:31
  2. Melting isomalt 1:22
  3. Pouring isomalt 2:05
  4. Shaping the tray 3:43
  5. Coloring the tray 17:59
  6. Pouring pinecone isomalt 22:04
  7. Making snow 25:28
  8. Prepping sugar for candles 26:21
  9. Pulling the candle shape 32:23
  10. Adding drips and lights 41:16
  11. Prepping sugar for holly 50:09
  12. Pulling holly leaves 51:54
  13. Making red berries 57:51
  14. Blowing the ornament 1:03:06
  15. Attaching cap & bows 1:14:52
  16. Painting details 1:17:53
  17. Attaching all the isomalt pieces 1:20:11
  18. Sealing the isomalt 1:29:36

Blog

Gingerbread Cookies

Gingerbread cookies flavored with dark molasses and spices creates the perfect chewy cookie

The best gingerbread cookies I have ever eaten. Soft and chewy yet they hold their shape very well while baking. I love baking up a big batch of these for the holidays and letting the kiddos decorate them with royal icing and bowls full of candies.

Gingerbread cookies that are soft and chewy from butter and molasses are so tasty and a great holiday project

Hello two hours of curling up on the couch with some cocoa and that magazine you've been meaning to read while the kids keep themselves busy!

These gingerbread cookies also make excellent gifts. I don't know about you but I always cringe trying to think up creative gift ideas that are heart-felt but also easy to make. No one says no to a giant gingerbread  cookie! So fun to make, decorate and give.

Avalon decorated these gingerbread cookies with daddy using the royal icing recipe for piping and flooding. I used to be so intimidated by royal icing consistencies but no more! It's actually way easier than I ever knew.

gingerbread cookies that are soft and chewy and get their amazing flavor from molasses, brown sugar, butter and spices. The best gingerbread cookie ever!

How to make the best gingerbread cookies

The most important thing to remember when making gingerbread cookies is to make sure you melt down your butter and combine it with your brown sugar, molasses, salt, and spices. You can do this in the microwave or you can do it on the stovetop if you prefer. This insures that the sugar is completely dissolved and is what get's you those soft and delicious chewy gingerbread cookies.

Melting your butter in your gingerbread cookie dough will insure that your cookies are very flat and do not puff up. Sometimes you want your cookies to be very airy and in that case, you should cream your softened butter with the sugar but in this case, we want our cookies to be very very flat with no bubbles.

Cool your mixture to room temperature and add in your egg until it's combined. I usually do this in my stand mixer with the paddle attachment but you could also do it by hand in a bowl with a spoon.

Combine together your flour with baking powder and soda and give it a whisk to make sure it's combined. I prefer to do this instead of sifting because I'm lazy haha.

gingerbread cookie dough

Add your flour into the molasses mixture and mix until a dough forms then stop mixing. The dough is going to be a little sticky and that is normal. Press your dough into a rectangular shape so it's easier to roll out later. Wrap it in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least one hour but overnight is best.

Did you know that the longer you rest your dough (up to 24 hours), the better your cookies will be? They will spread less, more tender to eat and have a more flavorful taste.

After your dough has been chilled, flour both sides of your dough roll your gingerbread cookie dough out to ¼" thick. I like to do this on a silicone baking mat or a piece of parchment paper so that you can easily cut out the cookies on the mat and move them without messing up the shape.

gingerbread cookie dough recipe

Dust your cutters with some flour and cut out your shapes. Try to use as much of your dough as possible with the first cutting but you can re-roll out the leftover dough for more cookies.

Place cookies into the freezer for 15 minutes to chill. Arrange the cookies onto your cookie sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment and bake for 8-12 minutes.

gingerbread cookies

Let your cookies cool completely before moving them or you could crack them.

gingerbread cookies

Now your cookies are ready to decorate or wrap up and give as gifts!

How To Decorate Gingerbread Men Cookies

After my cookies are cooled, it's time to decorate! I thinned down my royal icing to top coating (15 second icing) so that I could use it for outlining and for flooding (Because I'm lazy). Then I colored some black, green and red for my decorations.

I placed my white royal icing into a small piping bag with a #2 round piping tip but you could use a #1 if you want a finer line. I did a simple outline all the way around the cookie to start.

outline your gingerbread cookie in royal icing

Next I give the arms and legs that classic squiggle. I think it's pants and cuffs to a shirt? I dont' know but it's cute haha.

Add some royal icing cuffs and pants to your gingerbread cookieNext I pipe on a small smile and two little dots for eyes.

*pro tip * place your piping bags you aren't using in between a damp paper towel so that the tips don't dry out while you're piping. No one likes crusty tips *giggle*

Pipe a face onto your gingerbread cookie with black royal icing

Next I give my little gingerbread man a scarf with the red royal icing. I do an outline first and then I fill it in with the same tip.

Outline a scarf for the gingerbread man in red royal icing

The last thing I did was added some dots to the front of his body for this "buttons". He turned out so cute! Trust me, I am not very good with cookies but even I could do this.

Add some dots to the front of the gingerbread man for his buttons

Mix up the way you make the scarves for a fun cookie platter! Makes a great treat to bring to a holiday party.

gingerbread cookies

Gingerbread cookies without molasses

Did you run out of molasses or can't find any? Don't worry, you can make these gingerbread cookies without molasses pretty easily. Just replace the molasses with dark corn syrup but keep in mind your gingerbread cookies will come out a little bit lighter in color.

If you loved this gingerbread cookie recipe, you should check out the gingerbread house recipe! So fun to make! The secret to a gingerbread house is a nice strong royal icing and making sure you let the walls dry before you add the roof.

Recipe

gingerbread cookie
Print Recipe
5 from 10 votes

Gingerbread Cookies

Gingerbread cookies that are soft and chewy and taste amazing thanks to molasses, butter and spices. Great for decorating with royal icing and bringing to your next holiday party or to give as gifts. 
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Resting Time1 hour
Total Time22 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 36 cookies
Calories: 132kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Ingredients

  • 20 ounces all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon cloves
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 7 ounces unsalted butter
  • 5 ounces brown sugar
  • 8 ounces molasses
  • 1 large egg
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Whisk together your flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
  • Melt the butter and add it to your stand mixer.
  • On low, add in the brown sugar, molasses, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves and mix until combined.
  • Let it cool for a few minutes.
  • In the bowl of your stand mixer, once the mixture has cooled to about room temperature, add in the egg and whisk until combined.
  • Switch to your paddle attachment and add in your flour mixture.
  • Mix until the dough starts to form. Dough will still be slightly sticky.
  • Divide the dough in half, form it into a rectangular shape, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap, and place it in fridge for at least 1 hour. 
  • Once the dough has been chilled, roll out the dough to ⅛”-¼” thickness on a clean, floured surface. The thinner you roll your dough, the crisper the cookies will be. If your dough gets sticky, you may need to reflour your dough (both sides) as you go.
  • Flour your cookie cutters and cut out all your desired shapes.
  • Bake on a parchment lined cookie sheet for 8-12 min or until the edges are slightly brown.
  • Let the cookies cool completely for several minutes before removing them from the cookie sheet and placing them on a cooling rack to completely set. This will prevent them from cracking.
  • Decorate your cooled cookies!

Video

Notes

The most important thing to remember when making gingerbread cookies is to make sure you melt down your butter and combine it with your brown sugar, molasses, salt, and spices. You can do this in the microwave or you can do it on the stovetop if you prefer.
This insures that the sugar is completely dissolved and is what get's you those soft and delicious chewy gingerbread cookies.
Melting your butter in your gingerbread cookie dough will insure that your cookies are very flat and do not puff up. Sometimes you want your cookies to be very airy and in that case, you should cream your softened butter with the sugar but in this case, we want our cookies to be very very flat with no bubbles.
Oh, and did you you know that the longer you rest your dough (up to 24 hours), the better your cookies will be? It's true! Once baked, your cookies will spread less, be more tender to eat, and have a more flavorful taste.
Making gingerbread men cookies can be so fun! Just make your dough, bake your cookies and then frost details with royal icing! No special piping skills required. I used a piping tip #2, a piping bag, and Chefmaster food color gel for my royal icing in red, green, and black. Use code "SUGARGEEKTEN" to get 10% off your Chefmaster purchase.

Nutrition

Serving: 2cookies | Calories: 132kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 88mg | Potassium: 131mg | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 145IU | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1.1mg

Soft and chewy gingerbread cookies get their amazing texture from butter, brown sugar and molasses! Super simple no-spread recipe and easy piping tips for the cutest gingerbread men cookies ever

Cookies

Construction Grade Gingerbread House Recipe

Have you ever wondered how those amazing gingerbread houses are made? Seems pretty impossible, considering most kits fall apart the second you put the frosting on. Not this recipe! This construction-grade gingerbread house recipe is SO strong! I made my house three weeks ago, and it's still standing strong. You can trim it, sand it, bake it in mold,s and even pour sugar windows. Keep reading for more tips!

gingerbread house recipe

What's In This Blog Post

I'll let you in on a little secret: not all gingerbread is created equal. You might be surprised to find out that the gingerbread that is used to make those amazing houses are made with something called "construction gingerbread," meaning it's not meant to be eaten and is really only for building.

So if you try to build a gingerbread house from regular yummy gingerbread cookie dough, you might find your cookie dough spreading or cracking when you try to assemble the house.

gingerbread house fail

This is the gingerbread house recipe that I got from my friend Christophe Rull who is the head pastry chef at the Parky Hyatt Aviara in San Diego. We used this recipe to build a gingerbread house that was over twelve feet tall! Granted we had a structure underneath because the house had to be on display for over a month but still, it was the best structural gingerbread I've ever used!

gingerbread house display

Christophe has graciously shared his recipe with me so I can give it to you guys! So you can make some amazing gingerbread houses too!

Gingerbread House Ingredients

First we need to get all our ingredients together to make the gingerbread house recipe. You probably already have all the ingredients you need in your pantry but check for molasses since that isn't used very much anymore and you'll need quite a bit. Molasses actually gives the gingerbread that nice dark gingerbread color.

gingerbread house recipe ingredients

Making the dough

This gingerbread house recipe also uses shortening so make sure you have that on hand. Since we're not eating this gingerbread house, you could really skip all the spices but they add a nice color and scent to the house that looks and smells really nice!

  1. Sift together your flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in a bowl and set it aside. 
  2. Melt the vegetable shortening in the microwave or on the stove until it's just barely melted. I'm using shortening because we aren't eating this gingerbread so the taste isn't important. 
  3. In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the shortening, sugar, and molasses. Add in your egg and mix until smooth. 
  4. Add your dry ingredients to the egg mixture and mix until a smooth dough forms. 
  5. Divide your dough in half and roll it out ¼" thick directly onto a silicone baking mat so that we can pour sugar windows next. 
  6. After the dough is rolled out, put it in the freezer for about 20 minutes. This just makes cutting out the templates a little easier and helps them to hold their shape. I try to keep my pieces pretty close together without being TOO close or they might touch during baking. This recipe doesn't spread but it does puff a tiny bit. Keep your leftover dough for later.

Gingerbread House Pattern

I have a gingerbread house pattern that you can use to make your own gingerbread houses. I know it SEEMS very small but once it's assembled, its actually the perfect size for an individual gingerbread house to decorate. One gingerbread house recipe will make three gingerbread houses.

gingerbread house pattern
gingerbread house pattern

Cutting Out The Gingerbread

Once you have your template printed and cut out, you can use it on your chilled dough to make your gingerbread pieces. I like to cut carefully directly on the baking mat so they don't get distorted when transferring them.

gingerbread house pattern
gingerbread house recipe
gingerbread house recipe
  1. Divide your dough in half and roll it out ¼" thick directly onto a silicone baking mat so that we can pour sugar windows next. 
  2. After the dough is rolled out, put it in the freezer for about 20 minutes. This just makes cutting out the templates a little easier and helps them to hold their shape. I try to keep my pieces pretty close together without being TOO close or they might touch during baking. This recipe doesn't spread but it does puff a tiny bit. Keep your leftover dough for later.
  3. If you want to add a brick texture, now is the time to press it into your dough, BEFORE you cut. I used a x-acto knife to cut mine but any small knife works. Just don't cut through your silicone mat!
  4. Peel away the excess dough and set it aside to roll out for the other houses. 
  5. Bake the pieces in the oven at 300ºF for 30-50 minutes. Keep an eye on the color, if you feel like they are getting too dark, you can take them out sooner. 

Brick Texture

For one of my houses, I used a brick impression tool. I like this one in particular because it has nic,e sharp edges and doesn't distort the gingerbread cookie dough when you push it in. I got mine from Nicholas Lodge.

Just press the embossing tool into my cookie dough before baking to get this awesome brick texture on my gingerbread house walls! I love how it turned out!

brick texture on gingerbread house

Stained glass windows

You definitely don't HAVE to put windows in your gingerbread house but if you're extra like me (which I feel like you might be) then you're going to want to make some awesome windows for your gingerbread house! lucky for you it's SUPER easy!

All you need is some hard candies but the trick to windows that stay nice and clear is to use sugar free candy. Sugar free candy is made with something called isomalt and is actually more resistant to clouding than traditional sugar.

how to make gingerbread house windows
how to make gingerbread house windows
gingerbread house windows
  1. For my windows I used sugar free jolly ranchers and hard candies in pink, blue and green. I broke them up into smaller pieces with a mallet inside a plastic baggie so the pieces wouldn't go flying
  2. Then all you have to do is put a few pieces of each color into the cut out of your cooked gingerbread. Don't be afraid to fill it up because it thins out a lot once it's melted.
  3. I put the candy into the cutout areas during the last 5 minutes of baking. If they aren't completely melted then you can do another minute but don't leave them in too long or they will burn. Let your cookies completely cool before removing the silicone baking mat from the back. Voila! Super pretty gingerbread cookie windows! And so easy!
  4. If you want clear windows you can use clear sugar-free candies or you can use isomalt. I like to buy mine pre-cooked and ready to melt from simi cakes and confections. Or you can make your own isomalt from raw granules by using my clear isomalt recipe.

House Assembly

If you've ever tried to put together a gingerbread house, you know it can be a bit challenging! The main thing you need is some THICK royal icing and some patience. First I recommend making up a batch of my royal icing. The stuff they sell in the kits is too soft!

You can also use melted isomalt or even caramel to assemble your pieces by dipping the ends in the sugar and gluing them together but be very very careful you don't drip and get a sugar burn. 

how to assemble a gingerbread house
gingerbread house roof
gingerbread house recipe
  1. Place some of the royal icing into a piping bag and cut off the end to make a small hole or use a #2 piping tip.
  2. Pipe a line on the sides of the front and back piece right along the edge. Don't be skimpy with your royal icing!
  3. Attach the sidewall and place it on a flat surface. Now attach the other sidewall. Then you can put on the back piece. Wipe off any excess royal on the outside but the inside should have lots. Even add more if you want! I let this dry for an hour or so before adding the roof just to be safe.
  4. To add the roof, I piped some royal along the top edge of one side of the house then add the first part of the roof. Then I pipe royal to the second part of the house and along the top edge of the first piece of the roof and add the final piece of the roof. Let this baby dry overnight before you start adding candy so that it's rock solid.
  5. Decorate! Once your gingerbread house is assembled you can start decorating with all kinds of candies and colored royal icing! I LOVE this gingerbread house by Freed's Bakery and will some day attempt something like this. I'm in love with all the colors of the icing and the creative use of candy. If you want more gingerbread house ideas check out my 25 best gingerbread house ideas post.

Pro-tip: If you are piping lots of decorations onto your gingerbread house, you can add all your decorations first, let them dry and then assemble your house. 

How To Decorate A Gingerbread House

To decorate my gingerbread house, I used a combination of a bunch of candies like M&M, hard candies, candy canes, miniature starburst candies and chocolate bars. You can use whatever candies you like, just mix and match and have fun!

I used my stiff royal icing to attach the candy to the gingerbread house and let it dry overnight before I lifted it up to put the battery-operated tea lights underneath. These little houses look so cute on our bookshelf and make the best decorations for the holidays!

gingerbread house recipe

Gingerbread House Recipe Without Molasses

Did you run out of molasses? That's ok! You can replace the molasses in this gingerbread house recipe with a few things. You can use dark corn syrup, honey, maple syrup or even brown sugar in place of molasses. Make sure you use the same amount by weight, not by volume (cups).

I honestly have not made a lot of gingerbread houses but I feel like I could do some legit complicated designs based on what I have learned with this gingerbread house recipe and making a couple of practice ones. I can't wait to decorate these this weekend for Friendsgiving!

Recipe

gingerbread house recipe
Print Recipe
4.86 from 208 votes

Gingerbread House Recipe

The best construction gingerbread house recipe. Super strong, great for cutting out intricate templates and does not spread when baking. This recipe is enough to make three gingerbread houses using the gingerbread house template included 
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Chilling20 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 3 gingerbread houses
Calories: 112kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Equipment

  • Stand Mixer with paddle and whisk attachment
  • Piping bag and tips

Ingredients

Gingerbread House Recipe

  • 28 oz AP Flour
  • ¾ tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ginger
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon cloves
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 7 oz vegetable shortening
  • 6 oz sugar
  • 16 oz molasses
  • 1 Large egg
  • 5 crushed jolly ranchers or isomalt for the windows

Stiff Royal Icing Recipe

  • 16 ounces powdered sugar sifted
  • 2 ounces pasteurized egg whites
  • ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For The Gingerbread House

  • Sift together your flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in a bowl and set it aside. 
  • Microwave vegetable shortening (or melt on stovetop in pot) until liquid but not hot
  • In a stand mixer, whisk shortening, sugar and molasses together. Add the egg and mix until combined
  • Switch to the paddle attachment and add your dry ingredients. Mix on medium/low until a smooth ball starts to form, do not over mix
  • Roll out dough onto parchment paper or a baking mat to ¼" thick. Try to make the dough as even in thickness as possible. 
  • Freeze dough for 20 minutes (optional) 
  • Cut shapes out using your templates. Remove excess dough (can be used to re-roll out and make more pieces)
  • Bake in an oven set to 300º F for 30-50 mins until very firm and dried out.
  • Once gingerbread is done, remove from the oven and let fully cool before moving. Your gingerbread is now ready to be assembled. 

For The Royal Icing

  • Combine your egg whites, sifted powdered sugar, and cream of tartar in the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attached. 
  • Mix on low to get the ingredients combined then bump up to high for 1-2 minutes. Add in your vanilla extract and whip until it's white. No need to mix for longer than 5 minutes. 
  • Place the royal icing into a bowl or container with a lid. Your THICK royal icing is now ready to be thinned down to the consistency you desire. 

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1oz | Calories: 112kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 32mg | Potassium: 129mg | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg

Course Preview

Musical Wedding Cake Tutorial

Skill level: Intermediate

Music is like a dream, and this wedding cake is no exception! Learn how to craft a drum tier, a beautiful staircase piano key double barrel, a musical heart detail, and a keepsake cake topper, made out of clay that will never go bad.

There's plenty of details, tips and tricks to cover, so let's get started!

1:01:17 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • How to create a wedding cake out with a musical theme
  • Learn to make a keep-sake cake topper that will last
  • How to get a awesome silver finish on the drum tier
  • Learn the tricks to make a staircase tier
  • How to create a wedding cake out with a musical theme

Tutorial Chapters

  1. Stacking the cake 0:11
  2. Making the staircase 2:50
  3. Final crumbcoat 6:32
  4. Making a keepsake cake topper 8:49
  5. Making the donut 11:37
  6. Making the penguin 16:10
  7. Making the lobster 21:07
  8. Covering the cake 28:01
  9. Prepping modeling chocolate 29:17
  10. Airbrushing the cake: part 1 32:01
  11. Making the drum details 33:24
  12. Airbrushing the cake: part 2 40:17
  13. Covering the stair tier 43:13
  14. Making the piano keys 46:34
  15. Finishing the bottom 52:44
  16. Making the top tier piano keys 53:53
  17. Adding the heart detail 55:29
  18. Stacking the cake 58:37

Paid Video

Musical Wedding Cake

Skill level: Intermediate

Music is like a dream, and this wedding cake is no exception! Learn how to craft a drum tier, a beautiful staircase piano key double barrel, a musical heart detail, and a keepsake cake topper, made out of clay that will never go bad.

There's plenty of details, tips and tricks to cover, so let's get started!

1:01:17 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • How to create a wedding cake out with a musical theme
  • Learn to make a keep-sake cake topper that will last
  • How to get a awesome silver finish on the drum tier
  • Learn the tricks to make a staircase tier
  • How to create a wedding cake out with a musical theme

Tutorial Chapters

  1. Stacking the cake 0:11
  2. Making the staircase 2:50
  3. Final crumbcoat 6:32
  4. Making a keepsake cake topper 8:49
  5. Making the donut 11:37
  6. Making the penguin 16:10
  7. Making the lobster 21:07
  8. Covering the cake 28:01
  9. Prepping modeling chocolate 29:17
  10. Airbrushing the cake: part 1 32:01
  11. Making the drum details 33:24
  12. Airbrushing the cake: part 2 40:17
  13. Covering the stair tier 43:13
  14. Making the piano keys 46:34
  15. Finishing the bottom 52:44
  16. Making the top tier piano keys 53:53
  17. Adding the heart detail 55:29
  18. Stacking the cake 58:37

Blog

Royal Icing

Royal icing is that shiny glaze you see on beautiful cookies! It can be colored, piped, flooded and so much more!

Royal icing is extremely versatile considering it's only made from egg whites, cream of tartar, powdered sugar and a dash of vanilla. You can thin it down for piping, glazing or flooding. I'm going to show you everything you need to know about how to make royal icing for cookies. 

how to make royal icing for cookies

How To Use Royal Icing

The thing that confuses most people about royal icing is that you depending on what you want to do, you'll have to adjust your royal icing consistency (how thick or thin it is). I know that sounds tricky but it's really not! In this video I show you exactly what you're looking for so that you'll be able to adjust your own icing on your first try.

how to make royal icing for piping, flooding and top coating consistencies

All you need to make royal icing cookies is some bowls, spoons, piping tips, piping bags, a toothpick or cookie scribe for getting rid of bubbles, teaspoons and some water for thinning.

Why Does Royal Icing Have Cream Of Tartar?

Royal icing has cream of tartar added to help the recipe be more stable and nice and white. It's not totally necessary but you'll be happier with the final outcome if you use it. You can find cream of tartar in the baking aisle at the grocery store.

Thick Royal Icing

Thick royal icing is how your royal icing will look after you first mix it. SUPER stiff and pretty much unusable for anything but gluing together a gingerbread house or other 3D cookies. This is what most people get when they follow a royal icing recipe and then they don't understand why it's not thin and smooth. Let's talk about that.

After you make your batch of royal icing, typically you would then divide it according to what you're going to do. In general you'll use about 1 cup at a time (I just eyeball it). A little icing goes a long way.

thick royal icing

Royal Icing For Outlining

This royal icing is best for making your outlines on your cookies. You still want it to be stiff but not so stiff you can't push it through a piping bag. Start with 1 cup of your stiff royal icing and add ½ teaspoon - ¾ teaspoon of water (see video) until you reach the glob consistency.

royal icing for outlining

Royal Icing Glaze (Top Coating)

To get a smooth coat of royal icing, you'll want to add 1 ½ teaspoon - 2 teaspoon of water to your thick royal icing. Once you add a little water (a teaspoon or so) then your royal icing will be MUCH smoother. This is also called 15 second icing because when you spoon it back onto itself, it takes about 15 seconds for it to get flat (see video). At this stage you can spoon your royal icing onto a cookie, smooth it out and that's it. I like this consistency the most for quick glazing and I don't worry so much about outlining. This is the perfect consistency for beginners and kids.

royal icing for top coating

Royal Icing for Flooding

Flooding royal icing is just means that the icing is so smooth and thin, you can flood an area with the royal icing and it will smooth itself. For this you will need to outline your cookie first so that the icing does not fall off the cookie. To make the flooding icing you'll add about 2tsp-3tsp of water to your thick royal icing until you get ribbons that become flat after about 10 seconds (see video).

royal icing for flooding

I really like using flooding icing for making rainbow cookies, doing the wet on wet technique or just making fun designs. If you don't have piping bags and tips you can just use ziplock bags with the corners cut off and toss the whole thing when you're done for easy clean-up.

How Do You Get Rid Of Bubbles In Royal Icing?

You might notice a few bubbles in the surface of your royal icing. This can just come from the mixing process or maybe you whipped too much air into your royal icing when you where adding water. If that bothers you, you can use a toothpick or a cookie scribe to get rid of them. Just make quick little circle motions over the bubble until it pops. Do this right after you put the icing on the cookie otherwise it will start to set right away and then the bubbles will be stuck.

royal icing

How Do I Fix Gaps In My Royal Icing?

If you have areas on your cookie where the icing did not go, you can use your toothpick or cookie scribe to gently push the royal icing to where you need it to be. You'll often see the pros doing this in those fun timelapse videos. Royal icing is very forgiving, you just need to put it in it's place... literally.

Why Do I Have Lumps In My Royal Icing?

You might have lumps or clumps in your icing if you didn't sift it first. If you don't have a sifter, you'll have to work around them but it can really affect how smooth your final cookie is. The other thing is you need to keep your royal icing covered with plastic wrap so you don't get dried crusties in your mix while you're working.

How Do I Color Royal Icing?

Coloring royal icing is super simple. You can use any food coloring you like but you don't need much. Start with one drop per cup and go from there. Make sure when you're adding your color you mix with a spoon and try not to add any air into your icing.

how to color royal icing

How Do I Fix Royal Icing That Is Too Thick?

If your royal icing is too thick, then continue adding water in ¼ teaspoon increments and testing for the glob or ribbon stage. Adding too much water will make it really thin.

How Do I Fix Royal Icing That Is Too Runny?

You can add sifted powdered sugar into your thin royal icing until it's as thick as you need it. It's much harder to fix thin royal icing though so it's best to try not to add too much water so you don't have that problem.

Watch the video below on how to make royal icing in the three different consistencies! If you have a question for me, leave it in the comments.

royal icing cookies

Should I Use Fresh Egg Whites or Meringue In My Royal Icing?

The short answer is, use whatever you feel comfortable with. It's not dangerous to eat raw egg whites in royal icing because of the chemistry between the eggs and the sugar. In this recipe we're actually using pasteurized egg whites which are heat treated. If you prefer to use meringue powder in place of egg whites, that is ok too. Two teaspoon of meringue powder plus two Tablespoons of water is equal to one egg white. One egg white weighs one ounce.

 

 

Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator

Select an option below to calculate how much batter or frosting you need. Adjust the servings slider on the recipe card to change the amounts the recipe makes.

Choose a pan type

Choose a cake pan size
(based on 2" tall cake pan)

Choose a cake pan size
(based on 2" tall cake pan)

Choose a cake pan size
(based on 2" tall cake pan)

Cupcake Tin Size

Choose number of pans

Cups of Batter Needed

8 cups

Cups of Frosting Needed

5 cups

Note: measurements are estimated based off the vanilla cake recipe using standard US cake pans and sizes. Measurements used are for 2" tall cake pans only. Your results may vary. Do not overfill cake pans above manufacturer's recommended guidelines.

Recipe

royal icing
Print Recipe
4.85 from 13 votes

Royal Icing Recipe

Royal icing is exactly what you need for your hoilday baking needs including but not limited to gingerbread houses, and piping, flooding, and glazing Christmas cookies. Using egg whites, this royal icing dries hard and smooth. This recipe makes enough to cover 80 medium sized cookies!
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 cups
Calories: 905kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Ingredients

  • 32 ounces powdered sugar sifted
  • 5 ounces pasteurized egg whites
  • ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract substitute any flavor you desire
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Royal Icing Instructions

  • First, combine your egg whites, sifted powdered sugar, and cream of tartar in the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attached. 
  • Mix the ingredients on low to get them combined, and then bump up the speed to high (speed 5 on KitchenAid, speed 4 on the Bosch) for 1-2 minutes.
  • Add in your vanilla extract and whip it until it’s white. There is no need to mix it for longer than 5 minutes. 
  • Then, place the royal icing into a bowl or container with a lid. Your THICK royal icing is now ready to be thinned down to the consistency you desire!

Video

Notes

  • How to Add Color to your Royal Icing: 
    • Start with one drop of food coloring per cup and then go from there. 
    • Make sure when you’re adding your color that you mix it with a spoon and try not to add any air into your icing.
  • How to Outline Cookies with Royal Icing:
    • Start with 1 cup of the stiff royal icing you have prepared and then add ½ teaspoon – ¾ teaspoon of water until you reach a glob consistency (you can watch the video in my recipe for more guidance). 
  • How to Flood Cookies with Royal Icing: 
    • For flooding your cookies with royal icing, you will need to outline your cookie first so that the icing does not fall off the cookie.
    • To make the flooding icing, you’ll add about 2tsp-3tsp of water to your thick royal icing until you get ribbons that become flat after about 10 seconds (for more guidance, you can watch the video in my recipe).
  • How to Make Royal Icing Glaze
    • To get a smooth coat of royal icing, you’ll want to add 1 ½ teaspoon – 2 teaspoon of water to your thick royal icing.
    • Once you add a little water (about 1 teaspoon) to your icing, then your royal icing will be MUCH smoother.
    • This is also called 15-second icing because when you spoon it back onto itself, it takes about 15 seconds for it to get flat (see video below for more guidance).
      • At this stage, you can spoon your royal icing onto a cookie, smooth it out, and that’s it! I like this consistency the most for quick glazing and I don’t worry so much about outlining. This is the perfect consistency for beginners and kids!
 
 

Nutrition

Serving: 50g | Calories: 905kcal | Carbohydrates: 227g | Protein: 3g | Sodium: 74mg | Potassium: 61mg | Sugar: 221g | Vitamin A: 310IU | Iron: 0.7mg

This is the only royal icing recipe you'll ever need. A basic royal icing recipe starts out really thick and is perfect for putting together gingerbread houses or piping on sugar cookies and dries rock hard.

Blog

Easy Christmas Cookies

Easy Christmas Cookies That Are Soft, Super Yummy And Make Great Gifts This Holiday Season

easy christmas cookies

I always wanted to be the person that makes amazing Christmas cookies. I will be the first person to admit I am not that great of a cookie maker! My strengths definitely fall in the cake category. It wasn't until I tried this easy sugar cookie recipe from Susan Trianos that I thought maybe there was hope for me yet! I love this recipe because it comes together so fast, you can mix up the flavors to your liking and the season and the cookies never spread! It's like the worlds greatest edible play-doh but ya know... better tasting.

The holiday season has barely begun around the Marek household but already our daughter Avalon is eye-balling toy magazines and noticing the Christmas trees in the stores. She's already excited about "presents" and Santa Clause which is great BUT now that she's four, I want her to understand the joy that is GIVING gifts which happens to also be my love language.

easy christmas cookies to bake with kids

So this year I made a deal with our friends and family. No store-bought presents. Everything we give to each other must be hand-made. Santa will bring her a couple of toys from the "toy shop" but that's it. Our days will be spent looking for things to make for our friends.

Some of the best gifts I can remember receiving when I was a poor kid growing up in the country. Hand-made dresses and quilts from the ladies at our church, art supplies from Santa and cookies from our neighbors!

So no more excuses for this cake lady. This year we're learning how to make cookies and we're going to give them as gifts!

easy christmas cookies to bake with kids

When looking for cookies to make, I specifically chose cookies that I thought looked tasty, could all be made from the same sugar cookie dough and where simple enough for myself and my four-year-old to make. Enter in the worlds easiest Christmas cookies!

Christmas Cookie Recipe

This recipe rocks!! It's everything you want a sugar cookie recipe to be! Melt-in-your-mouth tender but a little crisp! Super buttery and the perfect amount of spice. My absolute favorite sugar cookie recipe.

best sugar cookie recipe

The first thing you want to do is make your sugar cookie dough. I made mine the day before so that I would have a whole day of cookie making without that pause in between while the cookie dough chills. Apparently if you don't let your cookie dough chill your cookies not taste as good and will spread more because you need to give the flour time to absorb the butter and milk. Crazy cookie science facts right there.

Once your cookie dough comes out of the fridge, it will be a bit hard from being in the fridge but will soften up once you knead it with your hands.

How To Color Sugar Cookie Dough

how to color sugar cookie dough

Sugar cookie dough is so awesome. It's like what you always wished play-doh tasted like. You can easily color it with gel paste food colors like americolor food coloring. Just add a few drops and mix it in! You can use any colors you want. I used some super red food coloring for my Christmas cookies.

How To Make Candy Cane Cookies

how to make candy cane cookies

You can add a drop of peppermint extract to your red cookie dough (I meant to but forgot). Simple roll your red and white dough into small balls, about two tablespoons of each dough. Then roll the balls out into snakes of equal length.

how to make candy cane cookies

Avalon loved this part and even did a good job of twisting the snakes into the candy cane shape.

Once you make all your candy canes, place them onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and into the freezer for 15 minutes.

how to make candy cane cookies

Once they are chilled, you can bake them in an oven pre-heated to 350°F for 12-14 minutes until the edges just start to turn golden brown.

How To Make Pinwheel Cookies

how to make pinwheel cookies

To make our pinwheel Christmas cookies, I shaped my leftover red cookie dough into a rectangle about ¼" thick. I shaped some regular cookie dough the same way so the sizes match. If your dough is sticking, just dust the surface with more flour.

Then you just stack the two rectangles on top of each other and roll them into a tight spiral. Try not to leave any gaps or your cookies will have holes in them when you cut them.

how to make pinwheel cookies

Then roll your cookie log into some sprinkles. I just used some rainbow non-peril sprinkles because they hold up in the oven. After you get your log covered, chill the log in the freezer for about 30 minutes.

Once your cookies are chilled you can slice them into cookies about ¼" thick. No need to chill them further. Just pop them into the oven and bake for 12-14 minutes until they just start to brown around the edges.

pinwheel cookies

How To Make Melting Snowmen Cookies

Now onto the slightly more complicated Christmas cookies. For these cookies we'll need some marshmallows, rolo candies, white and dark chocolate candy melts, toothpicks, a piping bag and some sprinkles.

how to make melting snowmen cookies

The melting snowman cookie is pretty simple to make but takes a bit more work and ingredients. First roll out your cookie dough to about ¼" thick and cut out some 3" circles.

Place your round cookies onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 12-14 minutes until golden brown around the edges. Let cool fully.

how to make melting snowman cookies

While your cookies are cooling, you can start making your snowman decorations.

To make the hats, I melted down some candy melts. I used candy melts because they will firm up in the freezer and don't require any tempering. Place some melted chocolate into a piping bag and pipe some little circles onto a parchment lined pan. Plop a little candy rolo on top and chill for 5 minutes to set the chocolate.

how to make melting snowmen cookie hats

For the snowmen heads, I used some marshmallows. I formed some carrot noses out of orange fondant because hello, I'm a cake decorator and always have fondant on hand. You could use an orange sprinkle or even candy corn if you like. To make the eyes I just dipped a toothpick in a little chocolate and drew on two eyes and a mouth.

melting snowmen cookies

Glue the hat onto the marshmallow with a dab of chocolate and the heads are done!

Once the cookies are cooled you can pipe on some melted white chocolate onto the cookies. I like the white chocolate instead of royal icing because it's just really easy and less steps than making royal icing.

how to make melted snowman cookies

Once you get the chocolate on, you can tap the cookie lightly to get the chocolate to smooth out. This is a super duper easy cheat if you don't want or like to make royal icing (like me). Plus I think the white chocolate tastes so good!

how to make melted snowman cookies

Place the snowman head on the chocolate and add some sprinkles or mini M&M's for buttons.

Fight the urge to re-make your kids cookies. The type-A control freak in me wants to make that melted snowman cookie look a little less melty but what kind of message would I be sending Avalon? So I let them be and they still tasted great.

melted snowmen cookies

Easy Christmas Cookies For Cookie Exchange

These Christmas cookies are great to give as gifts or for a cookie exchange. They can be be wrapped individually or packed in a tissue lined box or cookie tin. We simply put ours in a tissue lined box with a bow and gave them to Daddy for Christmas!

easy christmas cookies for gift exchange

I could tell Avalon really enjoyed being involved with making this gift for her daddy and I know the memory will stick with her much longer than just buying something from the store (at least I hope so).

easy christmas cookies to give as gifts

If you want to watch how we made these Christmas cookies, you can watch the video below.

Recipe

easy Christmas cookies to make with kids
Print Recipe
4.85 from 13 votes

Easy Christmas Cookie Recipe

The easiest Christmas cookie recipe! So easy, my four year old can even make it. I make mine a day ahead, chill it overnight and then make the cookies the next day. This recipe is big enough to make about 12 candy cane cookies, 24 pinwheel cookies and 12 melting snowmen cookies. You may get more or less depending on how big you make your cookies. 
Prep Time2 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time2 hours 45 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 48 cookies
Calories: 161kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 16 oz Salted butter Room temperature. Can be unsalted butter if you add your own salt to recipe. Add ½ teaspoon of salt if using unsalted butter.
  • 14 oz Granulated sugar
  • 2 large Egg
  • 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
  • 42 oz AP flour
  • 3 teaspoon Baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon Nutmeg
  • 2 teaspoon Milk
  • ½ teaspoon Cinnamon (optional)
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Instructions

  • Place room-temperature butter, (salt if unsalted butter) and granulated sugar in stand mixer with paddle attachment and mix on low until smooth. Creamed butter should be fluffy and pale yellow in color.
  • Add 1 large egg at room temperature and mix on medium (4 on Kitchenaid mixer) in stand mixer until fully incorporated. Scrape bowl when necessary to make sure egg incorporates.
  • Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Mix until just incorporated.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk dry ingredients (AP flour, baking powder, nutmeg) together. 
  • Add dry ingredients into stand mixer with a scoop (about ⅓ of total dry ingredients at a time) and mix until fully incorporated. Start mixer on slow until flour starts to incorporate, then turn up to medium. Scrape bowl as needed to fully incorporate.
  • Add 1 teaspoon of milk once flour is fully incorporated. Continue to mix on slow until dough becomes a solid mass. 
  • Scrape out mixer bowl, wrap up sugar cookie dough in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for 2 hours. 
  • Knead cookie dough and roll out cookie dough until thin to cut cookie shapes. Use a cookie cutter to cut out uniform shapes.
  • Place cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Put cookie sheet back in refrigerator for about 15 minutes to chill again.
  • Bake chilled cookies at 350ºF for 10-14 minutes depending on size of cookie. Cookies will be slightly golden brown on the edge. Chilled cookie dough will keep it's shape in the oven and not expand or warp.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 161kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 71mg | Potassium: 53mg | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 250IU | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 0.8mg

easy christmas cookies

 

 

Course Preview

Live Oak Tree Cake Tutorial

Skill level: Intermediate

Guest instructor Sara Weber from Sara's Sweets in Austin, Texas is back with another lovely nature-inspired cake tutorial.

In this tutorial, Sara demonstrates how to create a Live Oak tree cake design, complete with a tree swing and all sorts of natural details.

1:46:12 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • How to create a sculpted cake that looks like a Live Oak tree
  • Learn tips and tricks on how to create the leaves for the live oak tree and a tip on how to make the leaves in bulk
  • How to create your own impression mat for making the tree bark
  • Tips on how to paint rich colors onto the tree to reflect nature
  • How to create the tree swing detail

Tutorial Chapters

  1. Cake Structure 0:10
  2. Stacking the cake 9:36
  3. Adding the limbs 14:52
  4. Building up branch base 28:30
  5. Making the leaves 30:23
  6. Coloring the leaves 40:11
  7. Carving the cake 46:43
  8. Ganache crumbcoat 55:51
  9. Final ganache crumbcoat 59:09
  10. Making a bark texture mat 1:03:09
  11. Covering the cake 1:06:54
  12. Adding bark texture 1:13:24
  13. Painting the tree 1:20:42
  14. Adding the leaves 1:26:17
  15. Finishing touches 1:37:00

Paid Video

Live Oak Tree Cake

Skill level: Intermediate

Guest instructor Sara Weber from Sara's Sweets in Austin, Texas is back with another lovely nature-inspired cake tutorial.

In this tutorial, Sara demonstrates how to create a Live Oak tree cake design, complete with a tree swing and all sorts of natural details.

1:46:12 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • How to create a sculpted cake that looks like a Live Oak tree
  • Learn tips and tricks on how to create the leaves for the live oak tree and a tip on how to make the leaves in bulk
  • How to create your own impression mat for making the tree bark
  • Tips on how to paint rich colors onto the tree to reflect nature
  • How to create the tree swing detail

Tutorial Chapters

  1. Cake Structure 0:10
  2. Stacking the cake 9:36
  3. Adding the limbs 14:52
  4. Building up branch base 28:30
  5. Making the leaves 30:23
  6. Coloring the leaves 40:11
  7. Carving the cake 46:43
  8. Ganache crumbcoat 55:51
  9. Final ganache crumbcoat 59:09
  10. Making a bark texture mat 1:03:09
  11. Covering the cake 1:06:54
  12. Adding bark texture 1:13:24
  13. Painting the tree 1:20:42
  14. Adding the leaves 1:26:17
  15. Finishing touches 1:37:00

Course Preview

Star Trek Bust Cake Tutorial

Skill level: Intermediate

In this Trek-tacular tutorial, Liz re-creates a scene from one of her favorite old-school TV shows, Star Trek: The Next Generation.

In this Halloween special, Doctor Crusher drinks Will Riker's brains with a straw. Learn how to sculpt a body out of cake with realistic details, re-create a face out of modeling chocolate and put it all together.

1:38:42 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • How to create a realistic upper body from sheet cakes
  • Learn tips and tricks on how to create a realistic likeness from any photo reference
  • How to connect the head to the sheet cakes
  • Tips on how to get rich colors for flat colored areas (like Riker's shirt)
  • How to create facial hair on a bust cake

Tutorial Chapters

  1. Measuring out cakes 0:10
  2. Carving the cake 3:25
  3. Making cake clay 5:44
  4. Making the pecs 6:19
  5. Making the abs 11:55
  6. Defining the ribcage 12:57
  7. Defining arms 13:22
  8. Defining Collarbone 14:33
  9. Building up the neck 16:02
  10. Ganache Crumbcoat 16:30
  11. Attaching eyes to skull 20:39
  12. Building up the skull 24:48
  13. Building up the lips 27:57
  14. Adding the nose 31:40
  15. Making the eye lids 41:27
  16. Defining the temples 51:42
  17. Adding the ears 54:42
  18. Making the eyebrows 57:07
  19. Painting the face 58:51
  20. Adding facial hair 1:02:16
  21. Adding the hair 1:09:39
  22. Airbrushing 1:17:27
  23. Attaching the head 1:22:03
  24. Blending the neck 1:22:30
  25. Making the shirt 1:27:05
  26. Painting the shirt 1:31:05
  27. Making the communicator 1:34:40

Paid Video

Star Trek Will Riker Bust Cake

Skill level: Intermediate

In this Trek-tacular tutorial, Liz re-creates a scene from one of her favorite old-school TV shows, Star Trek: The Next Generation.

In this Halloween special, Doctor Crusher drinks Will Riker's brains with a straw. Learn how to sculpt a body out of cake with realistic details, re-create a face out of modeling chocolate and put it all together.

1:38:42 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • How to create a realistic upper body from sheet cakes
  • Learn tips and tricks on how to create a realistic likeness from any photo reference
  • How to connect the head to the sheet cakes
  • Tips on how to get rich colors for flat colored areas (like Riker's shirt)
  • How to create facial hair on a bust cake

Tutorial Chapters

  1. Measuring out cakes 0:10
  2. Carving the cake 3:25
  3. Making cake clay 5:44
  4. Making the pecs 6:19
  5. Making the abs 11:55
  6. Defining the ribcage 12:57
  7. Defining arms 13:22
  8. Defining Collarbone 14:33
  9. Building up the neck 16:02
  10. Ganache Crumbcoat 16:30
  11. Attaching eyes to skull 20:39
  12. Building up the skull 24:48
  13. Building up the lips 27:57
  14. Adding the nose 31:40
  15. Making the eye lids 41:27
  16. Defining the temples 51:42
  17. Adding the ears 54:42
  18. Making the eyebrows 57:07
  19. Painting the face 58:51
  20. Adding facial hair 1:02:16
  21. Adding the hair 1:09:39
  22. Airbrushing 1:17:27
  23. Attaching the head 1:22:03
  24. Blending the neck 1:22:30
  25. Making the shirt 1:27:05
  26. Painting the shirt 1:31:05
  27. Making the communicator 1:34:40

Blog

Spider Egg Cake Tutorial

Spider Egg Cake Tutorial For Halloween

Learn how to make this super fun spider egg cake using gelatin bubbles, marshmallows and pretzel sticks and filled with a fun sprinkle surprise inside! This cake is sure to be an awesome centerpiece at your next Halloween party!

spider cake

Edible Materials

  • Three - 6"x 2" Black Velvet cakes
  • 2 cups chocolate
  • 2 cups marshmallows
  • easy buttercream colored purple and lime green
  • sprinkles mix
  • pretzel sticks
  • black sprinkles
  • knox powdered gelatin
  • vegetable shortening

Structure Materials

  • 14" cake board

Tools

  • glass bowl
  • 4" metal cutters
  • balloon
  • toothpick
  • tape
  • styrofoam for drying

How To Make The Spider Egg

spider egg cake

To make our spider egg, start by slicing the domes off the tops of your chocolate cakes and make them nice and level. I torte my cakes in half so I have more buttercream stripes but it's not necessary. Use a 4" circle cutter to cut out the center of the cakes. Save the scraps in a bowl.

To make the base of the spider egg, cover the inside of a bowl with some plastic wrap. Pour in some melted chocolate to create a curved base. Chill it in the freezer until set and then take it out of the bowl and remove the plastic wrap. I glued my chocolate sphere down to my cake board with some more melted chocolate.

I colored some easy buttercream lime green and purple to match my sprinkles colors but you can use any colors you would like. When you're making deep colors like purple, you want to build your colors starting with a base. For example, if I just add purple to my buttercream it won't be very dark but if I start with pink, then add purple, it will have a much richer color.

spider egg

Because food coloring is water based, it doesn't like to mix with my oil based buttercream. If you remove about ¼ cup of the buttercream and melt it in the microwave until it's just melted, not too hot and mix it back into the buttercream it will create an emulsion and cause the buttercream to darken in color.

Stack your cakes on top of the chocolate sphere and alternate with your colored buttercream. Fill the center of the cakes with your sprinkles mix and then cover the top of the cake with your cake clay to create the curved part of the "egg". Give the whole thing a crumb coat and let it chill.

Once your cake is chilled, you can give it a final coat of buttercream and make it really smooth and chill it once again.

How To Make A Gelatin Bubble Spider

gelatin bubble spider

Making this gelatin spider is super simple! I start with my some powdered gelatin. It's a 2:1 recipe. I do 2 Tablespoons water, then sprinkle on 1 Tablespoon gelatin and let it absorb into the water. Then I pour two more Tablespoons on top and add the last Tablespoon of gelatin. Let the gelatin bloom for 5 minutes then melt slowly in 15 second increments. Let cool slightly and scoop off the white foam and add some black food coloring. To make the bubble, I blow up a balloon but keep it very small. Tie the balloon in a knot to form the sphere. You only want it to be 3'-4" in size.

I tape a toothpick to the base of the balloon with some painters tape. I tend to use a lot of tape at the base to help support the balloon once it has gelatin on it. Coat the balloon in some vegetable shortening and let it dry for about it minute. Once the surface goes dull you can now roll the balloon around in the melted gelatin. I did two coats on my bubble so that it was a nice dark black. Let the gelatin dry for about 5 minutes between dipping.

Depending on how big your balloon is, you might find that the balloon won't dry upside down. If that's the case then you can just hang the balloon off to the side. There might be a drip on the underside of the balloon but you won't be able to see it once it's on the cake so don't worry about it too much.

Once the balloon has dried overnight, you can pull the balloon out slightly, pop the balloon and let it deflate and pull away from the gelatin. Pull out the balloon.

To seal the hole, melt down some chocolate and spoon a bit out onto some parchment paper or a silicone mat. Place the gelatin bubble on top and chill it until it hardens up. This bit of chocolate seals the hole in the bubble as well as providing a place to easily attach the gelatin bubble to the body of the spider.

To make the body of the spider, I take some of my cake scraps from the spider egg cake and combine it with some buttercream to make cake clay. I roll that clay into a ball and roll it into some black sprinkles. Then you add a little melted chocolate to the top and glue on your gelatin bubble.

Attach 8 pretzel legs to the body with some more melted chocolate and chill the whole thing for about 10 minutes to let it set up and get really firm.

Completing The Spider Egg Cake

spider egg cake

Melt down your marshmallows until they are nice and smooth. You're going to want to wear some gloves for this part or you'll have some very sticky hands. Dip your hands into the marshmallows and stretch the marshmallows out between your fingers. Wrap the strands randomly around the cake to create the web look.

Once you're done adding webbing, attach cake pop stick to the base of your spider with some more melted chocolate and insert the spider onto the top of the cake. Dip some pretzel sticks into some melted chocolate and attach to the ends of the legs and arrange onto the cake so the spider looks like he's sitting on the egg.

I used a couple of green sprinkles for the eyes of the spider to finish off the look.

When you cut into the egg, the spider web sticks to your knife and creates a fun effect that my daughter thought was really entertaining. The sprinkles fall out of the inside of the cake like "eggs" and is pretty fun to see!

Be sure to watch the video on how I put this spider egg cake together and if you decide to make your own spider egg cake, let me know so I can see it!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Recipe

gelatin bubble spider
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Gelatin Bubble Spider

Make this cute gelatin bubble spider topper for a spooky spider egg cake
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time1 minute
Total Time26 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 1
Calories: 429kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Ingredients

Gelatin Bubble Spider

  • 2 tablespoon knox unflavored powdered gelatin
  • 4 tablespoon cool water
  • 2-3 drops black food coloring
  • ¼ cup cake scraps
  • 1 tablespoon buttercream
  • ¼ cup black sprinkles
  • ¼ cup melted chocolate
  • 16 small pretzel sticks
  • 2 green sprinkles for eyes

Other Materials Needed

  • 1 balloon
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening
  • 1 toothpick

Instructions

  • Blow up the balloon to until its 3 or 4 inches wide. Tie the balloon tightly and tape the toothpick to the end of the balloon and secure well with tape. 
    Cover the balloon in a layer of vegetable shortening and let it dry for about five minutes
  • Prepare your gelatin by sprinkling it over the water slowly and letting it fully absorb for 10 minutes. Melt the gelatin in short bursts of 15 seconds in the microwave until fully melted. Do not whisk, just stir gently or you'll incorporate air
  • Let gelatin cool for 5 minutes and scoop off excess white foam. Add a couple of drops of black food coloring and mix. 
  • Dip your balloon into the gelatin and place onto the foam to dry for 5 minutes then dip again for a second coat. Let dry overnight
  • Once your balloon is dry, pop the balloon and pull it out of the gelatin bubble. Coat the hole with a little melted chocolate and place onto a silicone mat or parchment paper to cool in the fridge until set. 
  • smoosh your cake scraps with the buttercream to create some cake clay and roll into a ball. This ball should be about half the size of the gelatin bubble. Roll the cake ball in the black sprinkles. Attach the gelatin ball to the cake ball with some more melted chocolate. 
  • Add some legs by dipping the pretzel sticks into the melted chocolate and placing into the spiders body. Chill for 15 minutes. 
  • Place a cake pop stick into the base of the spiders body with some more melted chocolate and push the spider topper into the top of the egg cake (see video for preparation)
    Glue on the second half of the spiders legs with some more melted chocolate. Add the sprinkles eyes and you're done! 

Nutrition

Calories: 429kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Sodium: 145mg | Potassium: 127mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 32g | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 2mg

spider cake tutorial

Course Preview

Ranunculus Flower Tutorial

Skill level: Intermediate

Guest instructor Ashley Barbey from The Little Vintage Baking Company brings us a beautiful autumn-themed Ranunculus flower tutorial. Ranunculus flowers are known for layer upon layer of silky petals, creating an amazing delicate bloom. Ashley combines this ranunculus with oak leaves, filler berries and flowers to create a stunning floral spray.

Learn how to create these pieces and how to properly insert and arrange these flowers on a cake.

1:46:12 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • How to create sugar ranunculus flower
  • Learn how to make filler berry clusters and oak leaves
  • How to arrange flowers on a cake

Tutorial Chapters

  1. Making Ranunculus center 0:39
  2. Making 1st row of petals 6:05
  3. Attaching petals to center 9:26
  4. Making 2nd row of petals 13:38
  5. Placing 2nd row of petals 14:44
  6. Making 3rd row of petals 18:13
  7. Attaching 3rd row of petals 22:01
  8. Making 4th row of petals 26:16
  9. Placing 4th row of petals 28:34
  10. Making 5th row of petals 31:30
  11. Placing 5th row of petals 33:19
  12. Making 6th row of petals 36:46
  13. Placing 6th row of petals 37:19
  14. Making 7th row of petals 41:52
  15. Placing 7th row of petals 43:17
  16. Making 8th row of petals 48:47
  17. Placing 8th row of petals 50:36
  18. Making the calyx 54:35
  19. Placing the calyx 56:33
  20. Dusting Ranunculus 57:53
  21. Making berry cluster 1:03:19
  22. Dusting berry cluster 1:04:41
  23. Assembling the berry cluster 1:07:29
  24. Making the blossoms 1:11:33
  25. Dusting the blossoms 1:16:16
  26. Wrapping blossoms 1:19:17
  27. Making oak leaves 1:20:13
  28. Dusting oak leaves 1:24:08
  29. Wrapping oak leaves 1:37:06
  30. Making an arrangement 1:38:07

Paid Video

Ranunculus Flower

Skill level: Intermediate

Guest instructor Ashley Barbey from The Little Vintage Baking Company brings us a beautiful autumn-themed Ranunculus flower tutorial. Ranunculus flowers are known for layer upon layer of silky petals, creating an amazing delicate bloom. Ashley combines this ranunculus with oak leaves, filler berries and flowers to create a stunning floral spray.

Learn how to create these pieces and how to properly insert and arrange these flowers on a cake.

1:46:12 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • How to create sugar ranunculus flower
  • Learn how to make filler berry clusters and oak leaves
  • How to arrange flowers on a cake

Tutorial Chapters

  1. Making Ranunculus center 0:39
  2. Making 1st row of petals 6:05
  3. Attaching petals to center 9:26
  4. Making 2nd row of petals 13:38
  5. Placing 2nd row of petals 14:44
  6. Making 3rd row of petals 18:13
  7. Attaching 3rd row of petals 22:01
  8. Making 4th row of petals 26:16
  9. Placing 4th row of petals 28:34
  10. Making 5th row of petals 31:30
  11. Placing 5th row of petals 33:19
  12. Making 6th row of petals 36:46
  13. Placing 6th row of petals 37:19
  14. Making 7th row of petals 41:52
  15. Placing 7th row of petals 43:17
  16. Making 8th row of petals 48:47
  17. Placing 8th row of petals 50:36
  18. Making the calyx 54:35
  19. Placing the calyx 56:33
  20. Dusting Ranunculus 57:53
  21. Making berry cluster 1:03:19
  22. Dusting berry cluster 1:04:41
  23. Assembling the berry cluster 1:07:29
  24. Making the blossoms 1:11:33
  25. Dusting the blossoms 1:16:16
  26. Wrapping blossoms 1:19:17
  27. Making oak leaves 1:20:13
  28. Dusting oak leaves 1:24:08
  29. Wrapping oak leaves 1:37:06
  30. Making an arrangement 1:38:07

Blog

Fox Cake Tutorial

Cute Fox Cake Tutorial Teaches The Basics Of Simple Structures

fox cake tutorial

This cute little fox cake is the 5th installment in my beanie boo series is the perfect tutorial for you if you're wanting to learn how to do a basic sitting animal cake like a dog or a cat or even a stuffed teddy bear. In this tutorial you learn how to do very simple sculpting, how to support the large cake head and how to cover the cake in fondant.

Of course I'm still using my beloved glitter eyes which you can learn how to make below.

Edible Glitter Eyes

  • 1.5″ silicone sphere mold
  • silicone cabochon mold
  • 3 oz simi cakes clear isomalt
  • black food coloring
  • silicone cups for melting isomalt
  • edible glitter (or non-toxic is fine)
  • creme brulee torch
  • cake gloss
  • nitrile gloves for hand protection
  • silmat for protecting your work surface
  • microwave for melting isomalt

edible glitter eyes

Fox Cake Materials List

Structure

  • 12" Cake board
  • Aluminum foil tape
  • ½ " Metal Flange
  • ½" PVC pipe
  • ½" Male Adapter
  • 4- ⅝" Screw
  • 2- Skewers
  • 2- 6" cardboard cake rounds
  • Milkshake straws

Edible Materials

How To Make A Fox Cake

The first thing I did was bake my board. I combined three different shades of brown fondant and swirled them together to make a nice wood grain. Baking the board just makes the fondant nice and firm so when you add your cake you don't mess it up.

bake your boards

You can also just make your board ahead of time and let it dry naturally if you don't want to bake it but why not? It's so fast and easy!

So for this cake I ended up using the doll cake pan from fat daddios for the body because I saw koalipops use it for a super cute hedgehog cake BUT I don't think it was really the best idea for the fox body in hindsight. The body was a little too short and stout and I had to thin her out quite a bit.

fox cake tutorial

Fox's are naturally thin so if I did this again, I would definitely just stack two six inch rounds on top of each other for the body, carve it into an egg shape and do modeling chocolate for the neck so it was thinner but hey, it's a learning experience right?

I carved the shape of the body an the head and crumb coated them. Then I put the cakes in the fridge to chill and once the buttercream was hard, I did a final cot of buttercream and made sure they where nice and smooth.

Then I put together the structure using my pvc pipe and flange. I cut a hole out of the fondant using my flange as a template so that it fit snugly in the hole. I slid the body of the fox over the pvc pipe and onto the board. Then I placed my straws and cardboard round on top of the body so that the weight of the head is supported. If you didn't have this structure in place, the weight of the fox head would crush the body.

To form the nose, I took a small amount of modeling chocolate and formed it into a small snout and flatted out the back. I pressed that onto the front of the cake and the buttercream holds it in place.

fox cake

Lastly, I covered the cake in fondant in two pieces (front and back) using the paneling technique. Then I added on my legs, eyes, ears, and tail. I painted the legs and the ears with some edible artist decorative paints black for that nice opaque coverage.

My niece and my daughter really enjoyed digging into this cake and for some reason my niece really really wanted to eat one of the eyes (kids right?)

fox cake tutorial

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! Don't forget to watch the video below for some visuals of how it all came together. I didn't include sound this time because I've had some feedback that people just enjoy watching and don't need all the talking so let me know if that works better for you!

 

Fox Cake Tutorial

 

Paid Video

Bean Paste Recipe

 

[MM_Member_Decision isMember='false']

Shruti Showcases her Bean Paste Recipe

Guest instructor Shruti Archit Saxena from Shruti's Cake Addiction brings us a highly sought-after bean paste recipe and cosmos flower tutorial. Bean paste offers an exciting new medium that many cake decorators have been wanting to work with, and we are very pleased to have an expert like Shruti on Sugar Geek Show.

This is a Paid Recipe for Members Only

If you are trying to access this paid recipe, you need to become a member to see this tutorial.
Start My Free Trial

[/MM_Member_Decision]

[MM_Member_Decision membershipId='1']

Oops! Something Went Wrong!

I'm trying to view a tutorial

If you are trying to access a paid tutorial, you need to upgrade your membership to see this tutorial.
upgrade your membership

But I'm already a paying member

If you are already a member, please log in to see this tutorial.
log in

If you continue to experience this problem, please contact our support team at support@sugargeekshow.com.
[/MM_Member_Decision]

[MM_Member_Decision membershipId='2']

Recipe

Bean Paste Recipe
Print Recipe
No ratings yet

Bean Paste Recipe

Learn how to make this highly sought-after recipe! Guest instructor Shruti Archit Saxena teaches us her bean paste recipe for making flexible sugar flowers that stay pliable long after typical gumpaste flowers become brittle and break.
Prep Time16 hours
Cook Time1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time17 hours 20 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Indian
Calories: 737kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Ingredients

  • 100 g White/Lima beans
  • 85 g Granulated sugar
  • 10 g Vegetable oil
  • 10 g Vegetable shortening
  • 25 g AP flour
  • 20 g Tapioca flour
  • 20 g Corn flour
  • 18 g Liquid glucose
  • 4 g Glycerin

Instructions

  • Soak lima beans for a minimum 16-17 hours in water. Beans will get bigger in size.
  • Peel lima bean skin of each bean by pinching beans together.
  • Place beans in a heavy-bottom pot with 4 cups of water. Start cooking beans over high heat until boiling, then reduce heat to medium, regularly stirring beans for 35-40 minutes until beans break down and get mushy.
    If you use up the water and beans are still not cooked, you can add more water. 
  • Let beans cool. Then grind into a fine paste using a food processor or blender. Pass bean mixture through a fine sieve to remove any lumps.
  • Add bean mixture to a heavy-bottom pot. Start cooking at medium-low heat. Once bean mixture start bubbling, add granulated sugar, stirring constantly until mixture starts to thicken up and leaves the sides of the pan, about 10-20 minutes.
    Remove bean paste from pan.
  • While bean paste is still hot, add AP flour, tapioca starch, corn starch, oil, liquid glucose and vegetable shortening to paste and mix together, being careful not to create any lumps when mixing.
  • Place bean paste onto a sheet of foil in the center. Fold up all sides towards the center, then steam paste in a stovetop steamer on medium heat for 20 minutes.
    If bean paste is sticking to the sides of the foil, it needs to be steamed longer for another 3-4 minutes, then check again to see if the paste is ready.
  • After bean paste has cooled, but not completely cold, take out of foil and add glycerin. Begin to knead until glycerin is fully incorporated.
  • Let bean paste rest for 2-3 hours. Knead paste and add color as you would to gumpaste or fondant.

Notes

This bean paste will keep in the refrigerator for about a week and in a freezer for about 3 months.
When taking the bean paste out from the freezer, you must let it defrost first, then microwave the bean paste for 10-15 seconds at a time and knead it again to get it back to the correct consistency.
Bean paste that has been in the fridge needs to be microwaved in 2-4 second intervals and kneaded to get it back to the correct consistency.
Bean paste can be cooked for 10-12 minutes in pressure cooker or instant pot.

Nutrition

Calories: 737kcal | Carbohydrates: 140g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Sodium: 4mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 85g | Iron: 1mg

[/MM_Member_Decision]

[MM_Member_Decision membershipId='3']

Recipe

Bean Paste Recipe
Print Recipe
No ratings yet

Bean Paste Recipe

Learn how to make this highly sought-after recipe! Guest instructor Shruti Archit Saxena teaches us her bean paste recipe for making flexible sugar flowers that stay pliable long after typical gumpaste flowers become brittle and break.
Prep Time16 hours
Cook Time1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time17 hours 20 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Indian
Calories: 737kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Ingredients

  • 100 g White/Lima beans
  • 85 g Granulated sugar
  • 10 g Vegetable oil
  • 10 g Vegetable shortening
  • 25 g AP flour
  • 20 g Tapioca flour
  • 20 g Corn flour
  • 18 g Liquid glucose
  • 4 g Glycerin

Instructions

  • Soak lima beans for a minimum 16-17 hours in water. Beans will get bigger in size.
  • Peel lima bean skin of each bean by pinching beans together.
  • Place beans in a heavy-bottom pot with 4 cups of water. Start cooking beans over high heat until boiling, then reduce heat to medium, regularly stirring beans for 35-40 minutes until beans break down and get mushy.
    If you use up the water and beans are still not cooked, you can add more water. 
  • Let beans cool. Then grind into a fine paste using a food processor or blender. Pass bean mixture through a fine sieve to remove any lumps.
  • Add bean mixture to a heavy-bottom pot. Start cooking at medium-low heat. Once bean mixture start bubbling, add granulated sugar, stirring constantly until mixture starts to thicken up and leaves the sides of the pan, about 10-20 minutes.
    Remove bean paste from pan.
  • While bean paste is still hot, add AP flour, tapioca starch, corn starch, oil, liquid glucose and vegetable shortening to paste and mix together, being careful not to create any lumps when mixing.
  • Place bean paste onto a sheet of foil in the center. Fold up all sides towards the center, then steam paste in a stovetop steamer on medium heat for 20 minutes.
    If bean paste is sticking to the sides of the foil, it needs to be steamed longer for another 3-4 minutes, then check again to see if the paste is ready.
  • After bean paste has cooled, but not completely cold, take out of foil and add glycerin. Begin to knead until glycerin is fully incorporated.
  • Let bean paste rest for 2-3 hours. Knead paste and add color as you would to gumpaste or fondant.

Notes

This bean paste will keep in the refrigerator for about a week and in a freezer for about 3 months.
When taking the bean paste out from the freezer, you must let it defrost first, then microwave the bean paste for 10-15 seconds at a time and knead it again to get it back to the correct consistency.
Bean paste that has been in the fridge needs to be microwaved in 2-4 second intervals and kneaded to get it back to the correct consistency.
Bean paste can be cooked for 10-12 minutes in pressure cooker or instant pot.

Nutrition

Calories: 737kcal | Carbohydrates: 140g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Sodium: 4mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 85g | Iron: 1mg

[/MM_Member_Decision]

Paid Video

Bean Paste Flower

Skill level: Intermediate

Guest instructor Shruti Archit Saxena from Shruti's Cake Addiction brings us a highly sought-after bean paste cosmos flower tutorial. Bean paste is an exciting medium, sugar flowers using this material are flexible, can be rolled out to ultra-thin edges and remain pliable long after a typical gumpaste flower would become brittle.

Shruti teaches out to make this bean paste recipe (a recipe closely guarded and only typically taught in person) and she shows how to make beautiful cosmos flowers using this technique as well as filler flowers. Shruti follows up with a quick demo showing how to arrange these flowers on a cake for maximum effect.

32:20 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • How to create fool-proof bean paste
  • Learn how to make a bean paste cosmos and filler flowers
  • How to arrange flowers on a cake

Tutorial Chapters

  1. Making the center 0:52
  2. Making the cosmos petals 5:14
  3. Thinning out the petals 8:33
  4. Making the smaller petals 11:56
  5. Assembling the big cosmos 15:40
  6. Assembling the small cosmos 20:11
  7. Making the filler flowers 22:40
  8. Arranging the flowers 27:37

Course Preview

Bean Paste Flower Tutorial

Skill level: Intermediate

Guest instructor Shruti Archit Saxena from Shruti's Cake Addiction brings us a highly sought-after bean paste cosmos flower tutorial. Bean paste is an exciting medium, sugar flowers using this material are flexible, can be rolled out to ultra-thin edges and remain pliable long after a typical gumpaste flower would become brittle.

Shruti teaches out to make this bean paste recipe (a recipe closely guarded and only typically taught in person) and she shows how to make beautiful cosmos flowers using this technique as well as filler flowers. Shruti follows up with a quick demo showing how to arrange these flowers on a cake for maximum effect.

32:20 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • How to create fool-proof bean paste
  • Learn how to make a bean paste cosmos and filler flowers
  • How to arrange flowers on a cake

Tutorial Chapters

  1. Making the center 0:52
  2. Making the cosmos petals 5:14
  3. Thinning out the petals 8:33
  4. Making the smaller petals 11:56
  5. Assembling the big cosmos 15:40
  6. Assembling the small cosmos 20:11
  7. Making the filler flowers 22:40
  8. Arranging the flowers 27:37

Paid Video

Bean Paste Recipe

 

Recipe

Bean Paste Recipe
Print Recipe
No ratings yet

Bean Paste Recipe

Learn how to make this highly sought-after recipe! Guest instructor Shruti Archit Saxena teaches us her bean paste recipe for making flexible sugar flowers that stay pliable long after typical gumpaste flowers become brittle and break.
Prep Time16 hours
Cook Time1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time17 hours 20 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Indian
Calories: 737kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Ingredients

  • 100 g White/Lima beans
  • 85 g Granulated sugar
  • 10 g Vegetable oil
  • 10 g Vegetable shortening
  • 25 g AP flour
  • 20 g Tapioca flour
  • 20 g Corn flour
  • 18 g Liquid glucose
  • 4 g Glycerin

Instructions

  • Soak lima beans for a minimum 16-17 hours in water. Beans will get bigger in size.
  • Peel lima bean skin of each bean by pinching beans together.
  • Place beans in a heavy-bottom pot with 4 cups of water. Start cooking beans over high heat until boiling, then reduce heat to medium, regularly stirring beans for 35-40 minutes until beans break down and get mushy.
    If you use up the water and beans are still not cooked, you can add more water. 
  • Let beans cool. Then grind into a fine paste using a food processor or blender. Pass bean mixture through a fine sieve to remove any lumps.
  • Add bean mixture to a heavy-bottom pot. Start cooking at medium-low heat. Once bean mixture start bubbling, add granulated sugar, stirring constantly until mixture starts to thicken up and leaves the sides of the pan, about 10-20 minutes.
    Remove bean paste from pan.
  • While bean paste is still hot, add AP flour, tapioca starch, corn starch, oil, liquid glucose and vegetable shortening to paste and mix together, being careful not to create any lumps when mixing.
  • Place bean paste onto a sheet of foil in the center. Fold up all sides towards the center, then steam paste in a stovetop steamer on medium heat for 20 minutes.
    If bean paste is sticking to the sides of the foil, it needs to be steamed longer for another 3-4 minutes, then check again to see if the paste is ready.
  • After bean paste has cooled, but not completely cold, take out of foil and add glycerin. Begin to knead until glycerin is fully incorporated.
  • Let bean paste rest for 2-3 hours. Knead paste and add color as you would to gumpaste or fondant.

Notes

This bean paste will keep in the refrigerator for about a week and in a freezer for about 3 months.
When taking the bean paste out from the freezer, you must let it defrost first, then microwave the bean paste for 10-15 seconds at a time and knead it again to get it back to the correct consistency.
Bean paste that has been in the fridge needs to be microwaved in 2-4 second intervals and kneaded to get it back to the correct consistency.
Bean paste can be cooked for 10-12 minutes in pressure cooker or instant pot.

Nutrition

Calories: 737kcal | Carbohydrates: 140g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Sodium: 4mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 85g | Iron: 1mg