Sparkling Snowflake Cake

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Merry Christmas one and all. So, it is my pleasure to be sharing this beautiful Sparkling Snowflake Cake with you today.

Vanilla Sparkling Snowflake Cake

This Sparkling Snowflake Cake is stunning and I can take no credit for the beautiful detail. Because the cake is baked in a beautiful Bundt tin made by Nordicware . Amazon, ebay and Lakeland UK are all stockists of Bundt tins, it really is worth shopping around as prices vary. While Bundt tins may not be cheap, treated with care and looked after they will last a life time.

Another beauty of Bundt pans is the beautiful array of delightful shapes available. Although I embellished this Sparkling Snowflake Cake with edible diamonds, a dusting of edible glitter and some piped icing, a dusting of icing sugar would be perfect on it’s own.

Vanilla Sparkling Snowflake Cake

Birthday and Christmas Celebrations

Our youngest daughter should have been a near Christmas baby, however, she obligingly arrived early! So this Sparkling Snowflake Cake was made for her birthday.

Because she isn’t too keen on icing this cake was perfect for her. Resulting in a deliciously moist, vanilla sponge, dusted with flavoured icing sugar. The flavour I used is called Santa’s Snowball, perfect for this beautiful snowflake.

Sparkling Snowflake Cake vanilla sponge dusted with flavoured icing sugar www.feastingisfun.com
Sparkling Snowflake Cake

 

Using edible diamonds on this cake adds extra sparkle. White, edible, sparkly glitter was also dusted on top of the icing sugar. It is a real shame that it didn’t photograph well, in any light, trust me I tried. Moving the cake aound the house to catch the small amount of sunlight that we get this time of year, shining through the windows. The lengths I will go to trying to get the perfect shot!

So, you’ll have to trust in me that this cake really, really sparkles. It looks so pretty, twinkling like a real snowflake. Although we may not get snow this Christmas, we can certainly make your own!

Sparkling Snowflake Cake catches the light and sparkles like a real snowflake www.feastingisfun.com
Sparkling Snowflake Cake

 

Here is the Sparkling Snowflake Cake lit by candles for our daughter’s special day. Also, it would make a fantastic alternative to the traditional, fruit laden Christmas Cake. Set on a cake stand, or pretty plate, surrounded by tea light candles which add extra sparkle. Resulting in a glittering, festive feast.

Spending Snowflake Cake stunning with candles www.feastingisfun.com
Sparkling Snowflake Cake

Preparing the Bundt Tin

Here is the incredibly detailed snowflake Bundt tin that I used for this cake, alongside is Wilton bake easy, cake release spray. I cannot emphasise enough how important it is to use cake release spray (or the brush on version) for this tin. I tried this recipe, brushing the tin with melted butter, as I have with previous Bundt bakes and the cake stuck. Badly. It was an epic disaster. And I cried, how silly is that? Finally, determined not to be beaten by a cake tin AND with lots of tips and advice from my Bundt baker friends on Twitter, I rebaked the cake and SUCCESS.

Snowflake Bundt tin and cake release spray.
Snowflake Bundt tin and cake release spray.

 

Now time to share how I made this wonder.

Recipe: Makes one Sparkling Snowflake Cake that will serve 12

225g/8oz Unsalted Butter at room temperature

225g/8oz Caster Sugar

4 Large Eggs

1tsp Vanilla Extract – I use Nielsen-Massey 

225g/8oz Self Raising White Flour

1/4tsp Salt

100g/4oz Icing Sugar

Optional – Edible glitter in the colour of your choice and edible diamonds. Both available from cake decorating shops and Amazon.

Method: Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan, 350F, gas mark 4

First of all thoroughly spray or brush the Bundt tin with cake release. I will not judge if you want to give it a double coating (I did!).

Making the Cake Batter

  • Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
  • Add the salt, vanilla extract, one third of the flour and 2 eggs. Mix until just incorporated.
  • Next add another third of flour and the last 2 eggs and mix as before.
  • Finally add the remaining flour and gently mix into the cake batter until incorporated, taking care not to over mix.
  • Spoon the cake batter into the prepared Bundt tin ensuring it is evenly spread into all the points.
Ready to go into the oven.
Ready to go into the oven.

Baking the Snowflake Cake

  • Place the tin in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes.
  • The cake is cooked when pressed lightly in the center and it springs back, or an inserted skewer comes out clean.
  • As soon as the cake is baked remove from the oven and place the tin on a cooling rack or trivet.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin.

  • Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes.
  • Invert the Bundt tin on to a cooling rack.

Invert the tin onto a cooling rack.

  • Leave for a further 5 minutes. If the cake doesn’t turn out immediately gently tap the tin and the cake should release.
  • If the cake still will not turn out, gently go around the ouside of the cake with a small palette knife. Re-invert the tin on to a cooling rack, the cake should release easily.
  • Most importantly, the more you use a Bundt tin the more non stick it becomes.
Sparkling Snowflake Cake look at the beautiful detail.
Sparkling Snowflake Cake 

Adding Sparkle to the Snowflake Cake

Sparkling Snowflake Cake dusted with flavoured icing sugar.
Sparkling Snowflake Cake
  • First of all, dust the cake liberally with icing sugar and then sprinkle over edible glitter.
  • I made a small batch of royal icing, lightly tinted pink and piped detail on to the outer points.
  • Finally, place edible diamond in the round dips, as seen in the photo below.
Sparkling Snowflake Cake edible diamonds, edible glitter and piping add an extra special touch to this already beautiful cake.
Sparkling Snowflake Cake

 

My Sparkling Snowflake Cake is as beautiful as it is delicious. It would make the perfect gift as would the tin. A great tip if you know someone who enjoys baking.

Sparkling Snowflake Cake perfect for Christmas and celebrating www.feastingisfun.com
Sparkling Snowflake Cake 

If you have Disney’s Frozen fans in your household, a touch of blue, or all white and this cake will have them singing “Let it snow!”

Store the cooled cake in an airtight container and eat within 5 days.

If you enjoyed the recipe for this Sparkling Snowflake Cake you may also like these:

Chocolate Christmas Pudding Cookies

FF Sparkling Snowflake Cake
Chocolate Christmas Pudding Cookies

Cream Cheese Pastry Mince Pies

FF Sparkling Snowflake Cake
Cream Cheese Pastry Mince Pies

Snowy Black Forest Roulade 

FF Sparkling Snowflake Cake
Snowy Black Forest Roulade

I especially enjoy baking during the festive season. Rather than relying on shop bought, prepared food (although they have their place), spending time in the kitchen relaxes me. While listening to Christmas carols I am lost in a world of delicious aromas and sparkles. And, since it is the season of goodwill, making cookies and mince pies are a great gift for sharing with family, friends and neighbours. Above all, it is a time to give thanks for the baby Jesus.

Sammie xx

No part of this post may be reproduced or duplicated without the written permission of the owner. Please see my Disclosure Policy. 

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Chocolate Christmas Pudding Cookies

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Chocolate Christmas Pudding Cookies. The only Christmas cookie recipe you need as it is so easy to follow, make and bake. Actually, they are the ideal bake to get the whole family involved in, especially children. Also, think about the chocolate deliciousness that are these festive, fun cookies that are perfect to share.

Christmas cookies decorated to look like Christmas puddings.

Hello everyone, how is the run up to Christmas going for you?

This time of year can be completely manic and overwhelming for me and strange as it may seem, a day spent baking and creating, although a luxury, is a great way for me to chill out and really enjoy the festive season.

I have baked these Chocolate Christmas Pudding Cookies twice now, the second batch was larger because they disappeared so quickly the first time! Quick note, since originally posting this recipe these cookies have become a must have Christmas tradition in our home. While certain friends and family also look forward to their cellophane bag of fresh Chocolate Christmas Pudding Cookies neatly tied with a festive bow!

A single Christmas chocolate pudding cookie surrounded by sparkling festive decorations.
Chocolate Christmas Pudding Cookies

Giving Cookies As Christmas Gifts

Ah the look on our little (teenagers but still my babies) cherubs face as I give these cookies away is priceless! I thought I’d done a pretty good job as a mum, teaching them to share. Apparently not!!! Because I’m sure these cookies would be kept in a locked safe if our children had their way.

Rich chocolate cookies, with a hint of brownie flavour, topped with melted white chocolate and sprinkles. Utterly divine, decadent and delicious and perfect for Christmas baking.

The chocolate smell as these cookies bake will have people knocking at your front door, drawn by the aroma. If it could be bottled, the chocolate smell would be a hit. As it is, we get to bake the cookies and then eat them – sharing of course!

Due to their popularity, I would highly recommend making a double batch of the cookie dough. Since it’s hardly any extra effort and you can choose to bake all the cookies in one hit, or leave half of the dough in the fridge for up to a week.

A plate of festive cocoa biscuits.
Chocolate Christmas Pudding Cookies.

My Chocolate Christmas Pudding Cookies make perfect presents. Pop a few in a cellophane bag, tie with pretty ribbon and hand out to friends, family, neighbours, the postman. I honestly don’t think a gift made with love by ourselves can be beaten.

Making these cookies is a whizz! Since the cookie dough comes together in moments, then rolled into a log, wrapped in cling  film and refrigerated until it is firm. The chocolate, dough log is then sliced and the slices are baked. As soon as the cookies have cooled spoon on white chocolate, add sprinkles and wait to set.

Festive cocoa flavoured biscuits that resemble a traditional Christmas dessert on a white plate. Image sized for Pinterest with descriptive graphics.

Recipe : Makes approx 25 Chocolate Christmas Pudding Cookies

225g/8oz Unsalted Butter – at room temperature

150g/5oz Light Soft Brown Sugar

1 Large Egg Yolk

1tsp Vanilla Extract – I use Nielsen-Massey 

1/4tsp Salt

225g/8oz Plain White Flour

50g/2oz Cocoa Powder – I use Callebaut 

100g/4oz White Chocolate

Sprinkles for the top of the cookies, I’ve used holly leaves and berries which I found on Amazon. Alternatively, you can also make the decorations from coloured fondant icing.

Method:

Making the Chocolate Cookie Batter

Place the butter and sugar into a large bowl. Whisk until light and fluffy.
Place the butter and sugar into a large bowl. Whisk until light and fluffy.
Add the egg yolk, vanilla extract and salt. Whisk until fully incorporated.
Add the egg yolk, vanilla extract and salt. Whisk until fully incorporated.
Sift the flour and cocoa powder into the bowl. Mix slowly until you have all the ingredients are combined.
Sift the flour and cocoa powder into the bowl. Mix slowly until you have all the ingredients combined.
You now have a bowl of the most delicious chocolate cookie dough!
You now have a bowl of the most delicious chocolate cookie dough!

Wipe your work surface with a clean, damp, cloth. Lay a good length of cling film onto the damp surface – the water ‘sticks’ the cling film in place so that it stays flat and doesn’t move.

Shaping the Cookie Dough

Place the dough onto the cling film in a rough sausage shape.
Place the dough onto the cling film in a rough sausage shape.
Wrap the dough up and roll the dough into a sausage shape approx 1.5"/3.5cm diameter.
Wrap the dough up and roll the dough into a sausage shape approx 1.5″/3.5cm diameter.

Place the dough log into the fridge for at least 2 hours (it will keep for a week, well wrapped). The dough log needs to be cold and firm before you can slice the cookies.

Preheat the oven to 180/160C fan, gas mark 4, 350F.

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper (you may need to cook the cookies in batches). Remove the chocolate dough log from the fridge. Dont worry if the bottom of the log has flatted slightly, it just adds to the christmas pudding look.

Slicing And Baking The Chocolate Christmas Pudding Cookies

Unwrap the cookie dough and slice into individual cookies approx 1cm/0.5" thick.
Unwrap the cookie dough and slice into individual cookies approx 1cm/0.5″ thick.
Place the uncooked cookies onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet, allowing room for expansion between each cookie.
Place the uncooked cookies onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet, allowing room for expansion between each cookie.

Place the baking trays into the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, depending how thick/big your cookies are. My cookies took 20 minutes to bake.

It is difficult to tell when the cookies are cooked, due to their colour! They are baked when the surface looks dull however, they don’t set hard until cooled.

As soon as the cookies are baked remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes on the baking tray (it is fine to leave them to cool completely on the tray) you can then move them, using a palette knife to a cooling rack. If after 10 minutes cooling they break  when trying to transfer them, pop them back into the oven for another 5 minutes.

Chocolate Christmas Pudding Cookies place onto a cooling rack to cool completely before icing. www.feastingisfun.com
Chocolate Christmas Pudding Cookies place onto a cooling rack to cool completely before icing. www.feastingisfun.com

Once the cookies have completely cooled it’s time to get creative and frost them WITH CHOCOLATE!

Decorating the Cookies – Childs Play!

Chop or break up your white chocolate and place into a heat proof bowl. Either place the bowl on top of a saucepan as I did here  Chocolate Sparkle Cake , or melt the chocolate using a microwave, on medium setting, in short 20 second bursts, stirring after each zap! Remove the bowl just before the chocolate is completely melted and stir continuosly, the heat already in the bowl will melt the remaining chocolate.

Note: When making these cookies with children, if the bowl is hot, decant the melted chocolate into a cool bowl before decorating the cookies.

Melt the white chocolate.
Melt the white chocolate.

Using a teaspoon, place the melted chocolate on the top of the cookie, encouraging it to ‘drip’ down the ‘christmas pudding’ with the back of the spoon.

Chocolate Christmas Pudding Cookies decorated with white chocolate and sprinkles.

The effect is so easy, yet incredible. These Chocolate Christmas Pudding Cookies really do look like the real thing with cream dripping down from the top.

A large batch of festive biscuits freshly decorated and left to set on baking parchment.
Chocolate Christmas Pudding Cookies

Storing and Packaging the Cookies

Chocolate Christmas Pudding Cookies last for a week in an air tight container. I used a tin to store ours in and placed a piece of parchment paper between each layer, to keep the cookie’s presentation perfect. This is good advice if you are cooking alone and making these ahead of time.

When baking and decorating these with children, to be completely honest, you will be very lucky to even see the chocolate set!! So it’s rather a nice idea to have some already made and packaged in small cellophane bags, tied with ribbon. This way the children can take home extra cookies to share with their families.

I’m assuming everyone bakes with their children and their friends, when they come round for tea?

If you are a teacher/teaching assistant/child minder or Sunday school teacher, making the undecorated biscuits ahead of time and then letting little and big kids alike decorate their own, is a wonderful pre-Christmas activity.

Christmas cookies decorated to look like Christmas puddings.

As well as these Chocolate Christmas Pudding Cookies you may like these other Christmas Bakes:

Cream Cheese Pastry Mince Pies

FF Cream Cheese Pastry Mince Pies
Cream Cheese Pastry Mince Pies can you stop at one?

Sparkling Snowflake Cake

FF Sparkling Snowflake Cake
Sparkling Snowflake Cake edible diamonds and a dusting of flavoured icing sugar set this cake off www.feastingisfun.com

Peppermint Candy Cane Topped Brownies 

FF Chocolate Christmas Pudding Cookies
Peppermint Candy Cane Topped Brownies

Please post photos of your cookies on Twitter/Instagram and tag me in @sammiefeasting. I would love to see what fantastic decorations and creations you bake?

Do you enjoy the build up to Christmas or dread it?

Whatever you do and whoever you bake the with and for, I hope you have lots of fun and these Chocolate Christmas Pudding Cookies bring smiles from all who eat them!

Have a happy Christmas.

Sammie xx

No part of this post may be reproduced or duplicated without the written permission of the owner. Please see my Disclosure Policy.

Chocolate Christmas Pudding Cookies on a platter and descriptive graphics.

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Cyber Babies and Real Life

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Hi, meet Cody. The hard, plastic, computerised baby that threw me back into a life long past and taught me a few things about myself, Cyber Babies and Real Life.

Cody, the Cyber Baby from another world!
Cody, the Cyber Baby from another world!

So, a few months ago, our youngest daughter, who turns 15 this week, mooted the idea of bringing a Cyber Baby home.

The school she attends, in what I can only assume is a desperate attempt at preventing teenage pregnancies, has Cyber Babies. These computerised dolls are intended to show ‘girls’ what living with a newborn baby is like.

In today’s modern, blended family, society, it really is a wonder that they see this as a valid exercise – my point being, a larger number of children than ever before, are currently brought up with a variety of siblings, be they whole, half or step, that vary in age from Daddy’s new baby, to Mummy’s eldest child already ripe to yield their own offspring.

I digress. Our daughter was very, very keen about bringing home a Cyber Baby and taking full responsibility for it. A point which was fully emphasised by her elder sister, who told her, and I quote, “You’re not sleeping in our room with a noisy baby, you can sleep downstairs!”

As parents we agreed and triple signed a form (basically signing the value of our house away, should Cyber Baby sustain damage whilst in our home!), agreeing to allow our daughter to bring little bubba home.

Daughter was excited about matching accessories, blanket and car seat for baby and cheerfully counted down the days until Cody (Cyber Babie’s name?) came home.

Cody was sent home, midweek and would be ‘activated’ at 6pm on the Friday evening. Super. Lovely.

On the very next day (Thursday) daughter had very high temperature and came down with a really grotty cold and cough. I prayed hard she would be fine by Friday!

You see, at this point daughter was still blissfully looking forward to Cody’s activation and determined to look after him, without help.

Friday came and Cyber Baby activated. Daughter was still very unwell but thrilled (she had missed 2 days at school, not something she ever does lightly, so when I say she was poorly I mean, that poorly!).

Nobody was allowed near Cody, except for a quick hold and to her credit our daughter took care of him for the entire first night.

Taking care of Cody involved wearing a wrist band that was then swiped across his tummy the moment he cried (left crying for more than 2 minutes and you would be penalised for neglect!). Then he would need either feeding with a bottle, winding or changing. At all other times he slept. Whilst sleeping he made breathing sounds.

Cyber Baby was not woken by loud noises, nor was he comforted by human contact. He was a robot baby!!!

At approximately 11am on Saturday morning our daughter came upstairs, where I, in bed( The Pain Pay Off), Living With Seizures, Migraines)

“Mummy, I feel so ill and I am so tired”. My poor real life baby looked exhausted. My heart broke.

Immediately I took Cyber Baby from her, gave her some medicine and tucked her into bed. She fell asleep almost instantly.

Her elder sister turned out not to have a heart of stone and took Cody from me and looked after him for the rest of the day whilst her mum and sister rested. She even took her mattress downstairs, determined to look after Cyber Baby during the night so her sister could rest.

Then I heard it cry. And it didn’t stop. The crying tore at my heart. I tried to ignore the crying as I found myself walking downstairs to find our eldest daughter doing everything she could to shut the thing up!

I immediately took control, said to our eldest to tuck down, I would settle the baby and look after him for a bit so she could sleep.

Now here’s something you should know, although we have 3 beautiful children, I don’t like babies, or even toddlers really. I have loved and cared for my own with a passion and dedication I didn’t know I possessed. I loved and cherished my sisters children in the same way. But if I am out and a baby is crying 99% of the time it irritates me and I have no desire, whatsoever to calm or soothe the screaming baby/toddler. It’s just how I am.

Except for Cody. Even though I slept with him cuddled on my shoulder, which still bare the bruises from rocking, to burp him. I did care. I cared because he was important to my daughter. When he cried, my heart tugged. I couldn’t ignore a plastic, robot doll when it cried, because that was what it had been programmed to do.

So that night I cared for Cody like he was a real baby. It was hard because physical contact wouldn’t settle him in the way it did my own babies, yet he was still cuddled. He barely whimpered and I’d swiped the thing across his tummy and held a bottle to his mouth. Also alien to me as I breast feed all 3 of our babies.

I looked after him Saturday and Sunday night, as well as helping out through the day on Sunday. I didn’t enjoy the experience, but I didn’t hate it either. Because I was doing it for my daughter and that was enough for me.

Cody deactivated at 6am on Monday morning. I felt relief that our daughter didn’t have the pressure of looking after a Cyber Baby anymore.

He is gone and upon her return from school later that day I reminded our daughter of a saying that many African villages have “It takes a village to raise a child”.

I reassured our beautiful girl that when the time comes, it will be as a family that we help to raise our children’s, children.

I read a blog recently about how to ensure you get a good following on your blog, only positive, happy posts would grab readers attention. That leaving ‘space’ was key to not overwhelming your reader.

I would just like to say, I think that’s a load of rubbish. In other posts where I’ve mentioned about pain, Real Life, migraines, I’ve always, always had more comments, as people find they can identify with what I’ve written. I have too much respect for you, my readers, to write a load of happy, crappy flannel, complete with Instagram perfect, white, stylised photos to match.

The picture of Cody was taken at 6am after he had deactivated on the Monday morning of what had been a hellsh, but eye opening weekend. That is Real Life, well the Cyber Baby wasn’t alive but the experience was very real.

If I can’t be honest and share the good with the bad on this, my blog, then I’m not being real. For those of you that have got this far and realise you prefer the shiny, perfect blogs, that’s your choice. To all the rest of you lovely, wonderful readers and honest fellow bloggers, thank you for allowing me to be me, supporting me and sharing in the love that is Real Life. I really appreciate each and every one of you.

Sammie xxx

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