Chocolate Reindeer Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line bottoms of three 6-in. round baking pans with parchment paper; grease and flour parchment and sides of pans., In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat in butter until crumbly. Add egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in 1/4 cup milk and extracts; beat on medium until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in remaining milk. Gently fold in jimmies., Transfer batter to prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks; remove paper. Cool completely., For buttercream, in a microwave, melt chocolate with cream until smooth, stirring every 30 seconds. Set aside to cool slightly. In a heatproof bowl of a stand mixer, whisk egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar and salt until blended. Place over simmering water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisking constantly, heat mixture until a thermometer reads 160°, 8-10 minutes., Remove from heat. With whisk attachment of stand mixer, beat on high speed until cooled to 90°, about 7 minutes. Gradually beat in butter, a few tablespoons at a time, on medium speed until smooth; beat in melted chocolate mixture and vanilla extract. Gradually beat in cocoa through a sifter., Spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake. Reserve remaining buttercream for decorating. Decorate as desired. Store in refrigerator.

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray three 6-inch cake pans with nonstick spray, dust each with flour and line with parchment paper (if you don't have 3 pans, you can bake in batches).
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Combine the sugar, oil, vanilla and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until combined. Alternate adding the dry mixture and buttermilk, mixing on low speed, until smooth.
• Divide the batter between the 3 prepared baking pans. Bake until the cakes spring back slightly when touched, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes in the pans, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the frosting: Meanwhile, combine the butter, cocoa powder, vanilla and salt in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until combined, then start adding the confectioners' sugar 1 cup at a time, alternating with additions of the milk. Increase the speed to medium high and mix until smooth.
• Use a serrated knife to trim off the top from two of the cake layers (if the layers domed differently, trim the smaller domes), using the edge of the cake pan as a guide.
• Place 1 trimmed cake on a cake board or platter and spread 1/4 cup of the chocolate frosting over the top. Place the second trimmed cake on top, spread the top with frosting, then top with the third cake so that the top is domed. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• For the decorations: Meanwhile, line a baking sheet and plate with parchment paper. Combine the semisweet chocolate chips and 1/2 teaspoon of the coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave, stirring every 10 seconds, until melted and smooth, about 40 seconds. Transfer to a piping bag and snip the tip.
• Onto the prepared baking sheet, use the semisweet chocolate to pipe 2 antlers (each 4 inches tall and 3/4 inch wide at the base), making sure the antlers are sturdy and thick enough to stand up on top of the cake later. Refrigerate until set, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, onto the prepared plate, use the semisweet chocolate to pipe 2 arches for the pupils of the eyes (each 2/3 inch tall and 2/3 inch wide at the base), spacing them at least 2 inches apart; fill in the arches with the chocolate. Refrigerate until set, about 10 minutes.
• Combine the white chocolate chips and remaining 1/4 teaspoon coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave, stirring every 10 seconds, until melted and smooth, 20 to 30 seconds. Transfer to a piping bag and snip the tip.
• Remove the plate with the pupils from the refrigerator. Use the white chocolate to pipe 2 bigger arches for the whites of the eyes (each 1 inch tall and 1 inch wide at the base), aligning the bases for each set of pupil and white; fill in the space around each pupil with white chocolate. Refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes.
• Pull off a tennis ball-size mound of fondant, knead in enough brown food coloring until dark brown, then roll into a ball. Repeat the process with 3 golf ball-size mounds of fondant and tint one light brown (1 drop of brown food coloring), one black (3 drops of black food coloring) and one red (3 drops of red food coloring). Keep each piece of fondant wrapped in plastic wrap while not in use.
• Roll out a quarter of the dark brown fondant on a cornstarch-dusted cutting board until very thin. Use a sharp paring knife to cut out two 2 1/2- inch-tall oval ears with a pointed tip. Roll out half of the light brown fondant and cut into slightly smaller pointed ovals. Dab the light brown fondant with a small amount of water to adhere each piece to a dark brown ear, creating a lighter interior. Set aside to dry.
• Use the remaining dark fondant to form the legs: Divide the dough into thirds. Use two-thirds of the dough to shape the hind legs by rolling two logs, each 2 1/2 inches long and 3/4 inch in diameter; taper one end of each. Shape the front legs the same way with the remaining dough, each 1 1/2 inches long. Roll 4 tiny balls of black fondant, then flatten them slightly between two fingers. Dab with a little water to adhere the black discs to the wide end of each brown leg, to form hooves.
• Form the nose by rolling the red fondant into a ball. Set aside the eyes and nose.
• Cover the chilled cake with frosting, reserving 1/3 cup for decorations. Place the hind legs on either side of the cake, so that the hooves face forward, shaping the legs around the cake. Place the two front legs in front, near the hooves of the back legs, upright but at a slight angle towards the back.
• Remove the antlers from the refrigerator. Place them on top of the cake, towards the center. Set the ears just to the back and sides of the antlers, using toothpicks behind the ears to prop them up, if needed.
• Transfer the reserved frosting to a piping bag fitted with a fluted tip. Pipe a few swirls in front of the antlers. Top the swirls with holiday sprinkles. Press a red flashing battery-operated LED balloon light into the red fondant ball, pushing it towards the front of the nose; reform the ball around the light, leaving the power tab exposed to turn the light on. Insert a toothpick halfway in the front middle of the cake. Press the nose on it until flush against the cake but held up by the toothpick. Remove the eyes from the refrigerator and carefully peel them off the parchment to reveal pupils set in the whites of the eyes. Pipe a small dollop of frosting on the back of each eye then arrange the eyes over the nose.
• Remove the light from the cake before serving.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 2 cookie sheets with cooking spray or line with cooking parchment paper. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In small microwavable cup, microwave chocolate chips uncovered on High 30 to 45 seconds, stirring after 30 seconds, until melted and smooth; set aside.
• In large bowl, beat butter and sugars with electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. Add melted chocolate; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat until soft dough forms. Refrigerate dough 20 minutes.
• Shape dough into 64 (1-inch) and 32 (3/4-inch) balls. For each cookie, arrange 1 (3/4-inch) and 2 (1-inch) balls, edges touching, on ungreased cookie sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies. Bake 9 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely before decorating.
• Meanwhile, to make ears, cut caramels in half horizontally. Cut each half into quarters, making 64 thin squares. Using fingers, slightly press together opposite corners squares, forming leaf shapes (see photo); set aside.
• To make antlers, cut each licorice twist into 4 (1 3/4-inch) pieces. Cut 2 (1-inch) slits in each piece, creating 3 sections; cut off half of each outer section (see photo).
• To Make Reindeer: Pipe 4 small dollops chocolate icing onto smaller portion of cooled cookie; press on ears and antlers. For eyes, pipe white icing onto cookie in 2 small oval-shaped dollops; press 1 milk chocolate candy on each. For nose, pipe small dollop of chocolate icing onto cookie; press on 1 chocolate-covered caramel. Using red icing, pipe mouth onto cookie.

Steps:

• Separate the buttercream into 4 separate bowls (2 larger bowls and 2 smaller bowls). In one of the smaller bowls, use leaf green, chocolate brown, yellow and black gel colors to make a dark, evergreen color. In one of the larger bowls, use a few drops of yellow and chocolate brown gel colors to make a mocha color (lighter than the shade of brown fondant you have). In the other larger bowl, use chocolate brown and black gel colors to make a dark brown (darker than the shade of brown fondant you have). In the other smaller bowl, use red gel color to make a Christmas red color.
• Sprinkle your clean table with cornstarch. Knead your light brown/mocha fondant (similar to bread dough) until it is smooth. Using a rolling pin, roll the fondant so that it is approximately a 14-inch circle that's 1/4-to-1/2-inch thick. Sprinkle with cornstarch and roll onto the rolling pin. Unroll onto the top of the cake and smooth out the top and sides with a fondant smoother so that there are no air bubbles.
• Roll a thin snake of light brown/mocha fondant for the border of the cake.
• Make antlers: Roll modeling chocolate out to about 1 1/2 inches thick. Freehand cut 2 antler shapes. Slide a wooden skewer into each antler as far as it will go. Paint with edible gold paint.
• Make ears: Roll the leftover light brown/mocha fondant into 2 teardrop shapes. Use your thumb to indent the centers of each to create the ear shape. Place a toothpick or wooden skewer in the bottom of each one. Paint the center of each ear with edible gold paint.
• Take a small amount of black fondant and roll out a snake for each eye. Use smaller pieces to create the eyelashes. Accent eyelashes with edible gold paint.
• Create the mane by piping alternating rosettes down the center of the cake with the mocha and dark brown buttercream. Add smaller green shells and top each of those with a red holly berry bunch.
• Pipe a red nose below the eyes using a large plain tip.
• Add the antlers and the ears to the top of the cake.

Steps:

• Butter and line 3 x 15 or 16cm round tins (alternatively do the baking in batches if you only have one tin). Heat the oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3.
• Gently melt the chocolate, butter and sugar together in a large microwave-safe bowl on medium heat for a minute at a time, stirring until melted or, set a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Leave to cool a little.
• Beat together the eggs with the vanilla and soured cream in a bowl. Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder into another bowl and whisk to distribute. Stir the egg mix into the cooled melted chocolate, then fold in the flour mix and fold through until all the powder has disappeared.
• Spoon a third of the mixture into each tin (if you weigh the tins, you can get it perfectly even and your cakes will cook at the same rate and to the same height). Level off each thin layer with the back of a spoon.
• Bake until just cooked, so when a skewer poked into the centre of the sponge layer comes out with a few crumbs and the cakes are shrinking away from the tin a bit. This will take about 25-30 mins, but check after 20 to be safe as all ovens vary. Remove and cool in the tins on a wire rack, or on top of cold oven hob rings.
• Meanwhile, to make the ganache, microwave all the ingredients together in 30 sec bursts until they have all melted, stirring at each interval. Or melt everything together in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Cool to room temperature before adding to the buttercream.
• To make the buttercream, beat the butter and vanilla paste until pale and creamy. Gradually add the icing sugar, beating well between each addition. (Using unrefined sugar will give the buttercream a natural caramel flavour.) Beat in the cooled ganache.
• To make the antlers, combine the sugar and butter with the vanilla paste until amalgamated but not creamed. Add the egg and combine. Mix the flour with the spices then tip that in and mix to form a dough. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge to firm up for 20 minutes. Roll out on a floured surface to a 5/6mm thickness. Lay the template on the dough and cut around it using a small sharp knife - make two sets in case of breakages (any additional dough can be saved). Push the lolly sticks up into the bottom of the antlers and bake for around 15-20 mins until cooked through and golden. Allow to cool.
• Make the ears by pulling a little of the brown fondant icing off the block and kneading it with white fondant icing to make a pale brown. Roll the rest of the dark brown icing out thickly on a surface dusted with icing sugar. Roll the paler icing out thinly. Cut large teardrop shapes from the lighter icing to form the ears (about 6cm in size) and stick the lighter shape on top of the darker icing with a little water. Cut a larger teardrop around the lighter shape. Fold and pinch together at the base, push a cocktail stick into the bottom of each one and set aside to firm up.
• Trim the cakes flat if they have a little hump where they have been baked. Put the first layer onto a 16cm cake board and use a little of the chocolate frosting to secure it to the board. Spread frosting over the first layer then add layer two. Sandwich together by pressing gently and add another layer of frosting to this layer. For the last layer, take the sponge and invert it on top of the other two cakes, so that the smooth part of the cake - that was on the bottom of the tin -becomes the top. This will make it nice and neat. Spread a very thin layer of icing over the whole cake to crumb coat it and chill to set for about 30 mins.
• Add more buttercream to the cake to make a clean top coat - use a palette knife or side scraper to get a smooth finish (but do save a little of the buttercream for the final flourish). Mark out the eyes with a cutter so you can see where to add them. Roll little strips of black fondant icing for the eyes and lashes, then stick these onto the cake. Mould the nose with red fondant icing and stick it on with a cocktail stick, pushing one end into the nose and the other into the cake.
• For the little collar, roll out about 100g of green fondant icing on a surface dusted with icing sugar and cut a thin strip for the bow that will fit around the base of the cake. Stick the ends together with a little water, then make a bow by folding another thin strip and stick this onto the collar with another dab of water. Scoop the leftover buttercream into a bag with a large star nozzle. Pipe some fluffy reindeer hair on top of the cake, then add the ears and biscuit antlers, pushing them in gently but firmly.