Igloo Cupcakes Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 12-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheets. Line bottoms with parchment paper; butter parchment. Dust with cocoa powder, and tap out excess; set aside.
• Sift cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add eggs and yolk, 1 1/4 cups warm water, the buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Mix on low speed until smooth.
• Divide batter between prepared sheets. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 16 minutes. Let cool on wire racks 30 minutes. Turn out cakes onto racks, and let cool completely.
• Coat an 8 1/2-inch (9-cup) ovenproof bowl with cooking spray. Line with plastic wrap, leaving a 2-inch overhang. Cut one cake layer crosswise into 4-inch-wide strips, and use to line bowl (there should be no gaps). Cut a 9-inch round from remaining cake layer; set aside.
• One at a time, mix ice creams in the bowl of electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until smooth. Spread 1 cup vanilla ice cream over cake in bowl; spread 1 1/2 cups chocolate ice cream on top. Continue layering ice creams, alternating 1 1/2 cups of each flavor, stopping 1/2 inch from rim. Press cake over ice cream. Wrap in plastic; freeze overnight.
• Turn out cake onto a 9-inch cake board. Freeze 15 minutes. Spread a thin layer of buttercream (about 1/2 cup) over cake, and freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. Transfer remaining buttercream to a pastry bag fitted with a basket-weave tip (such as Ateco #898). With smooth side of tip facing you, and starting at top of cake, pipe 1-inch rectangles all over cake. If cake begins to soften, freeze 15 minutes.
• Using marshmallows, make the outline of the door. Using a smaller basket-weave tip (such as Ateco #895), pipe rectangles over marshmallows. Sprinkle sanding sugar all over cake. Freeze until ready to serve, up to 1 day. Attach marzipan penguins to cake with toothpicks, and garnish with coconut "snow."

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350ºF.
• Prepare cake batter and bake as directed on package for 24 cupcakes, blending dry pudding mix and milk into batter before spooning into muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray.
• Cool cupcakes 10 min. Remove from pans to wire racks; cool completely.
• Mix frosting and COOL WHIP until blended; use to frost cupcakes, adding thin layer of frosting on sides and rounded mounds on tops to resemble igloos. Press 1 large marshmallow half into COOL WHIP mixture at front of each igloo for the door. Press miniature marshmallows into remaining COOL WHIP mixture to resemble photo.

Steps:

• Make the Igloo:
• Butter and flour an 8-inch-round cake pan and a 1.5-quart ovenproof bowl. Make the cake batter; divide between the pan and the bowl. Bake at 350 degrees F until a toothpick comes out clean, about 35 minutes for the pan, 40 to 45 minutes for the bowl. Let cool, then unmold the cakes onto a rack.
• Microwave the white chocolate at 50% power in 15-second intervals, stirring, until melted, about 2 minutes. Pour onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and spread to 1/4 inch thick with an offset spatula. Sprinkle with the sanding sugar. Chill until set, about 10 minutes.
• Remove the chocolate from the refrigerator. Break most of it into rough 1/2-to-1-inch pieces to form the ice that covers the igloo.
• Use a paring knife to cut a few even 1/2-inch tiles from the remaining chocolate (these are for the tunnel entrance).
• Assemble the igloo: Mix 2 1/2 cups frosting with the blue food coloring. Spread some blue frosting on the flat cake, then cover with the bowl-shaped cake.
• Spread some frosting on the cake where you want the tunnel to go, then attach a doughnut half, cut-side down. Attach the other half with frosting to extend the tunnel.
• Cover the entire cake with a thin layer of blue frosting (this is called a "crumb coat," which is like a primer; it doesn't have to be perfect). Chill, uncovered, until the frosting sets, about 15 minutes.
• Spread the remaining blue frosting evenly over the cake and doughnuts. Arrange the white-chocolate pieces on the igloo in a mosaic pattern. Place the even white- chocolate tiles around the tunnel entrance.
• For the trees, mix 3/4 cup vanilla frosting with the green food coloring. Spread on the cones, flicking the frosting with the tip of an offset spatula to form branches. Arrange the trees around the igloo and dust with confectioners' sugar.

Steps:

• Line 1-quart bowl with plastic wrap. In food processor, place Cheddar cheese, blue cheese, 1 package softened cream cheese, the bacon bits, onions and pepper sauce. Cover and process, using quick on-and-off motions, until thoroughly mixed. Press cheese mixture into bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours but no longer than 48 hours.
• Invert cheese mixture onto upside-down glass plate or pie plate, forming igloo shape. Remove about 2 tablespoons cheese mixture from one side to make 2x2 1/2-inch arched doorway.
• Cut two 3/8-inch slices from end of block of firm cream cheese; reserve. Beat remaining cream cheese and the milk with electric mixer on medium speed until blended and smooth. Frost glass plate and igloo with cream cheese mixture; smooth with spatula. Draw lines across igloo, using toothpick, to look like ice blocks. Cut each reserved cream cheese slice into 4 rectangles. Use 6 to 8 rectangles to form door canopy. Cover loosely and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• To make penguins, cut a slit from top to bottom on each jumbo olive on one side only. Insert about 1 teaspoon cream cheese into olive to fill cavity. Cut carrot into 1/4-inch slices; cut small notch out of each carrot slice to form feet. Press cutout notch piece into center of small olive to form beak (if necessary, pierce olive with small paring knife or toothpick to make a hole). Using a frilled toothpick, stack head (small olive), body (jumbo olive) and feet (carrot slice), adjusting so that beak, cream cheese breast and notch in carrot slice line up. (Penguins will stand better if olives are stacked with larger holes facing downward.)
• To serve, cut flag shape from carrot curl and secure on toothpick; insert into top of igloo. Garnish igloo with rosemary, bell pepper and cream cheese penguins. Serve with crackers.