Autumn Tree Cake Recipes

AUTUMN TREE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line bottoms of two greased 9-in. round baking pans with parchment paper; grease paper. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, orange juice, butter and eggs; beat on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium 2 minutes. Transfer to prepared pan. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks; remove paper. Cool completely., For frosting, in a large bowl, beat confectioners' sugar, butter, if desired, food coloring and enough orange juice to achieve desired consistency. Spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake. Lightly press wafer crumbs onto sides of cake., In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate and shortening; stir until smooth. Transfer to a pastry bag or a food-safe plastic bag; cut a small hole in the tip of bag. Pipe a tree on top of cake. Decorate as desired with candy and chocolate leaves.

WINTER TREE STUMP CAKE

Steps:

• For the tree stump cake: Put about 1/2 cup of the buttercream frosting into a bowl and dye it to look like the inside of a tree stump (a few drops of yellow and brown food dye). Spread a thin layer of the colored buttercream onto the top of your prepared 6-inch cake and smooth out into a flat layer. Using a cake comb in a clockwise motion, create concentric circles on the top of the cake to represent the rings of a tree.
• Dust the bench with cornstarch and roll out the dark chocolate modeling chocolate so it is approximately 1/2 inch taller than the height of your cake and at least 20 inches long. The modeling chocolate should be kept fairly thick, approximately 1/2-inch.
• Using the sculpting tools, start texturing the modeling chocolate with scrapes, lines, divets, etc.
• After it is textured, trim the bottom edge so that you have a straight line. Wrap the modeling chocolate around the outside of the iced cake.
• For the cardinal: Roll some of the red modeling chocolate into a ball a little larger than a golf ball. Rolling one end between two hands, taper the ball to a teardrop shape. The pointed end of the teardrop will be the head. Pinch the top of the head and pull backward to make the tuft of feathers on the cardinal's head. With a rolling pin, flatten the remaining red modeling chocolate to 1/8-to-1/4-inch thick. Cut out 3 teardrop shapes about 2 inches long using either a craft knife or a teardrop-shaped cookie cutter. These will be the wings and tail.
• Dampen one side of each wing with a drop of water and stick them to the sides of the body. Do the same with the tail and stick it to the back. Use a tool to add feather details to the wings and tail if desired.
• Using a rolling pin, roll out a small amount of black modeling chocolate to about 1/8-inch thick. Cut it into a diamond shape to make the black part of the cardinal's face. Dampen one side of the black chocolate and stick it to the face area of the cardinal. Use the dragees for eyes. (If you don't have dragees roll 2 small balls of black modeling chocolate with your hands to about 1/4-inch diameter. Stick them to the cardinal's head.)
• Using ivory modeling chocolate, make a teardrop shape about 1/2-inch long. Stick it to the cardinal between its eyes to form a beak. Use a sculpting tool or a butter knife to add the mouth detail to the beak.
• For the mouse: Choose a modeling chocolate color for your mouse - white, tan, grey, brown or a more fanciful color. Roll some of the mouse color modeling chocolate into 2 balls; 1 about the size of a golf ball, the other a little smaller. Dampen a small area of each ball with water and stick them together. These will form the head and body of the mouse. The larger ball is the body.
• Roll 2 balls of mouse color modeling chocolate about the size of peas and stick them to the front of the mouse's head. Roll a small tube, 1/4-to-1/2-inch long and lay it between and on top of the 2 small balls. This will be the nose part of the mouse's muzzle.
• Roll 2 tubes of the mouse color modeling chocolate about 1-inch long each for the mouse's forelegs. Attach them to the side of the body and head.
• Roll 2 small balls of the mouse color modeling chocolate about the size of grapes and partially flatten them. These will be the haunches of the mouse's back legs. Attach them to the rear of the body on either side.
• Make the mouse's 4 paws by rolling 4 balls out of pink modeling chocolate about 1/2-inch in diameter. Attach them to the ends of the forelegs and the front of the haunches. Use a sculpting tool or knife to add toe details to the paws.
• Roll a very small ball of pink modeling chocolate and apply it to the tip of the nose.
• Roll a "snake" of pink modeling chocolate between your hands for the tail and attach it to the mouse's behind.
• Using a rolling pin, flatten out some pink modeling chocolate and some mouse color modeling chocolate. Using a 3/4-inch cookie cutter, cut 2 circles of each color. Dampen the backs of each pink circle and attach them to the mouse colored chocolate circles. These will be the mouse's ears. Attach them to the mouse's head.
• Attach a very small piece of white or ivory modeling chocolate to the underside of the mouse's muzzle to make the protruding incisors.
• For the mouse's eyes, use the dragees. (If you don't have dragees roll 2 small balls of black modeling chocolate with your hands to about 1/4-inch diameter. Stick them to the mouse's head.)
• Add your sculptures to the cake.
• Use the extra buttercream to add a snow effect to the top of the trunk and the board or plate your cake is on. Accent the snow with some clear crystal sugar.

MAPLE TREE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar. Add sour cream and maple flavoring. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; add to sour cream mixture and mix well. Fold in pecans. , Pour into 2 greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. , For frosting, in a bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar. Add syrup; mix well. Set aside 2/3 cup frosting for decoration. Spread remaining frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake., In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate and peanut butter chips; stir until smooth. Transfer to a pastry bag or heavy-duty resealable plastic bag; cut a small hole in the corner of bag. Pipe a tree trunk and branches on top of cake. , For decorative leaves, divide the reserved frosting between 2 small bowls. Add red food coloring to 1 bowl; stir to combine. Add yellow food coloring to other bowl; stir to combine. Cut a small hole in the tip of a pastry bag; insert #21 star tip. Spoon the frostings alternately into the bag. Pipe frosting on top of cake to resemble leaves of tree.

AUTUMN CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a large bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and melted butter; press into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
• In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar. Mix at medium speed until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in vanilla; pour filling into the baked crust.
• In a small bowl, stir together 1/3 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Toss the cinnamon-sugar with the apples to coat. Spoon apple mixture over cream cheese layer and sprinkle with 1/4 cup chopped pecans.
• Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 70 minutes. With a knife, loosen cake from rim of pan. Let cool, then remove the rim of pan. Chill cake before serving.

CHRISTMAS TREE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Make and bake cake as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan. Cool 10 minutes. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen cake; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour. For easier handling, refrigerate or freeze cake 30 to 60 minutes or until firm.
• Using serrated knife, cut rounded top off cake to level surface; place cut side down. From the middle of one short side, make a diagonal cut to each corner on opposite side, making 3 triangular pieces. (See diagram below in Expert Tips.) Make tree shape by arranging 2 outer pieces with straight 13-inch sides together on foil-covered tray; frost top. Place remaining center piece on top.
• Spread a thin layer of frosting over top and sides to seal in crumbs. Refrigerate or freeze cake 30 to 60 minutes to set frosting. Frost entire cake with remaining frosting. Press candy cane pieces in end of tree to make trunk. Sprinkle with colored sugar to look like boughs. Arrange gumdrops on cake to look like lights or ornaments. Store loosely covered.

TREE STUMP MOSS CAKE RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Make the dulce de leche buttercream: In a large bowl, cream together the butter and dulce de leche with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Sift in the powdered sugar and salt and mix until the frosting is smooth and thick, about 3 minutes.
• Frost the cakes: Scoop 1 cup of buttercream onto 1 chocolate cake round and spread evenly across the top. Place the second cake round on top, pressing down gently to secure. Spread another cup buttercream evenly over the top and sides to create a crumb coat. Cover and set the remaining buttercream aside until ready to decorate. Refrigerate the cake until ready to decorate.
• Make the meringue mushrooms: Preheat the oven to 225°F (105°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Add the egg whites to a heat-safe bowl. Using a hand mixer, whip on medium speed until frothy, about 2 minutes. Add the salt and cream of tartar and beat just to incorporate.
• Add the sugar and water to a saute pan and stir to combine. Turn the heat to medium-high heat and cook without stirring until the syrup creates bubbles that are the size of quarters and the temperature reaches 248°F (120°C).
• With the hand mixer running on medium speed, carefully pour the hot sugar syrup into the egg white mixture, resting the pan on the edge of the bowl and aiming the syrup to hit the side of the bowl so it does not splash against the beaters. Whip the mixture until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat on medium-low speed until just combined. Transfer the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a ½-inch (1.24 cm) round tip.
• To make the mushroom caps, hold the piping bag upright and squeeze the meringue firmly onto half of the prepared baking sheet into disc shapes ranging from ½ inch (1.24 cm) to 1½ (3.81 cm) inches in diameter, leaving at least ½ inch (1.24 cm) of space between each cap. You should use about ⅔ of the meringue. Dip your finger in water and smooth the top of each cap. Your fingers will create natural dimples and watermarks to mimic the look of mushrooms caps.
• To make the mushroom stems, hold the piping bag upright and squeeze the remaining meringue firmly onto the other half of the baking sheet in ½-inch and 1-inch long pieces, leaving at least ½ inch of space between each stem. The number of stems should match the number of caps.
• Bake the meringue mushrooms for about 3 hours, until the caps and stems feel dry to the touch and are light beige in color. Remove from the oven and let the meringues cool completely.
• Lightly dust the mushroom caps with the cocoa powder, then use a pastry brush to brush the cocoa powder into the caps until they are a rustic brown color.
• Spread a bit of melted dark chocolate on the bottom of a mushroom cap, then press the cap onto the top of a stem. Repeat to assemble the remaining mushrooms, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate to set completely, about 10 minutes.
• Make the chocolate bark: Add the heavy cream to a small stainless steel pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
• Add the chocolate chips to a medium heatproof bowl. Pour the warm cream over the chocolate and stir until melted completely. Let the ganache cool to room temperature, about 1 hour; it should be thick and have the texture of frosting. Once cool, add ⅓ of the ganache to a piping bag fitted with a ½-inch round tip and the remaining ganache to a piping bag fitted with a 1-inch round tip.
• Make the edible moss: Pulse the pistachios and matcha powder in a food processor until coarsely ground, being careful not to process into a paste. Set aside until ready to decorate.
• Make the buttercream flowers: Divide the buttercream frosting evenly between 5 medium bowls. Add the violet, pink, yellow, avocado, and mauve food coloring to each bowl and stir until well combined. Transfer each color frosting to a separate piping bag fitted with tips to pipe flowers and leaves. Set aside until ready to decorate.
• Assemble the cake: Spread the remaining dulce de leche buttercream over the top of the cake. Using the bag with the ½-inch tip, pipe the ganache in a swirl on top of the cake, starting from the center and working toward the outer edge. Use a fork to swirl the ganache and buttercream together to make the top of the tree stump.
• Using the bag with the 1-inch tip, pipe the remaining ganache onto the sides of the cake and spread to coat completely. Use a fork to draw lines vertically up the sides of the cake for the tree bark.
• Place mounds of edible moss on top of and around the cake, then place the mushrooms around the moss.
• Use the colored frostings to pipe leaves and flowers around the cake.
• Enjoy!

LITTLE DEBBIE-INSPIRED CHRISTMAS TREE CAKES RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray 2 9 x 13-inch rimmed baking sheets with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper.
• in a large bowl, use an electric hand mixer on medium speed to cream together the butter, sugar, baking powder, salt, vanilla, and almond extract until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
• With the mixer running on medium speed, add the egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating between each addition until fully incorporated.
• Add a third of the flour and continue mixing until just incorporated. In a small bowl, combine the milk and rum, if using. Add half of the milk mixture to the batter and mix until nearly combined. Continue alternating additions of the flour and milk, using a rubber spatula to finish bringing the batter together.
• Divide the batter between the prepared baking sheets, spreading evenly all the way to the edges. Bake for 10 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until the cakes are pale golden brown and the edges begin to pull from the sides of the pans. Remove from the oven and let cool.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Fill a large pot with 1 inch of water. Set a large heat-safe bowl over the pot, making sure the bottom is not touching the water. Add the egg whites, sugar, and salt to the bowl and whisk together until homogenous. Turn the heat to medium and continue whisking until the mixture thickens. When you lift the whisk, the mixture should fall into the bowl in ribbons that hold their shape for a moment before disappearing.
• Remove the bowl from the heat and place on a towel on a flat surface. With an electric hand mixer on medium-high speed, whip the egg white mixture until doubled in volume, about 5 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and, with the mixer running, add the butter, a cube at a time. As you add the last piece of butter, the mixture will look broken; don't worry! Continue mixing until the mixture smooths out again, about 1 minute. Add the vanilla and almond extract and mix until just incorporated.
• Assemble the cakes: Invert a cake onto a cutting board with a piece of parchment on top and peel away the parchment from the bottom of the cake. Carefully flip the cake over so the flat side is on the bottom again. Spread the filling evenly over the cake, then invert the remaining cake on top of the filling. Peel off the parchment from the top of the cake. Transfer the cutting board with the cake to the freezer and freeze until the cake is hardened, but not completely frozen, about 1 hour.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Remove the cake from the freezer. Use the Christmas tree-shaped cookie cutter to cut out 8 cakes and place on the prepared baking sheet. Discard (or snack on) the cake scraps. Chill the cakes in the refrigerator while you prepare the decorations.
• Add the candy melts to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave according to the package instructions until melted.
• Dip each cake in the melted candy, using a fork to flip until completely coated. Carefully lift the cake out of the candy and gently scrape the bottom across the side of the bowl to remove any excess. Return the coated cake to the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining cakes.
• Sprinkle the cakes lightly with the green sanding sugar, and then decorate with the red cookie icing. Refrigerate until the candy shell hardens, about 5 minutes.
• Enjoy!