Recipe: Winter Castle Cake

Winter Castle Cake
From: Woman's Day, 1/2/01

1 box cake mix any flavor
2 cups white chocolate chips
5 each pointed sugar ice cream cones and flat-bottomed ice cream cups
1/2 cup white crystal sugar or 1/2 cup tiny silver dragees(small hard balls of sugar coated w/ silver, gold or metalic colors. Other small round candies may be used)
2 Tbsp blue crystal sugar
2 cans (16oz) vanilla soft whipped frosting
4-in square cut from purchased frozen poundcake, thawed
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 whole graham cracker
2 think pretzel sticks
12 mini marshmallows
5 strips striped fruit chewing gum, each trimmed into a flag and wrapped around a toothpick
1/2 cup assorted metallic-colored dragees
1 Tbsp large siler dragees
You will also need: 2 sturdy qt-size ziptop bags(or decorating bags fitted with writing tips) several wooden skewers, broken in 3-5 inch lengths(for stars on sticks); tweeezers(to set dragees into frosting)
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1. Bake cake mix in two 9-in round cake pans as directed on bos; cool as directed

2. Meanwhile line 2 baking sheets with waxed paper. Melt white chocolate as directed on package. Workign with 1 at a time, spread outside of pointed cones with a thin layer of chocolate, then spread on collar of ice cream cups(you'll have chocolate left over). Before chocolate sets, hold cones and cups over a bowl and sprinkle with white crystal sugar or tiny dragees. Place on a lined baking sheet to dry.

3. Spoon remaining white chocolate (reheated if necesary) into a ziptop bag; cut a small tip off 1 corner. Place skewers on waxed paper on other baking sheet. Pip chocolate on skewers and several 4-inch stars alongside on waxed paper(to be attached later) Pipe stars of varying sizes on waxed paper for sides of cake. Before chocolate sets, sprinkle stars with white and blue sugar and/or tiny silver dragees

4. Spoon 1 cup frosting into another ziptop bag; set aside. Cut humps off tops of cooled cale layers. Place 1 layer on a serving platter. Spread top with a thin layer of frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Frost top and sides (be sure to have frosting left over)

5. Trim corners of poundcake so an ice cream cup can be set flush against each. Cut a 1/2"deep hole in top center of poundcake large enough to hold base of a ice cream cup. Frost top and sides of poundcake. Set on layer cake. Using extra frosting if needed, attach an ice cream cup to each corner; set 1 into hold on top

6. Sprinkle top of cake with coconut trim graham cracker into a door and a path. Press in place on poundcake. Set a pretzel stick on each side of door. Set marshmallows on top of poundcake between ice cream cups.

7. Insert a toothpick with chewing-gum flag into point of each ice cream cone. Cut tip off corner of bag w/frosting. Pipe a band of frosting around rim of each ice cream cup; attach cones to cups. Pipe dots of frosting on pretzel sticks, tops of marshmallows, around base of each cone, around top edge and base of cake, and a few on sides of cake. Using tweezers, set colored dragees into dots around cones and cake and large dragees onto sides.

8. Gently peel chocolate to glue 4inch stars to top of skewers. When set, intsert in cake. Press remaining stars onto sides of cake.

SERVES 12

NOTE: When serving, remove gum flags from picks and stars from skewers.