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Kids Cakes From The Whimsical Bakehouse by Kaye and Liv Hansen Excerpt
Kids Cakes From The Whimsical Bakehouse by Kaye and Liv Hansen Excerpt
MAGIC WANDS
The Good Witch of the North and the queen fairy agree that these star wands are magically delicious. The pixies at your party will love them, too. Send the sparkly pink wands home as party favors, or let the children decorate their own with royal icing and sanding sugar. They are sure to cast a spell on all who hold them.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
sanding sugar, 6- or 8-inch lollipop sticks for magic wands, and ribbon for decoration (1 to 2 feet per wand, depending on whether a knot or bow is tied)
pletely. Prepare the Royal Icing. Keep the icing covered with a damp cloth.
2 Prepare the colored icing: approximately
hold the cookie, not the lollipop stick. Spread a thin layer of colored icing over the entire cookie. Immediately pour white or pink sanding sugar over the top or dip the cookie into a bowl of sanding sugar,
into separate pastry cones. Cut a small hole at the tip of each pastry cone. Pipe dots or lacy borders around the edge of each cookie, write the initials of the birthday fairy, or make a design of your own. Let dry overnight.
5 Tie a bow with long trails around the handle
of each wand.
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PLAIN+SIMPLE Pretint the cookie dough with a few drops of pink food coloring. Cut out with a star cookie cutter and sprinkle sanding sugar on topno need for royal icing.
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SUGAR COOKIES
This basic sugar cookie dough is strong enough to be cut into any shape, and the cookies are durable enough to stand up to a lot of decorating. Make mask-shaped cookies for your Halloween party, a cookie card for the birthday boy or girl, pirate faces for your little buccaneer, or magic wands for your fairy princess. Yield: approximately 24 to 30 wands, 12 masks, 20 pirate faces, or 4 cookie cards
Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350F. Have all ingredients at room temperature. In the bowl of an electric mixer at medium speed, cream:
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter cup sugar
On a lightly floured board, roll the chilled dough out to inch thick. Slip parchment paper under the rolled dough and transfer it to a half-sheet pan. Chill for 30 minutes. Cut out shapes (see below).
Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix until the dough comes together. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
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Kids Buttercream
This classic, no-fuss buttercream is a sweet sensation with children, and I have to admit, it is the one frosting I will lick off my fingers. Kids Buttercream is surprisingly versatile: It makes a yummy filling or icing, tints beautifully, and is perfect for piping borders or simple shapes. However, we dont use this icing for delicate piping applications because it has a dense and slightly gritty texture that tends to break (instead, try Kayes Buttercream, page 11, or House Buttercream, page 13). Liv Meringue powder can be found at baking supply stores and in some supermarkets. Kids Buttercream can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 1 week.
Yield: approximately 3 cups In the bowl of an electric mixer at mediumhigh speed, beat until creamy:
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
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Whisk in
cup light corn syrup 2 tablespoons sour cream
Whisk until the mixture is slightly thickened and coats the back of a wooden spoon (175 to 180F on a candy thermometer).
Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for 1 hour to overnight.
Royal Icing
This amazing icing is the glue that holds gingerbread houses together and is the colorful frosting that you find on decorated cookies. You can tint it, pipe with it, spread it with a spatula, adhere candies or sanding sugar to it, or thin it with water to create smooth flooded designs (see pages 14445).
Yield: approximately 4 cups In a large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whip attachment, whip to stiff peaks:
cup meringue powder cup cold water
Add and mix at low speed with a paddle attachment, until combined:
4 cups (1-pound box) confectioners sugar
Cover the bowl with a damp cloth while you are working with or coloring batches of icing, or immediately place it in an airtight container or a pastry cone; otherwise, a hard crust will quickly form as it dries.
Continue mixing at high speed for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the icing is stiff.
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