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Winter Wonderland Cake Recipe

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★★★★★

4.9 from 52 reviews

This Winter Wonderland Cake is a festive and visually stunning dessert perfect for holiday celebrations. Featuring fluffy vanilla cake layers, decorated with adorable marshmallow snowmen, crunchy sugar cone Christmas trees, and a delicate sky-blue vanilla buttercream, this cake captures the magic of winter in every bite. Covered with sparkling sugar and festive sprinkles, it’s a showstopper that tastes as delightful as it looks.

Ingredients

Scale

Vanilla Cake Layers:

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 and ½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 and ¼ cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1 and ½ cups buttermilk, room temperature

Marshmallow Snowmen:

  • Regular sized marshmallows
  • Wooden skewers or Lollipop Sticks
  • Royal icing
  • Mini Reese’s Cups or Rolo candies
  • Chocolate coins
  • Black gel food colouring
  • Orange gel food colouring
  • Blue gel food colouring (or any colour of your choice)
  • Toothpicks
  • Pull apart Twizzlers

Christmas Trees:

  • Large and small Ice Cream Sugar Cones (some cut in half)
  • 3 cups vanilla frosting (see notes)
  • White sanding sugar
  • Blue sanding sugar
  • Blue gel food colouring
  • Snowflake sprinkles
  • White non pareils
  • Sugar Pearls

Vanilla Buttercream:

  • 1 cup Unsalted Butter, slightly softened
  • 1 cup Hi-ratio Shortening
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 8 cups Powdered Sugar, sifted
  • ½ cup Heavy Whipping Cream
  • 1 tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
  • ½ teaspoon Pure Almond Extract
  • Sky Blue Gel food colouring

Snow Drip:

  • 2 cups Powdered Sugar
  • 2–3 tablespoon milk
  • White sanding sugar

Additional Decorations:

  • White Sparkling Sugar
  • White non pareils
  • Powdered Sugar, for dusting
  • Shredded coconut
  • White pearlized gumballs or sixlets
  • Blue pearlized gumballs or sixlets

Instructions

  1. Prepare Cake Pans: Preheat the oven to 350° F (177°C). Grease three 8×2-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper rounds to prevent sticking. Set them aside.
  2. Sift Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk these dry ingredients to ensure they are evenly combined and then set aside.
  3. Cream Butter and Sugar: Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the unsalted butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
  4. Add Eggs and Vanilla: Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Occasionally stop the mixer to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Then add the vanilla extract and mix until combined.
  5. Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Alternately add the dry ingredients in three parts and the buttermilk in two parts to the batter, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat each addition just until combined to avoid overmixing. Then increase speed to medium and beat for 30 seconds to 1 minute until the batter is smooth.
  6. Divide and Bake: Evenly divide the batter between the three prepared pans, roughly a little over 2 cups in each. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the cakes spring back lightly when touched.

Notes

  • You can prepare the vanilla frosting for the Christmas trees ahead of time and adjust the blue gel food coloring to achieve your desired shade.
  • For assembling marshmallow snowmen, use black, orange, and blue gel food colorings with toothpicks for delicate detailing.
  • Ensure all ingredients are at room temperature for best mixing results, especially eggs, butter, and buttermilk.
  • For best results with the snow drip, add milk gradually to powdered sugar until you achieve a smooth but thick consistency.
  • Use parchment paper rounds in cake pans for easy removal of cake layers.

Keywords: winter cake, winter wonderland cake, vanilla cake, holiday cake, marshmallow snowmen, Christmas tree cake decoration, festive cake, buttercream frosting

Find it online: https://islawhite.com/winter-wonderland-cake-recipe/