Rock Candy Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Cover cake in smooth layers of fondant.
• Cut the geode shape out of the side of the cake.
• Spread buttercream frosting all along the inside of the cut.
• Mix alcohol with food coloring until it reaches the desired shade of gray.
• Paint a thin dark line around the edge of the cut.
• Apply a row of piping gel in the center of the cut.
• Press rock candy into the piping gel, starting with the darkest shade.
• Continue laying out rows of piping gel and pressing in the rock candy, applying lighter colors and smaller pieces as you move farther out toward the edge of the cut.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Line two 13x9-in. baking pans with waxed paper and grease the paper. Prepare cake batter; pour into prepared pans. Bake according to package directions. Cool for 15 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely; remove waxed paper. , Level tops of cakes; place side by side on a covered board. Frost top and sides of cake with vanilla frosting; mist with food color spray if desired., With Candy Land game board as your guide, form a path using Starburst candies. With the chocolate bar and chocolate kisses, make an arrow; pipe "Start" on the arrow with vanilla frosting. , For forests, add peanut butter cups topped with piped chocolate frosting, chocolate jimmies, gumdrops, Dum Dum Pops, candy canes and rock candy., For castle, pipe vanilla frosting into ice cream cones. Garnish with Dots and sprinkles., Between the pathways, add green colored sugar, sprinkles, miniature marshmallows, peppermints and conversation hearts. Pipe additional frosting to fill in spaces; top with sprinkles. , Pipe vanilla frosting around base of cake; place peppermints around top edge of cake.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Place foil or paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.
• In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Fold in 1/4 cup candy. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling about two-thirds full.
• Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Lightly frost cupcakes with frosting. Pour 18 pouches candy onto small plates (use separate plates for each color or mix colors together); roll frosted cupcakes in candy.

Steps:

• Trim the cakes to make them level. Working on a turntable, stack the 6-inch cakes on a cardboard round, spreading the buttercream between them with an offset spatula. Stack the 8-inch cakes the same way on an 8-inch round.
• Cover each layer cake with a thin layer of buttercream (this is the crumb coat), smoothing it with a bench scraper. Refrigerate until firm, 1 hour. Cover with more buttercream; chill overnight. (Reserve 1/2 cup buttercream for step 4.)
• Add the geode to the 6-inch layer cake: Using a paring knife, carve out an irregular piece from the side of the cake. Be careful not to cut deeper than one-third of the diameter of the cake in order to maintain the cake's structure.
• Frost the inside of the cutout, then gently add the rock candy. (Don't press too hard or the frosting will ooze out.) Using a spoon, sprinkle sanding sugar around the edges of the cutout to fill in any gaps.
• Dilute a few drops of food coloring with a splash of vodka or lemon extract. (Test your color on some spare rock candy.) Using a paintbrush, paint the center of the geode in an irregular shape; do not oversaturate.
• Add a few more drops of vodka or extract to dilute the remaining food coloring; apply the lighter color around the dark center of the geode. Continue diluting the food coloring; paint outward until all the rock candy is covered.
• Mix a few pinches of silver luster dust with a few drops of vodka or lemon extract. With a clean brush, paint the edges of the geode silver, then apply the gold leaf around the silver paint in spots.
• Decorate the 8-inch cake, placing the geode on a different part of the cake. Insert skewers into the 8-inch cake, cutting them level to the top, then carefully add the 6-inch cake on top so the cardboard round rests flat on the skewers.

Steps:

• Punch holes at the top edge of a thin 8-inch square pan so that you will be able to lace 7 strings from one side of the pan to the other. Place the laced pan in a pan deep enough to catch any leaking syrup.
• Dissolve 2 1/2 cups of sugar in 1 cup water and cook without stirring to the hard-ball stage, 247 degrees to 252 degrees. Pour the syrup into the laced pan. It should reach a level about 3/4-inch above the strings. Cover the surface with a piece of foil.
• Watch and wait. The syrup may take as long as a week to crystallize.
• Lift out the laced pan. Cut the strings and dislodge the rock candy. Rinse quickly under cold water and put on racks to dry in a very low-temperature oven.

Steps:

• Line a 15x10x1-in. pan with foil; butter the foil and set aside. In a large heavy saucepan, combine water, sugar, corn syrup and food coloring. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cover and cook for 3 minutes to dissolve sugar crystals. , Uncover; cook on medium-high heat, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reads 300° (hard-crack stage), about 25 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in cinnamon oil (keep face away from mixture as oil is very strong). Immediately pour onto prepared pan. Cool completely, about 45 minutes. , Break the candy into pieces using the edge of a metal mallet. Sprinkle both sides of candy with confectioners' sugar. Store in airtight container.

Steps:

• SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:.
• 4-inch round cutter, pastry bag, 1-inch round pastry tip, candy thermometer, large offset spatula and small paintbrush.
• MAKE THE CAKE:.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line 4 (8-inch) cake pans with parchment paper and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
• In a large bowl, stir together cake mixes, eggs, water and oil until thoroughly combined.
• Evenly divide batter between the prepared cake pans. Bake for about 35 minutes until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Set aside to cool.
• Once completely cooled, remove from pans. Use a serrated knife to level off the domed tops of the cakes.
• In a large bowl, place the contents of the cans of frosting. Add purple food coloring until the desired color is reached and mix until fully incorporated. Fit piping bag with a large round tip. Add purple frosting.
• Attach one cake layer to a cake board with a dollop of frosting. Place a 4-inch circle cookie cutter in the center of the cake and fully frost around it, leaving the area inside the cookie cutter.
• Then, use the cookie cutter to cut out a center hole in the middle of the next two layers.
• Place a layer on top of the first, frost the ring of cake, then place the next cut layer on top.
• Fill the center cavity of the cake with a mix of galaxy sprinkles, M&Ms, rock candy and Pop Rocks.
• Add a final layer of frosting around the cake ring and attach the last cake layer upside down.
• Frost the top and sides of the cake with a thin, even layer of frosting to trap in any crumbs.
• Chill cake, uncovered, in a fridge for 30 minutes.
• Once chilled, add a 1/2-inch layer of frosting around the entire cake with the remaining frosting. Smooth the tops and sides of the cake. Make sure top coat is straight and level. The smoother the coat of frosting, the better the mirror glaze will adhere.
• Chill in fridge 1 hour.
• MAKE THE GLAZE:.
• Place white chocolate chips in a large bowl. Set aside.
• Whisk together 1/3 cup cold water and gelatin in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside.
• In a small pot over medium-high heat, stir together 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons water, sugar and corn syrup. Bring to a boil.
• Remove from heat and whisk in gelatin. Mix until smooth. Add condensed milk and mix until combined.
• Pour mixture over white chocolate chips. Whisk until smooth.
• Stir occasionally while the mixture cools to 95 degrees F, using a candy thermometer.
• Take out 3/4 cup of the mixture and divide between 3 bowls.
• Color the large portion navy blue. Color the three smaller portions light blue, magenta and purple.
• Place cake on an upside bowl glass or cake pan set on a parchment-lined baking sheet. The diameter of the glass or pan should be smaller than the diameter of the cake.
• Once the temperature of the glazes reaches 90 degrees F, pour the dark blue glaze all over the cake. The excess glaze will run down the sides of the cake and into the pan.
• Using a spoon, create streaks across the cake with the light blue, magenta, and purple glazes.
• Gently glide a large offset spatula across the top of the cake to smooth the top and create a marbled effect. Let the excess glaze drip off.
• Use a small paint brush to splatter glitter all over the cake, then sprinkle with silver stars.
• Once the glaze has set, about 20 minutes, cut off the excess glaze drips.
• Cake can be stored, covered, for up to 5 days in the fridge.