Sugar Cube House Tablescape Centerpiece Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 6 by 3-inch high cake pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, butter, and milk. Using a hand mixer, beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl to be sure the batter is well incorporated. Fold the dulce de leche into the batter, but do not completely incorporate. Fill the cake pan 2/3 of the way to the top. Make cupcakes with the remaining batter. Line a muffin tin with paper liners and using an ice-cream scoop, fill the muffin tins with batter. Bake the cupcakes for 10 to 12 minutes, and the cake for 20 to 25 minutes. The tops should be golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool 10 minutes before unmolding and cooling completely on a wire rack, right side up.
• Frosting: In a mixing bowl, beat together the vanilla frosting and the dulce de leche until well incorporated. Add enough confectioners' sugar to make the frosting thick but spreadable.
• To decorate the cake, use a serrated knife to cut the top of the cake to make it flat. Adhere the cake to a 6-inch cardboard cake board, and ice the top and sides of the cake with frosting in a swirl pattern. Decorate the top with gold dragees, and the number candles. Frost the cupcakes and arrange them on a serving platter.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray each stainless bowl with nonstick cooking spray and coat lightly with flour, tapping out the excess. Put the bowls on 2 sheet trays.
• In an extra large bowl add the cake mixes with the butter and combine with a hand mixer. Add the egg whites, 1 at a time, and incorporate. Slowly add buttermilk and mix on medium until well incorporated, about 2 minutes. Fill each stainless bowl 2/3 of the way to the top with the batter. Bake until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30 to 50 minutes. (Large cake will take closer to 50 minutes, smaller cakes closer to 30 minutes.) Remove the cakes from oven and cool. When cool enough to handle, unmold and cool upside down on a wire rack. You will have 1 (9-inch), 2 (7-inch), and 2 (5-inch) cake domes. Keep any extra batter in refrigerator. Cool down pans in between baking times. If there is still excess batter, bake off cupcakes for shower favors.
• To decorate:
• For the gum paste leaves, knead and roll out the gum paste to 1/16-inch thickness. Using the leaf cutter, cut vine leaves from gum paste. Using the back end of a butter knife make leaf veins by pressing lightly into the gum paste. Repeat until you have about 80 leaves. Set out on a sheet tray lined with a wrinkled piece of plastic wrap to dry completely. (This step is best done a couple of days ahead of time.) To make loops for around the base of the cake, roll gum paste into a very thin rope. Cut into 3-inch pieces, pinch ends together to form a loop using a dab of water, if necessary, to stick ends together. Dry flat on a sheet tray. (You will need 24 (3-inch) loops for the large cake, 40 (2-inch) loops for medium cakes, and 32 (1-inch) loops for the small cakes.)
• Adhere each cake to a corresponding cake board with a dab of icing. Ice each cake in a very thin smooth layer with an offset spatula. Put in refrigerator to set up. Working with 1 cake at a time, put a second slightly thicker layer of icing on cake, being sure to clean the knife frequently to keep the icing smooth. (If icing is too loose try mixing in 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar to stiffen it a bit.) Knead the fondant to soften slightly. Using a flat surface dusted lightly with cornstarch, roll the fondant to a large (1/4-inch thick circle about 18 inches in diameter for the large cake). Lift with backsides of your hands and put over the center of iced dome cake. Using your hands lightly dusted with cornstarch, smooth fondant down and around the sides of the cake. Lift cake up and trim the excess fondant close to the cake board with kitchen shears or a paring knife. Put on a cake pedestal. Repeat until all of the cakes are covered.
• To make royal icing for the vines: In a medium bowl beat together the 2 cups confectioners' sugar, the meringue powder and the lemon juice with a hand mixer and slowly add in a little water until smooth. Continue to add water by the teaspoonful with beaters running until the icing will drop from the beaters but hold a line when drawn in with the back of a spoon. Fill a pastry bag fitted with small round tip. Pipe vines for leaves all around the cakes, using long strokes holding tip just off surface of the cake. Adhere dried gum paste leaves in groups along the vines with a small dab of royal icing. Lastly adhere the loops along the base of the cake with a small dab of royal icing as well. Put on the table in descending-size order.

Steps:

• Line 2 sheet pans with wax paper, unwrap all the fortune cookies, and pour the sanding sugar into a shallow bowl.
• In a glass bowl in the microwave, melt 1 bag of white chocolate chips in 30 second intervals, being sure to stir the chocolate frequently. When completely melted, dip half of the fortune cookies from the pointed end and the other half from the rounded end. Dip in the bowl with purple sanding sugar while still wet. Place on the wax paper-lined sheet pans and allow to set up.
• To make the royal icing, beat together the confectioners' sugar and meringue powder with the lemon juice. Slowly add in the water until smooth and thick (the icing should not be runny).
• To assemble, cover the styrofoam cone with craft paper, using tape to secure. Start on the bottom row with the cookies dipped from the rounded end. Put a dollop of royal icing on the back of a cookie and press gently against the cone. Hold for a few seconds. Repeat around the base. Allow icing to set 5 minutes before continuing to the next row. (To help secure each cookie you can also use toothpicks inserted into the cone through the fold in the middle of each cookie.) Using cookies dipped from the pointed end, adhere around the cone above the first row in the same manner. Repeat, alternating rows between cookies dipped on the rounded and pointed ends, allowing each row to set for 20 minutes in between. Don't worry if they don't line up perfectly, the spaces will be covered later with ribbon. When complete, stick 2 cookies together with icing and place on the very top. Allow to dry for a few hours.
• To finish, using purple satin ribbon, start at the top and make loops by securing into the empty spaces with the pearl-topped pins. Scatter the violets throughout, securing to the cone in the same manner. Gently place atop a cake stand in the center of your table.

Steps:

• This is a very simple technique for making an impressing centerpiece. First, design your centerpiece. I drew 3 artistic shapes onto cardboard and then cut out the shapes to make templates. Roll out the PlayDough and cut long ropes that are about an inch wide and 1/2-inch deep. Place a silpat baking mat on a baking sheet. Using the template as a guide, recreate the shape with PlayDough formed directly on the baking sheet.
• I also used concentric circles to form all of the base pieces of the centerpiece. I used 2 (12-inch) cake rings, a 10-inch ring, and an 8-inch ring. Lightly coat the inside of each ring with vegetable cooking spray. Set the rings on baking sheets covered with silpat baking mats. Now you are ready to cook the sugar.
• Place the sugar, vinegar and water in a saucepan over high heat. Insert a candy thermometer and cook until the sugar reaches 320 degrees F. Use a pastry brush to keep the inside of the saucepan clean as the sugar cooks or the sugar may recrystallize. When the sugar has cooked, add the color. I used a whisk to mix in some white color. Then, I added red but I did not mix it completely. Let the heat of the sugar mix the red.
• Immediately pour the marbled sugar inside the cake rings and inside the PlayDough forms. Allow the sugar to cool completely.
• To stick the sugar pieces together, use a blow torch. The process is using the flame to gently melt the place where the 2 pieces will be joined. I "glued" my largest upright piece to my largest circle. Make a few passes with the flame and you will see the sugar start to melt. Use that process to put all of the pieces of the centerpiece together.