Step by step homemade baking recipes
Do you want to build a snowman?
Today I’m showing you how to make a Frozen Cake, this time, with Olaf in the center of the winter wonderland cake! Previously I have shown you how to make another Frozen cake, with my niece Elsa as my helper and you can watch that video here.
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My obsession with penguins started way back, long ago. Think 2005, Morgan Freeman, Antarctica, and you have the seed that planted and grew. March of the Penguins was the first time I had ever paid much attention to these birds-that-can’t-fly, but ever since, I have spent a month or so teaching and exploring about them in my kindergarten class. They are so fascinating!
When deciding which videos to make, I always try to make ones that have a level of interest to me as well as to the viewer. When I was looking at the up coming movie releases, and saw Penguins of Madagascar, I knew I had to do a cake for their solo movie debut!
They are the cutest penguins around, but surprisingly difficult to find in mini figurine form. I’ve linked to the ones I purchased on Amazon below in the list of ingredients, though I’m sure you could find them elsewhere if you look hard enough. Now, these penguins are obviously fictional, but you could easily replace them with a more realistic looking figurine if you wanted to just do a cake that focused on penguins, or even an iceberg.
The blue rock candy represents the ocean below the iceberg, while the penguins sit safely up on the glistening white iceberg. If you don’t have the blue rock candy available, or you want to make one giant iceberg, do away with the blue area, and cover the entire lower level in white/clear candies as well. I think that would look beautiful too.
The key to this cake is getting the glistening icy look by using the rock candies. You can make your own, or you can buy them in bulk like I did. They give the cake the shininess that most people associate with icebergs. Rock candy is also sold off the stick in chunks, so that is another option as well. And if all else fails, crush some suckers up!!
This is one of my most favourite videos that I have done; the reason for that being that I got to make it with my adorable niece, Elsa! We have been inundated with requests for a Frozen themed cake since the movie came out, but I HAD to wait for Elsa to come and make it with me. I couldn’t do it without her as it’s her favourite movie, and Disney clearly named their main character after her.
Elsa is three years old, and she stood on a tiny stool for over an hour while we put this cake together. She was patient, helpful and did an amazing job for any child, never-mind one that is only three! She loved clapping along with me to sync our mics, and when the time came to decorate, or follow instructions, she was right on and eager to do it! Being that my brother and his family live in Minnesota, I don’t get to see them often. I can sure tell that he and my sister-in-law have done an amazing job raising two lovely children. It was such an honor to be able to put this cake together.
To make this cake, you have to learn how to make candy. It’s really simple, despite the fact that you need to use boiling hot, liquid sugar!! Follow my previous post and video tutorial on how to do that here.
I can’t make a video of a Frozen cake without commenting on what a great movie Frozen is. Disney did a great job with appealing to the masses, and the ages. I’m not one to watch Disney, or cartoons much anymore, but with this movie, I loved it so much that I bought it. I loved everything about it, and sang along with each song. Call me crazy. I’ll let it go.
I had never tried to make my own candy up until three weeks ago, and now, hot diggity, I’m an expert!
I was scared of the candy thermometer.
No need to be scared of it people- it is surprisingly easy! You can get away with NOT using a candy thermometer, and using the “cold water test” but I found that way unreliable.
To make your own candy you need very few ingredients- sugar, corn syrup, candy flavouring and water. You can skip the flavouring if you want, but that’s the best part! I found all of my flavours, and many more, at Bulk Barn. I know you can also find them at many online sources, while Amazon and ebay will have lots of choices for you.
The only difficulty that making homemade candy presents, is the act of patience. The liquid seems to heat up fairly quickly to 200F, and then . . . nothing. Wait, and wait, and wait while the thermometer ever so slowly climbs past 200F on it’s way to 300F! I didn’t want to leave the candy on the stove unattended, so I each time I made it, I patiently sat stirring, and watching each. and. every. notch. on. the. thermometer. rise. Once it’s up to temperature, you have to work quickly. The candy will start to harden as soon as you remove it from the heat, so you want to add your flavour and colour, and get it into the molds, or onto the pan quickly. Be careful not to touch the syrup though, as it is HOT!
Once the candy is cooled in the molds, you can easily pop them out. If you have chosen to pour it onto a pan, you can smash it up, or cut it up quite easily. Coming up at the end of this week, we will be releasing our MUCH requested Frozen cake! In order to make the Frozen cake, you need to know how to make hard candy.
