Tea Time Treats, Chocolate & Little Spiced Chocolate Christmas Tree Cakes Recipe
Tea Time Treats, Chocolate and
Little Spiced Chocolate Christmas Tree Cakes Recipe
Little Spiced Chocolate Christmas Tree Cakes Recipe
I have been playing in the kitchen, now and then the urge to makechildlikecakes and bakes takes over, and I need to be immersed in piping bags, edible glitter and lovely little cake decorations. There needs to be rich chocolate in the air and fairy gold dust on the table……there must also beexoticspices and warm vanilla fragrances and cake cases must be gold, silver or bright red foil. Noses must be wearing icing sugar and fingers must be laced withlick-ablebuttercream, it’s an elemental requirement for anyChristmas baking. There must be garish food colourings and boxes of tree decorations to hand, the small edible tree decorations kind that is,notthe big snowy spruce trees that I so love to view from my kitchenwindow. TheseLittle Spiced Chocolate Christmas Tree Cakes are frivolous in looks but deliciously spiced and quite grown up in taste, proving the age-old adage to neverjudgea Christmas Tree cake by it’s sparkly sprinkles,orsomethinglikethat………
Snow Covered Magical Christmas Tree
…….so, whilst I gaze out of my Jack Frost painted window and wonder at the wintry scene outside, as well as admire the snow-covered magical outdoor Christmas spruce trees, I can be munching on spiced chocolate cake with sweet vanilla icing, crunching on stars and little lustred pearls, it’s a pleasurable occupation that I need toimmersemyself in now and then. These littleSpiced Chocolate Christmas Tree Cakes have lit up many a glum face at my festive table, and they make fabulous gifts too……just pophalfa dozen in a box with asuitably bright and brash bow and give them to family and friends – make it a new tradition, that small Christmas trees can be cakes and can be presented in dozens in boxes. (Don’t forget to make a Baker’s Dozen too, so that the thirteenth cake can be devoured by the cook in the kitchen….)
Spiced Chocolate Christmas Tree Cakes
These little cakes are my offering for Tea Time Treats this December, which, is a monthly baking challenge run by myself and Kate over at What Kate Baked, where the current challenge has been posted…….and the theme for the festive month is quite sensibly CHOCOLATE! But, cunning she fox that I am, I realise that these little cakes will also fit VERY nicely into TWO more baking and cooking challenges. We Should Cocoa, where the ingredient is Cinnamon this month and is hosted by Choclette, and also One Ingredient, where the ingredient is Ginger and is hosted by Nazima thismonthwithLaurasupportinginthe wings……hence mekillingthree challenges with ONE very well dressed cake!
Little Spiced Chocolate Christmas Tree Cakes
I hope youenjoythese little cakes as much as we did, that’s the BIG kids in my family, as well as childish friends too, who suggestedIbake a whole Christmas scene…..the recipe, as always, is shared below and please do let me know if you make these, they are delightful little festive morsels, as well as being pretty and also just a little bit kitsch. My Advent Calender window for the 11th of December has been opened, see below..,,….time is certainly rolling on quite rapidly now for the big day, but do try to take time out of a busy day for a cup of something hot with a cake. Bye for now, see you later with MORE festive recipes as well as some handy stand-by recipes to make when time has run away……..Karen
Little Spiced Chocolate Christmas Tree Cakes Recipe
Day Eleven on the Advent Calender:
11th December:
Gold Star for top of the Christmas Tree
Little Spiced Chocolate Christmas Tree Cakes Recipe
Little Spiced Chocolate Christmas Tree Cakes
Print recipe
| Serves | 12 Christmas Tree Cakes |
| Prep time | 15 minutes |
| Cook time | 30 minutes |
| Total time | 45 minutes |
| Allergy | Egg, Milk, Wheat |
| Dietary | Vegetarian |
| Meal type | Dessert, Side Dish, Snack |
| Misc | Child Friendly, Freezable, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold |
| Occasion | Birthday Party, Casual Party, Christmas, Formal Party |
| Region | British |
| By author | Karen S Burns-Booth |
These delightful little Spiced Chocolate Christmas Tree Cakes will bring a smile to the faces of all who see and eat them! Lightly spiced chocolate cakes are decorated with vanilla buttercream to look like mini Christmas Trees, and are suitably decorated with stars and edible lustred pearls. The cakes can me made ahead of time and then frozen before decorating nearer the time or on the day. These also make wonderful and fun gifts for family and friends - just pop them in a cake box and add a BIG ribbon for BIG smiles!
Ingredients
Cakes
- 100 g (4 oz)butter or margarine (I sometimes use Stork margarine)
- 200 g (7 oz) caster sugar
- 50 g (2 oz) dark chocolate
- 2 medium eggs
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 175 g (6 oz) Self Raising Flour
- 120 ml (8 tbsp) milk
Buttercream
- 100 g (4oz) butter or margarine
- 225 g (8 oz) sieved icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- green food colouring
Decorations
- edible gold stars
- edible lustred pearls
- Edible green or gold glitter
Note
These delightful little Spiced Chocolate Christmas Tree Cakes will bring a smile to the faces of all who see and eat them! Lightly spiced chocolate cakes are decorated with vanilla buttercream to look like mini Christmas Trees, and are suitably decorated with stars and edible lustred pearls. The cakes can me made ahead of time and then frozen before decorating nearer the time or on the day. These also make wonderful and fun gifts for family and friends - just pop them in a cake box and add a BIG ribbon for BIG smiles!
Directions
| Step 1 | Heat oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4. Grease a 12 hole muffin tray or line with paper or foil cases. |
| Step 2 | Cakes: Cream margarine/butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Blend in melted chocolate and eggs. |
| Step 3 | Sieve salt, spices and flour and stir in alternately with the milk. |
| Step 4 | Divide the mixture between the prepared cake/muffin cases and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until well risen and cooked. Allow to cool for a few minutes in the tin before taking out and leaving to go cold on a wire rack before decorating. |
| Step 5 | Buttercream: Cream fat, gradually add icing sugar and cream together, then add the vanilla and colouring. |
| Step 6 | Decorating: Using a piping bag with a large star shape nozzle, pipe the green butter cream on top of the cold cakes as seen in the photos, like a mini tree. |
| Step 7 | Place a gold star on top and sprinkle the pearls over the trees....adding some edible glitter to a final flourish too! |
| Step 8 | Arrange on a cake stand and store excess cakes in an airtight container for up top 4 days. |
Little Spiced Chocolate Christmas Tree Cakes Recipe
A Christmas Tree! A Christmas Tree!
A Christmas tree! A Christmas tree!
With dark green needled memories
Of childhood dreams and mysteries
Wrapped present-like in front of me.
A Christmas tree! A Christmas tree!
I glimpse a past wherein i see
The child that then grew into me
Not forward fast but haltingly.
A Christmas tree! A Christmas tree!
A time for being with family
A time that’s gone so fleetingly
Yet lives for always deep in me.
A Christmas tree! A Christmas tree!
When twelfth night comes whole hauntingly
One lingered look and then i see
No Christmas tree where it would be.
A Christmas tree! A Christmas tree!
With feelings now felt longingly
No corner in my house to see
The magic of that Christmas tree.
David Keig
Spiced Chocolate Christmas Tree Cakes
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