Penguin Cake with Amazing Vanilla Frosting

| Dessert

Penguin Cake

Penguin Cake

It was snow much fun making this Winter Onederland to celebrate my nephew Miles’ first birthday!  I was a little nervous with my friend Tim coming to join in the cake decorating fun, because let’s be honest, there is really only room for one chef in the kitchen, especially one as small as mine!  It turns out… we actually work pretty well together!  I think this cake adventure was even disaster free.

With every cake adventure I seem to learn a few good cake decorating tips:

  1. Definitely apply a thin crumb coat to your cake before icing, especially with white icing.  I recommend refrigerating the cake for 15-20 minutes after applying the crumb coat, to provide time for the icing to set.
  2. Sugar cubes are amazing for winter wonderlands: ice blocks, igloos, snow, the opportunities are endless!
  3. Insert a toothpick in fondant figures to secure the figures in place on top of a cake.
  4. In order to minimize the mess, add sprinkles immediately after icing before the icing has opportunity to set.

Confession of a *wannabe* foodie….. While I always make homemade icing, I occasionally , okay frequently,cheat on the cake and filling, if I am decorating a cake.   Before I started decorating cakes, I had no idea you could buy pudding in cans, but it turns out that canned pudding is pretty fantastic as a cake filling.

Amazing Vanilla Icing
adapted from My Baking Addiction
3 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons of vanilla or seeds from 1 vanilla bean
2 more teaspoons of vanilla
6-7 cups powdered sugar
5-6 Tablespoons of heavy whipping cream

In a large mixing bowl, add the butter and mix on medium speed until creamy and smooth.  Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla or the seeds of 1 vanilla bean and continue to mix until thoroughly combined.

Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time; blend completely after the addition of each cup.  Add the additional 2 teaspoons of vanilla and continue to mix.

With a whisk attachment, mix in the heaving whipping cream one Tablespoon at a time, at medium speed.  Increase the speed to high and beat until fight and fluffy.  Continue to add heavy whipping cream until you reach the desired consistency.

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