Little Christmas tree cakes

19/12/2011
Tweet
0 Comments

Average:

2,228 Reads

Adapted from Usborne Activities Christmas Cooking book

Thanks to Finnian, aged 10, for baking & decorating them!

We thought that this recipe would make a good alternative to a traditional Christmas fruit cake. It is easy enough for older kids to make and fun for younger ones to decorate. They might even make a nice present for someone.

Makes 10 trees and 16 presents

Ingredients for sponge:

275g (9½ oz) self-raising flour

225g (8oz) soft margarine

4 tbsps milk

1 level tsp baking powder

225g (8oz) caster sugar

2/3 drops vanilla essence

4 medium eggs

Ingredients for butter icing:

75g (3oz) butter, softened

175g (6oz) icing sugar

2 tsps lemon juice

food colouring - green for the trees & others for the presents

sweets for decorating & chocolate for the tree trunks

Materials needed:

Rectangular roasting/baking tin

Greaseproof paper

Cooking oil for wiping tin

1 Large & 1 small glass/mixing bowl

Sieve

Wooden spoon

Heat the oven to 180°C, 350°F, gas mark 4, before you start.

1. Draw around the tin on the greaseproof paper and cut out the shape. Wipe oil inside the tin and put the paper into it and oil the paper.

2. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the baking powder, margarine, sugar, milk and vanilla essence.

3. Break the eggs into a small bowl and beat with a fork/whisk. Add them to the flour mixture. Beat everything together well.

4. Spoon the mixture into the tin and smooth the top. Bake it in the oven for 40-45 minutes.

The cake should be springy when you press it. Leave the cake in the tin to cool.

5. Put the butter into a bowl. Beat it with a wooden spoon until it is creamy.

6. Sift in the icing sugar and stir it in, a little at a time. Then stir in the lemon juice. Put ¾ of the icing in a bowl and mix in a little green food colouring. Add more colouring a drop at a time for a stronger colour.

7. Divide the rest of the icing into 3 bowls and add a drop of food colouring into each one.

8. Cut a strip 7cm (3 inches) wide from one end of the cake. Cut it into 16 small squares and then cut the rest of the cake in half along its length.

9. Cut out 10 triangles. Ice them with the green icing. Ice the presents with the other icing. Press sweets onto the cakes and make the tree trunks from chocolate bars.

Add Comment

Please note: unless you chose a username when registering at MyKidsTime.ie (this was not possible on our old website), your username is your email address. To retain your anonymity, you should update your username before posting comments on the site. Click the Profile button at the top of the page to edit your profile and update your username.

Your name: *

E-mail: *

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.

Homepage:

Comment: *

Input format

Full HTML

Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
Lines and paragraphs break automatically.

Filtered HTML

Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd>

More information about formatting options

Enter the code above: *

Enter the code without spaces and pay attention to upper/lower case.

Discover Ireland Win a family break

School Tours Around Ireland

Mykidstime Gold Star Awards

Dress My Home is Irelands newest on-line home accessories store

DressMyHome.ie is Irelands newest on-line home accessories store selling a delightful range of products for your home. The style of our products varies from shabby chic, country kitchen to contemporary suiting all tastes. Like our page on facebook and avail of exclusive discounts.