Mama Baker

My sister is Penguin OBSESSED! So when we celebrated her birthday everything had to be penguin… even her cake!

This is my first 3D cake–it was a major challenge!

Shes in loooove

Huge pieces, yummmy but dense

For the cake I basically used several different pound cake recipes (all delicious). I made 8 layers out of 8′ round cake pans.

I then stacked them on top of each other with a basic cream cheese frosting in between and stuck some chopsticks in it so that it would be stable (I had no dowels). Then I carved out the shape of a penguin which was kind of similar to a bowling pin.

I covered the cake with buttercream frosting (some coloured with Wilton’s icing gel black and some left white).

Then I used some Jet Puff marshmallow spread and corn starch to make a faux-fondant to create the beak and eyes!

She really enjoyed it!

I grew up all over Canada spending a lot of my life in Toronto (Ontario), Yellowknife (Northwest Territories) and Whitehorse (Yukon). So for me Christmas was always synonymous with snow. But, when I moved to Victoria, BC that ended. For the first few Christmas’s I really missed the white stuff but now, as I have no snow gear what-so-ever, I definitely prey that we don’t get snow on the island. When snow hits Victoria the streets are basically closed, the bus’ stop, it is impossible to get a cab and the streets are deserted because no one has any snow boots or warm winter jackets to brace the cold!

But deep down inside I definitely miss the snow. This year more than every as it seems that global warming has really effected this years winter all across North America. Whistler has gotten very little snow and they have the snow machines running non-stop. This is bad news for hubs because he grew up near Whistler and is obsessed with skiing. I am not kidding folks, skiing is a huge passion of his– we are constantly watching and re-watching ski movies and have so many copies of Freeskier and Powder magazines scattered around the house.

Since the mountains aren’t getting much snow I thought I could bring the feeling of a snowy, ski filled Christmas to him.

Welcome to our winter wonderland.

First, I had to make the base of where I would construct the Ski Chalet. I made this out of rice crispy treats. I multiplied the recipe by five! It is definitely tough work moving around all that marshmallow and rice crispies.

Then I spread the rice crispy treat onto a few pieces of cardboard covered with tin foil. To create the mountains I just put heaps of rice crispy treat in the corners. Then I covered it with parchment paper and molded the mountains with my hands.

I covered the mountains with royal icing. To create the look of a real mountain I swirled some black icing gel in the icing and then just caps the mountains with some white icing.

I prepared the Ski Chalet pieces the day before. I used a very simple gingerbread recipe I got from Canadian Living magazine.
Ingredients for Gingerbread

• 1 cup (250 mL) butter, softened
• 1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup (175 mL) fancy molasses
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) cooking or blackstrap molasses
• 5-1/2 cups (1.375 L) all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp (10 mL) ground ginger
• 1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda
• 1 tsp (5 mL) salt
• 1 tsp (5 mL) ground cloves and cinnamon

Preparation for Gingerbread

In large bowl, beat butter with sugar until fluffy; beat in eggs, fancy molasses and cooking molasses.

In separate bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, baking soda, salt, cloves and cinnamon; stir into molasses mixture in 2 additions, mixing well and blending with hands, if necessary.

Divide dough into 2 discs; wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. (Make-ahead: Refrigerate for up to 1 week or overwrap with foil and freeze for up to 2 weeks.)

To make the Gingerbread Ski Chalet I also followed Canadian Living magazine instructions.

Here is the slow process of making the Ski Chalet.

The Ski chalet is standing tall!

I like these little guys.

Anyway, to do the ski lift was quite difficult. The reason why I had a rice crispy treat base was so that I could stick the candy canes into it so that they would have a base. The candy canes acted as the pillars and I used shoe string licorice as the wires. Hubs created the ski lift chair out of pretzels and we just tied it on with dental floss (it seemed it was the only was the ski lift would be able to stay put).

Of course, I tried to make the Chalet have a wooden cabin feeling to it. So I used stick pretzels to act as logs and covered them on the front of the Chalet.

Whistler is awesome but this is also a pretty sweet getaway.

Yesterday I decided I must bake something. I was sick for the past few days and knew that baking was the cure to get me out of my woes. And I don’t know about you but cinnamon buns always turn my frown upside down especially brioche cinnamon buns.

I am really surprised that I chose to make cinnamon buns because they take such a long time to make. Anyway, while I was letting the dough sit for the first time I realized I had no butter left! How can I have no butter left?! So I bundled up the baby, put her in the stroller and braced the outdoors. Now, it is always risky to go outside during the fall/winter of Coastal British Columbia– you never know if it is going to rain.  Sure enough it I got caught walking in the wind and rain.

But in the end, it was all worth it to have my yummy warm cinnamon buns with cream cheese icing.  It is heaven in bun.

Recipe for Brioche adapted from Silver Palate Cook Book

Ingredients for Brioche

• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 packages active dry yeast
• 4 tsp salt
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 8 cups unbleached all-purpose flour I used bread flour
• 2 – 3 tbs vegetable oil

Ingredients for Cinnamon filling

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup golden sugar
• 2 1/2 tbs cinnamon

Ingredients for Cream Cheese icing

• 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 tbs milk
• 2 cup icing sugar

Preparing Brioche
In a saucepan combine milk, butter, and sugar– bring to a boil. Remove from heat source and transfer into a mixing bowl. Let cool to about 105 – 115 degrees)

Stir in the active yeast and let sit for about 10 minutes. Stir in the salt. In a small bowl beat the eggs and then add them to the milk mixture. Stir in 7 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time, until you achieve a sticky dough. Flour a work surgace and turn the dough out onto it. Wash and dry the bowl.

Sprinkle additional flour over the dough and begin to knead it, adding more flour when needed until a smooth, elastic dough is achieved (about 10 minutes).

Pour 2 to 3 tbs of vegetable oil into the mixing bowl. Turn the dough in the oil to coat it well. Set the dough aside, cover with a damp towl and let it triple in bulk (about 2 hours).

Punch the dough down and turn it out on to a lightly floured surface. Knead for about two minutes. Return the dough to the bowl, cover, and let rise again until doubled (about 45 minutes).

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Roll out the brioche to form a large rectangle. Cover with softened butter.

In a small bowl add sugar and cinnamon together–blend well.

Liberally sprinkle sugar mixture on top of the brioche making sure all the dough is covered.

Roll up brioche so it forms a cylinder shape. Make about twelve cuts and place cinnamon buns on an buttered pan or in jumbo muffin tins. Let rise for till double (I didn’t do this step and mine turned out great).

Bake until golden brown, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Ice cinnamon buns right when they come out of the oven so that the icing seeps down into the cracks of them — this really makes them divine!

Prepare icing
Beat cream cheese with milk until smooth. Add icing sugar one cup at a time. If you like a sweeter icing you can add some more icing sugar but my hubs and I really like to keep the taste of cream cheese in tacked.