I got a little carried away with this one 🙂
But my girls have SOOOOO much fun doing it with me, it really isn’t work, it’s a fun kitchen art project.  Marshmallow fondant is super easy to work with, and is like edible playdough, so mistakes are taken care of rather quickly!
To make coloring the fondant easier, put a small amount into sandwich ziplock bags (one for each color you’ll need), then add a little gel coloring.
Massage color into fondant through the bag, this way you don’t get the coloring all over your hands, and you can close the ziplock when not in use.
You could make this a day in advance as well.
Check back tomorrow, I’ll show you a little something you can add to change this up too. 🙂

SPRING GARDEN CAKE

Carrot Cake and Cream Cheese Frosting
Marshmallow Fondant
Gel icing colors: orange, green, red, brown
Green jimmies
Crushed chocolate graham crackers

I baked my carrot cake in an 8 inch round pan, and a 9 inch square pan.
Make path dividers using folded strips of foil, then fill your “garden plots” with the “dirt” (crushed chocolate graham crackers).
Fill the path with green jimmies.  Carefully remove dividers.

Make the path stones:
Work some brown color into some fondant,  but not mixing all the way through, so as to leave some marbling.  Roll out to about 1/4 inch thick in between 2 layers of wax paper, then cut out using a small square cutter or freehand with a knife.  place along the green pathways.

make the basket:
Color some fondant light brown, and make very skinny ropes. Twist lightly together:

Then shape into a basket:

Make the carrots:
color fondant orange, then shape into carrots. Use a knife to make little marks.  Can make some as short ones since they will be “underground”:

make some stems with green fondant:

use a toothpick to push the end of the stems in:

Make radishes:
Form teardrops from red fondant, and make leaves by curling a little circle into a point on one end and inserting into rounded end of teardrop.

Make watermelons:
marble a couple shades of green and shape into ovals.  Make some coiled stems.

Make the cauliflower:
Form balls from white fondant, then add some texture to the tops.

For the cabbage leaves, indent leaf lines on small circles

Then form 3 or 4 around each cauliflower.

Fill the basket with some veg, and add a handle over the top, if desired.  Place foods in ea garden bed, then make signs with food markers on a small rectangle of white fondant, and place on a toothpick stake.  Use the full carrots and radishes for the basket, and the shorter ones to go in the dirt.

I saw this recipe in Cook’s Country magazine and knew I had to try it. Angel Food Cake is one of my favorite desserts and I’ve never heard of this variety.  Angel cakes get a bad rap in my opinion for being time consuming or difficult, but they really are easy.  You could also make this using a mix, but I really do prefer to make mine from scratch. They just taste so much better to me.  I thought this would be a wonderful Easter dessert, so I hurried to get the recipe on this morning. I hope you’ll try it, it is defenitely worth the small amount of effort it takes.

DAFFODIL CAKE (and regular Angel Food Cake)

CAKE
1 1/2 cups egg whites* (10 to 12), room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar
*6 egg yolks, reserved from above eggs (omit for regular angel food cake)
1/2 tsp orange extract (omit for regular angel food cake)

GLAZE:
2 T cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar

Sift the powdered sugar and flour together, set aside.
Put egg whites in a large bowl, add the cream of tartar and vanilla.
Beat with an electric mixer on medium to high speed till soft peaks form (tips curl).
Gradually add sugar (the granulated), about 2 T at a time, beating on medium to high speed till stiff peaks form (tips stand straight).

Sift about one-fourth of the flour mixture over the egg white mixture, then gently fold in. Repeat with remaining flour, doing one-fourth at a time.

FOR REGULAR ANGEL FOOD CAKE:
Gently pour batter evenly into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan.
Gently cut through batter with a knife.
Bake on the medium-low rack at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or till the top springs back when lightly touched.  Immediately invert the cake in pan onto a wire rack to cool completely.
When cool, Run a knife or narrow metal spatula around edge to loosen cake from pan.

FOR DAFFODIL ANGEL CAKE:
Set aside one-third batter, about 3 cups.
Gently fill ungreased tube pan with remaining batter.

Add yolks and orange extract to reserved 3 cups of batter. Gently fold in until combined.
Scrape into tube pan on top of plain batter.

Gently cut through batter with a knife.

Bake on the medium-low rack at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or till the top springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert the cake in pan onto a wire rack to cool completely.
When cool, Run a knife or narrow metal spatula around edge to loosen cake from pan.

FOR GLAZE:
Whisk cream cheese and orange juice concentrate in medium bowl until smooth.
Add confectioner’s sugar and continue whisking until no lumps remain.
Drizzle over cooled cake, letting glaze drip down sides.
Let glaze set, about 30 minutes. Serve.

VARIATION: For CHOCOLATE Angel Food Cake, Prepare a regular angel cake, but sift 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder with the flour and powdered sugar

DAFFODIL CAKE (and regular Angel Food Cake)

April 2, 2010

by Holly

Category Cake / Cake Pops Easter

Ingredients

FOR CAKE:

• 1 1/2 cups egg whites* (10 to 12), room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup sugar
• *6 egg yolks, reserved from above eggs (omit for regular angel food cake)
• 1/2 tsp orange extract (omit for regular angel food cake)

FOR GLAZE:

• 2 T cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

Instructions

1. Sift the powdered sugar and flour together, set aside.
2. Put egg whites in a large bowl, add the cream of tartar and vanilla.
3. Beat with an electric mixer on medium to high speed till soft peaks form (tips curl).
4. Gradually add sugar (the granulated), about 2 T at a time, beating on medium to high speed till stiff peaks form (tips stand straight).
5. Sift about one-fourth of the flour mixture over the egg white mixture, then gently fold in. Repeat with remaining flour, doing one-fourth at a time.

TO MAKE A REGULAR ANGEL FOOD CAKE:

1. Gently pour batter evenly into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan.
2. Gently cut through batter with a knife.
3. Bake on the medium-low rack at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or till the top springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert the cake in pan onto a wire rack to cool completely.
4. When cool, Run a knife or narrow metal spatula around edge to loosen cake from pan.

TO MAKE A DAFFODIL ANGEL CAKE:

1. Set aside one-third batter, about 3 cups.
2. Gently fill ungreased tube pan with remaining batter.
3. Add yolks and orange extract to reserved 3 cups of batter. Gently fold in until combined.
4. Scrape into tube pan on top of plain batter.
5. Gently cut through batter with a knife.
6. Bake on the medium-low rack at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or till the top springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert the cake in pan onto a wire rack to cool completely.
7. When cool, Run a knife or narrow metal spatula around edge to loosen cake from pan.

FOR GLAZE:

1. Whisk cream cheese and orange juice concentrate in medium bowl until smooth.
2. Add confectioner's sugar and continue whisking until no lumps remain.
3. Drizzle over cooled cake, letting glaze drip down sides.
4. Let glaze set, about 30 minutes. Serve.

VARIATION: For CHOCOLATE Angel Food Cake, Prepare a regular angel cake, but sift 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder with the flour and powdered sugar