Family Tree Cake

Makes: 20 servings at 50o each (without decorations). Prep: 30 minutes. Bake: at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Decorate: 1 hour.

from Family Circle

Family Tree Cake
Servings: 20 Prep 1 hr Bake 375°F 30 mins

Ingredients

Cake:
  • Cake:
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon orange extract
  • Grated rind of 1 large orange
  • 1 cup milk
Frosting:
  • Frosting:
  • 6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • 6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 teaspoon orange extract
  • 1 cup confectioners sugar
  • 3 tablespoons orange juice
Royal Icing:
  • Royal Icing:
  • 2 cups confectioners sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons powdered egg whites (see Note)
  • 3 tablespoons water
Cookies:
  • Cookies:
  • 1 package refrigerated sugar-cookie dough
  • Blue, green, brown and red soft gel paste food colorings (see Note)

Make It

Make Cake:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Line bottom with waxed paper; coat paper with spray.

2. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt into large bowl. Beat together butter and sugar in second large bowl on medium speed until smooth and creamy, 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in vanilla extract, orange extract and orange rind. In 3 additions, beat into butter mixture the flour mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with flour. Pour into prepared pan.

3. Bake in 375 degrees F oven 30 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched with finger and wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack 15 minutes. Run knife around edge of pan. Gently turn cake out onto wire rack; cool. Remove waxed paper.

Make Frosting:

4. Beat together butter and cream cheese in bowl until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla and orange extracts, sugar and juice; beat until smooth, about 5 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap until ready to use.

Make Royal Icing:

5. Mix together confectioners sugar, powdered egg whites and water in bowl. Beat on high speed for 5 to 6 minutes or until very smooth and shiny. Cover with plastic wrap pressed firmly on surface of icing until ready to use.

For Cookies:

6. Roll out cookie dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Using 1-inch cutters, cut into small leaf shapes, about 29, and apple shapes, about 31. Bake according to package directions. Let cool completely on wire rack.

To Decorate Cake:

7. Tint 1/2 cup frosting sky blue. Tint 1/2 cup frosting grass green; spoon into small pastry bag fitted with coupler and grass or multi-hole tip. Tint 1/2 cup frosting brown; spoon into another small pastry bag fitted with coupler and small round tip. Spoon 1/2 cup plain frosting into pastry bag fitted with coupler and small star tip. Place cake on cutting board, with short side facing you. With remaining plain frosting, frost top and sides of cake. Sky: Spread blue frosting over white frosting, starting at top of cake and working down to about 3 inches from bottom. Grass: Using green frosting, pipe grass, starting at point where blue sky ends and moving to bottom of cake. Tree: Using wooden pick, trace tree trunk and branches, starting at top of grass . Using brown frosting, trace outline of trunk and branches . Fill in with frosting, creating bark effect.

To decorate Cookies:

8. Using pastry bag with plain frosting and fitted with small star tip, pipe border along top edge of cake.

9. Place about 1/2 cup Royal Icing in pastry bag fitted with coupler and small round tip. If necessary, add additional 1 to 2 tablespoons water to remaining Royal Icing for good spreading consistency. Tint 1/2 cup of thinned icing leaf green, and 1/2 cup apple red. Spread thin coating of green icing over leaf cookies, about 1/2 teaspoon each; do same with red icing for apple cookies. Let dry.

10. Using Royal Icing in pastry bag fitted with plain tip, write desired names on cookies. (We wrote names of adults on leaves, and names of children on apples). Let dry. Arrange cookies in family groups on branches. Use dab of icing as glue. Snack on leftover cookies.

Nutrition Facts

Servings Per Recipe: 20; Amount Per Serving: cal. (kcal): 439, Fat, total (g): 17, chol. (mg): 88, sat. fat (g): 10, carb. (g): 68, fiber (g): 1, pro. (g): 4, sodium (mg): 157, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
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