Best Winter Cake Recipes

WINTER SPICE CAKE WITH CARAMELIZED APPLE TOPPING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with nonstick spray. Line bottom with foil; spray foil. Wrap outside of pan with foil.
• Melt 3 tablespoons butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Sauté apples until almost tender and beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons sugar. Increase heat to high and toss until sugar melts and apples are deep brown, about 4 minutes. Pour apple mixture onto large plate (do not clean skillet).
• Melt 4 tablespoons butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3/4 cup sugar and cook until mixture is deep golden brown, stirring often, about 7 minutes (mixture will be grainy). Add cream and vinegar (do not stir). Cover skillet, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer without stirring until most of caramel bits dissolve, about 8 minutes. Uncover and whisk until sauce is slightly thick, deep brown and reduced to generous 1 cup, about 3 minutes longer. Pour caramel sauce into small saucepan.
• Spread 3 tablespoons caramel sauce over bottom of prepared pan. Arrange apple wedges side by side, rounded side down, in caramel in 2 concentric circles. Sift flour and next 6 ingredients into bowl. Beat 6 tablespoons butter and 1 cup sugar in large bowl to blend (mixture will be grainy). Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then vanilla and 1/4 cup caramel sauce. Beat in half of dry ingredients, then sour cream, then remaining dry ingredients.
• Spoon batter evenly over apples. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool cake in pan 5 minutes.
• Cut around cake; remove pan sides. Cool cake 15 minutes longer. Place platter atop cake; invert cake onto platter. Remove pan bottom and foil. Replace any dislodged apples. Rewarm remaining caramel sauce. Serve cake warm or at room temperature with sauce.

WARM WINTER LEMON CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350ºF.
• Prepare cake batter as directed on package; pour into 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.
• Beat dry pudding mixes, granulated sugar, milk and water with whisk 2 min.; pour over batter in dish. Place baking dish on rimmed baking sheet. (Baking sheet will catch any sauce that might bubble over sides of dish as dessert bakes.)
• Bake 55 min. to 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 20 min. (Sauce will thicken slightly as it cools.) Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve warm.

WINTER TREE STUMP CAKE

Steps:

• For the tree stump cake: Put about 1/2 cup of the buttercream frosting into a bowl and dye it to look like the inside of a tree stump (a few drops of yellow and brown food dye). Spread a thin layer of the colored buttercream onto the top of your prepared 6-inch cake and smooth out into a flat layer. Using a cake comb in a clockwise motion, create concentric circles on the top of the cake to represent the rings of a tree.
• Dust the bench with cornstarch and roll out the dark chocolate modeling chocolate so it is approximately 1/2 inch taller than the height of your cake and at least 20 inches long. The modeling chocolate should be kept fairly thick, approximately 1/2-inch.
• Using the sculpting tools, start texturing the modeling chocolate with scrapes, lines, divets, etc.
• After it is textured, trim the bottom edge so that you have a straight line. Wrap the modeling chocolate around the outside of the iced cake.
• For the cardinal: Roll some of the red modeling chocolate into a ball a little larger than a golf ball. Rolling one end between two hands, taper the ball to a teardrop shape. The pointed end of the teardrop will be the head. Pinch the top of the head and pull backward to make the tuft of feathers on the cardinal's head. With a rolling pin, flatten the remaining red modeling chocolate to 1/8-to-1/4-inch thick. Cut out 3 teardrop shapes about 2 inches long using either a craft knife or a teardrop-shaped cookie cutter. These will be the wings and tail.
• Dampen one side of each wing with a drop of water and stick them to the sides of the body. Do the same with the tail and stick it to the back. Use a tool to add feather details to the wings and tail if desired.
• Using a rolling pin, roll out a small amount of black modeling chocolate to about 1/8-inch thick. Cut it into a diamond shape to make the black part of the cardinal's face. Dampen one side of the black chocolate and stick it to the face area of the cardinal. Use the dragees for eyes. (If you don't have dragees roll 2 small balls of black modeling chocolate with your hands to about 1/4-inch diameter. Stick them to the cardinal's head.)
• Using ivory modeling chocolate, make a teardrop shape about 1/2-inch long. Stick it to the cardinal between its eyes to form a beak. Use a sculpting tool or a butter knife to add the mouth detail to the beak.
• For the mouse: Choose a modeling chocolate color for your mouse - white, tan, grey, brown or a more fanciful color. Roll some of the mouse color modeling chocolate into 2 balls; 1 about the size of a golf ball, the other a little smaller. Dampen a small area of each ball with water and stick them together. These will form the head and body of the mouse. The larger ball is the body.
• Roll 2 balls of mouse color modeling chocolate about the size of peas and stick them to the front of the mouse's head. Roll a small tube, 1/4-to-1/2-inch long and lay it between and on top of the 2 small balls. This will be the nose part of the mouse's muzzle.
• Roll 2 tubes of the mouse color modeling chocolate about 1-inch long each for the mouse's forelegs. Attach them to the side of the body and head.
• Roll 2 small balls of the mouse color modeling chocolate about the size of grapes and partially flatten them. These will be the haunches of the mouse's back legs. Attach them to the rear of the body on either side.
• Make the mouse's 4 paws by rolling 4 balls out of pink modeling chocolate about 1/2-inch in diameter. Attach them to the ends of the forelegs and the front of the haunches. Use a sculpting tool or knife to add toe details to the paws.
• Roll a very small ball of pink modeling chocolate and apply it to the tip of the nose.
• Roll a "snake" of pink modeling chocolate between your hands for the tail and attach it to the mouse's behind.
• Using a rolling pin, flatten out some pink modeling chocolate and some mouse color modeling chocolate. Using a 3/4-inch cookie cutter, cut 2 circles of each color. Dampen the backs of each pink circle and attach them to the mouse colored chocolate circles. These will be the mouse's ears. Attach them to the mouse's head.
• Attach a very small piece of white or ivory modeling chocolate to the underside of the mouse's muzzle to make the protruding incisors.
• For the mouse's eyes, use the dragees. (If you don't have dragees roll 2 small balls of black modeling chocolate with your hands to about 1/4-inch diameter. Stick them to the mouse's head.)
• Add your sculptures to the cake.
• Use the extra buttercream to add a snow effect to the top of the trunk and the board or plate your cake is on. Accent the snow with some clear crystal sugar.

WINTER SPICE CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE TREES

Steps:

• MAKE THE CAKE Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Oil and line the base and sides of three 20cm cake tins with baking parchment - if your cake tins are quite shallow, line the sides to a depth of at least 5cm.
• Mix the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, sugar, mixed spice and salt in a bowl.
• Whisk the buttermilk, oil, vanilla extract and 75ml water with the eggs until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until well combined. Scoop about a third of the cake mixture into a tin. If using, mix the food colouring into the remaining batter and divide this between the other tins. Bake for 25-30 mins, or until the cakes have risen and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Cool in the tins for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack, peel off the parchment and cool. The sponges will keep, wrapped tightly in cling film, for three days, or wrap and freeze for up to two months.
• NOW MAKE THE ICING Beat the butter with half the icing sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add the remaining icing sugar and the cream cheese, and beat again until combined - don't overmix or the icing may become runny.
• NEXT, ASSEMBLE THE CAKE Put one of the red sponges on a cake stand or cake board, sticking it down with a small blob of icing. Sandwich with the gold sponge, being generous with the icing. Top with more icing and the final red sponge, flat-side up. When assembled, use a palette knife to cover the entire cake with a thin layer of the icing, filling any gaps between sponges, but don't worry about completely covering the sponges at this stage. This is called a crumb coat and ensures that your final layer is crumb-free. Make space in the fridge and chill for 30 mins to allow the icing to firm up.
• MAKE THE CHOCOLATE TREES Melt the white chocolate in the microwave, or in a small bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir in a spot of green food colouring gel if you want to make them green. Transfer to a piping bag and leave to firm up for a few mins (this will make the trees thicker). Line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Snip off the end of the piping bag and quickly pipe the chocolate backwards and forwards in thin lines to create little Christmas trees (ours were 7-10cm tall).
• Decorate with sprinkles and chill until you're ready to decorate the cake.
• ICE THE CAKE Once the crumb coat is chilled, use the remaining icing to completely cover the cake. This is easiest if you pile the icing on top of the cake, then use a palette knife to ease it over the edge and down the sides. You can make it as smooth or as rough as you like. Chill for another 30 mins.
• Meanwhile, for the chocolate drip, melt the white chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of lightly simmering water or in the microwave in short bursts. Pour into a disposable piping bag and set aside to firm up a little - you want it to be pourable but not too runny.
• Remove the cake from the fridge. If you like, you can use an edible gold spray to cover the surface in a thin layer of shimmer. When the white chocolate is the correct consistency, snip off the end of the piping bag and pipe drizzles down the side of the cake. Fill in the top with the remaining chocolate. Push them into the white chocolate topping before it sets.

WINTER FRUIT COFFEE CAKE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, soak the raisins in brandy for 1 hour. , In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. With clean hands, work butter into sugar mixture until well combined. Add pecans. Refrigerate for 15 minutes., Meanwhile, in a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream. Fold in the apple, pear and raisins (do not drain raisins). Pour into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish., Sprinkle with topping., Bake at 350° for 28-32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

WINTER SNOW CAKE

Steps:

• Cream shortening and sugar. Add vanilla. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
• Beat often each addition. Go outside and get in snow; fold in snow.
• Bake in greased and floured 8 inch square pan, at 350°F for 30 minutes or until pick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Cool in pan.
• Frost with favorite icing.

WINTER FRUIT AND NUT CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F (350°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease or spray bottom only of 13x9-inch pan. In medium bowl, toss dates, cranberries and 1/2 cup pecans with 1/4 cup cake mix. In large bowl, beat remaining cake mix, pumpkin pie spice, water, oil, eggs and applesauce with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes. Stir in date mixture. Spread in pan.
• Bake 34 to 39 minutes (37 to 43 minutes for dark or nonstick) or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix butter, brown sugar, 3/4 cup pecans and the milk. Spread over top of warm cake.
• Set oven control to broil. Broil cake with top 4 inches from heat about 1 minute or until bubbly. (Watch carefully to prevent burning.) Cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours. Store loosely covered.

WARM WINTER LEMON CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
• Prepare cake mix as directed on package.
• Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Pour milk and water into a large bowl. Add dry pudding mixes and granulated sugar.
• Beat with a wire whisk 2 minutes or until well blended.
• Pour over cake batter in dish.
• Place baking dish on baking sheet to catch drippings as mixture does bubble.
• Bake 55 minutes to 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Cool in pan 20 minutes. (Mixture will thicken slightly as it cools).
• Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
• Spoon into serving dishes. Serve warm. Garnish with raspberries if desired.

NADIA'S MORNING COFFEE CAKE WITH WINTER FRUITS

Steps:

• Turn on the oven to 375°.
• Choose a mixing bowl that can subsequently contain all the ingredients. Put in the eggs and sugar and beat them until they are foamy and form yellow ribbons.
• Add the salt, olive oil, and grated orange peel - making sure you haven't grated any of the bitter white pith beneath the orange skin - and mix thoroughly.
• Peel all the fruit. Core the pear and apple and cut them into thin 1/2-inch pieces. Slice the banana very thin. Put the fruit into a separate bowl and toss with the lemon juice.
• Combine the flour and baking powder and mix them into the beaten eggs, incorporating them thoroughly.
• Add the fruit to the bowl with the eggs and flour, mixing well to distribute it evenly.
• Smear the bottom and sides of the springform pan with butter, then pour into it the fruit batter. Level off by shaking the pan from side to side; do not press down on the batter.
• Bake on the middle level of the preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes, until the top of the cake becomes colored a light gold.

WARM WINTER LEMON CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Prepare cake mix as directed on package with one egg and 1/2 cup water. Pour batter into greased 8 inch pan.
• Pour milk and water into bowl and add dry pudding mix and sugar. Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes or until well blended.
• Pour over cake batter in dish (do not stir) and place on baking sheet to catch drippings.
• Bake 30-35 minutes until toothpick comes out clean .
• Cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

WARM WINTER LEMON CAKE

Steps:

• 1. HEAT oven to 350ºF.
• 2. PREPARE cake batter as directed on package; pour into greased 13x9-inch baking dish.
• 3. BEAT dry pudding mixes, granulated sugar, milk and water with whisk 2 min.; pour over batter in dish. Place baking dish on baking sheet. (Baking sheet will catch any sauce that might bubble over sides of dish as dessert bakes.)
• 4. BAKE 55 min. to 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 20 min. (Sauce will thicken slightly as it cools.) Sprinkle with powdered sugar. May top with raspberries if desired. Serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers.

WINTER-WHITE FRUIT CAKE RECIPE - (4.3/5)

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 12-cup fluted tube pan or 10-inch tube pan. Prepare cake batter as directed on package; blend in dry pudding mix and extract. Reserve 2 each red and green cherries for garnish. Remove stems, if necessary, from remaining cherries; rinse, then pat dry. Cut cherries into quarters. Stir into cake batter along with the nut mix. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 33 to 36 min. or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 min. Loosen cake from sides of pan with knife. Invert cake onto wire rack; gently remove pan. Cool cake completely. Beat cream cheese and milk in medium bowl with mixer until blended. Gradually beat in sugar. Drizzle over cake. Garnish with reserved cherries.

MARY'S WINTER FRUIT CAKE

Steps:

• Mix fruit cocktail, flour, sugar, eggs, salt and baking soda. Pour into a greased 9x13" pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees.
• While the cake is cooking make the icing. Boil for 2 minutes the sugar, margarine and milk. Remove from heat and add the coconut and vanilla.
• Frost the cake while it is hot.

WINTER SOLSTICE CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat the cake mixes, eggs, water, lemonade concentrate, butter and lemon zest. Transfer to 3 greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350° until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., Meanwhile, line 3 greased 15x10x1-in. baking pans with parchment; set aside., In a large heavy saucepan, combine corn syrup and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cover and cook for 3 minutes to dissolve sugar crystals. Uncover and cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reads 300° (hard-crack stage)., Remove from the heat; stir in lemon extract and food coloring (keep face away from mixture as flavoring is very strong). Immediately pour into prepared pans forming small zigzag shapes. Let cool completely., For filling, beat cream in a small bowl until soft peaks form; set aside. In another bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the confectioners' sugar, lemon curd and lemon peel. Fold in whipped cream., Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate; spread with 1 cup filling. Repeat. Top with remaining cake layer. , For frosting, in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, lemon curd, vanilla and salt until smooth. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar. Frost top and sides of cake. Break candy into shards; insert into frosting forming rays of sunlight. Sprinkle cake with edible glitter. Refrigerate leftovers.

WINTER CAKE

Steps:

• Decorating Ideas: Trees made from Bugle (horn shaped corn snacks) and pretzel trunks Marshmallow snowmen sporting gumdrop hats and noses and fruit by the foot chewy fruit snack roll scarves Teddy Grahams with chewing gum skates, gummy ring inner tubes or gum stick toboggans Ice Teddy Grahams with Mittens, Scarves, and Earmuffs.
• Bake cake as directed on package in 2, 9 inch round pans, using water, oil, and eggs.
• Cool 15 minutes.
• Remove from pans; cool 20 minutes or until completely cooled.
• Freeze one layer for at least 20 minutes.
• In medium bowl, combine frosting and marshmallow creme, beating until smooth.
• Place room temperature cake layer, rounded side down, on serving plate.
• Frost top of cake.
• Place frozen cake later, rounded side up, on cutting board.
• To make pound in cake layer, use small sharp knife to cut out an irregular 6x4 oval shaped hole, no closer than 1 1/2 inches from the edge of the cake.
• Remove oval piece from cake.
• Place frozen cake layer, rounded side up, on top of frosted cake layer.
• Frost side and top of cake.
• Thickly frost inside of the pond being sure to seal completely.
• Cut oval piece in half lengthwise.
• Place 1 half on top of cake close to the pond for sliding hill.
• Secure by inserting pretzels into the hill.
• Frost hill.
• Use other half to feed anxiously watching child Prepare jello as directed for speed set using the hot water and ice cubes.
• Carefully spoon slightly thickened gelatin into the pond to within 1/4 inch of the top of cake.
• Decorate as you desire, using ideas mentioned.

WARM WINTER LEMON CAKE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cake batter as directed on package. Pour into greased 13x9 baking dish ;set aside.
• 2. Pour milk and water into large bowl. add dry pudding mixes and graulated sugar. Beat with wire whisk 2 min. or until well blended. Pour over batter. Place baking dish on baking sheet to catch any sauce that might bubble over sides of dish as dessert bakes. (And make sure it is a large one... because it will bubble over)
• 3. Bake 55 min-1hr. or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 20 min. (Sauce will thicken slightly as it cools.) Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Spoon into serving dishes. Store left overs in refrigerator.
• 4. If you want to jazz it up add lemon flavor and/or lemon peel, lemon juice to pudding mix.

WINTER HAT CAKE

Steps:

• Prepare the cake mix according to the package instructions and bake it in a doll dress cake pan. Let cool for 10 minutes.
• While the cake is still in the pan, trim off the top, using the edge of the pan as a guide. This will give you a flat top. Invert the cake onto a cooling rack and let cool completely.
• Meanwhile, transfer the frosting to a large bowl and mix with an electric mixer on medium speed, adding a couple of drops of food coloring at a time to achieve the desired shade of blue.
• Cut the cake horizontally into 4 layers using a long serrated knife. Use a 4-inch round cutter to cut a hole in the center of the 2 largest layers on the bottom. Reserve the cutouts.
• Place the bottom layer on a cake board or cake plate and frost the top with the frosting. Place the second cake layer on top, so that the sides and center holes line up. Fill the well in the cake with the candy-coated chocolates. Frost the top of the second layer, and place the third layer on top. Repeat with the frosting and top cake layer. Using a limited amount of frosting, frost a thin crumb coat over the cake. Refrigerate to firm up, about 30 minutes. Frost the cake with more frosting.
• Fit a pastry bag with a coupler (or you can use multiple piping bags). Fit the bag with a large star tip and fill the bag with frosting. (See Cook's Note.)
• Use a butter knife to lightly score 5 evenly-spaced vertical lines down the side of the cake. Using the pastry bag with the large star tip and following one of the scored lines from top to bottom, pipe overlapping diagonal 2-inch mounds of frosting, lifting and pulling down in alternating directions to make a braid. Repeat the pattern down the remaining scored lines.
• Switch to a smaller star tip on the pastry bag. Working from the top of the cake down, pipe overlapping semi-circles between each of the braided lines. Repeat around the rest of the cake.
• Switch to a small plain round tip on the pastry bag. Pipe straight lines down both sides of each semi-circle line. Next to these, pipe lines of dots, starting from the top to the bottom. Next to these, pipe straight lines. Repeat around the cake.
• To make the pom-pom on top of the cake, mix the reserved cake cutouts with 1/4 cup frosting in a medium bowl until mostly smooth. Form a cake ball the size of a baseball and refrigerate it on a plate until firm, about 10 minutes.
• Place the coconut in a 1-gallon resealable plastic bag and add 2 drops of blue food coloring. Shake the bag to color the coconut. Remove half the coconut to a shallow bowl. Add 6 more drops of the food coloring to the remaining coconut in the bag. Shake the bag to color the coconut and transfer it to a second shallow bowl.
• Roll the cake ball in the dark blue coconut followed by the light blue coconut until fully coated. Place the cake ball on top of the cake. Press the remaining coconut around the bottom of the cake to form the trim.

WARM WINTER LEMON CAKE

Steps:

• 1. preheat oven to 350. Prepare cake mix as directed on package. Pour batter into greased 13x9 baking dish.
• 2. Pour milk and water into large bowl. Add dry pudding mixes and granulated sugar. Beat with wisk 2 min or until well blended. Pour over cake batter in dish. Place dish on a baking sheet to catch drippings.
• 3. Bake 55 to an hour or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan 20 min then sprinkle with powdered sugar. Can garnish with berries if desired.
• 4. Good either served warm or cold. When the cake has cooled it will turn thick & custard like. Yummy!

WINTER-WHITE FRUIT CAKE RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Grease and flour 12-cup fluted tube pan or 10-inch tube pan. Prepare cake batter as directed on package; blend in dry pudding mix and extract.
• Reserve 2 each red and green cherries for garnish. Remove stems, if necessary, from remaining cherries; rinse, then pat dry. Cut cherries into quarters. Stir into cake batter along with the nut mix. Pour into prepared pan.
• Bake 33 to 36 min. or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 min. Loosen cake from sides of pan with knife. Invert cake onto wire rack; gently remove pan. Cool cake completely.
• Beat cream cheese and milk in medium bowl with mixer until blended. Gradually beat in sugar. Drizzle over cake. Garnish with reserved cherries.

WINTER SQUASH SPICE BUNDT CAKE

Steps:

• Cut squash in half; discard seeds and membrane. Place squash halves, cut sides down, in an 11- x 7-inch baking dish. Add water to a depth of 1/4 inch.
• Bake at 375° for 35 to 45 minutes or until tender; cool slightly.
• Scoop out and mash pulp; discard shells.
• Toss together 1/4 cup flour and raisins. Set aside.
• Combine remaining 2 1/2 cups flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves; set aside.
• Combine squash pulp, sugar, and next 3 ingredients; stir in flour mixture until blended. Stir in raisins. Pour into a 12-cup Bundt pan coated with vegetable cooking spray.
• Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pan, and cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.