Frosted Fruitcake With Meringue Mushrooms Recipes

MERINGUE MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Combine egg whites with cream of tartar in bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually sprinkle in sugar, beating at high speed until mixture is very stiff and dull looking.
• Scrape meringue mixture into pastry bag. Pipe round, button shapes to make mushroom "caps". Pipe pointed "kiss" shapes about one inch tall to make "stems". Dust with cocoa. Bake two hours in 200 degree oven until crisp and completely dry. Assemble the mushrooms: Place chocolate in a small bowl. Set bowl in a skillet of barely simmering water. Immediately turn off heat and stir chocolate until melted and smooth. Spread a little melted chocolate on the flat side of each meringue mushroom "cap". Use a sharp knife to cut off and discard the pointed ends of meringue "stems". Attach stems to caps while chocolate is still soft. Set assembled mushrooms aside until the chocolate has dried and caps and stems are "glued" together. Meringue mushrooms may be made 3-4 weeks in advance and stored in an airtight container.

FRUITCAKES WITH MERINGUE MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners. Toss apricots, figs, and dates in a bowl with the liqueur. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
• With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and both sugars until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in honey and vanilla. Add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Fold in fruit mixture and hazelnuts by hand.
• Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tin halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 30 minutes (if cupcakes start to brown too quickly, tent loosely with foil). Transfer tin to a wire rack to cool completely before removing cupcakes.
• To finish, use an offset spatula to spread cupcakes with frosting. Dust meringue mushrooms with cocoa and place on top of cupcakes just before serving.

EASY MERINGUE MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 175 degrees. Fill a medium saucepan 1/4 full with water. Set over medium heat; bring water to a simmer.
• Combine egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in the bowl of an electric mixer, and place over saucepan. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are warm to the touch, about 3 minutes; rub the mixture between your fingers to test.
• Transfer bowl to mixer stand fitted with the whisk attachment, and whip, starting on low speed and gradually increasing to high, until meringue is cool, and stiff glossy peaks form. Add vanilla; mix until combined. Use immediately.
• Place in a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Pipe meringue, forming mushroom caps 1/2 inch in diameter. Pipe a stem shape for each cap. Place baking sheets in oven until meringue is dry in center, 1 to 2 hours.
• Poke a small hole in the center of each cap using a paring knife. Insert the pointed end of each stem into hole in the cap, forming mushrooms. Meringue mushrooms should be kept in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Just before using, dust lightly with cocoa powder.

COCOA MERINGUE MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Divide meringue among three small bowls. Set one aside. Fold 1 tablespoon cocoa into the second portion, and 2 tablespoons cocoa into the third portion. Place each portion in an 18-inch pastry bag fitted with a large round 1/2-inch tip. Pipe domes, 1/2 inch to 2 inches in diameter, onto prepared baking sheets, and flatten the tips with a damp forefinger. Pipe stems onto baking sheets, making one to go with each "cap."
• Bake the meringue shapes in the upper and lower thirds of the oven, rotating baking sheets halfway through, 1 hour; reduce oven temperature to 175 degrees. Continue baking until completely dry to the touch but not browned, 45 to 60 minutes.
• Melt bittersweet chocolate in a small heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally. Using a small offset spatula, spread bottoms of caps with a thin layer of dark chocolate, and let set. Melt white chocolate in another heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Let cool until thickened, and spread over dark chocolate. Use a toothpick to draw lines through the chocolate from the center to edge of caps; let set.
• Using a paring knife, make a small hole in center of each coated cap. Dip one end of each stem in remaining white chocolate, and insert into a hole; let set.

TREE STUMP MOSS CAKE RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Make the dulce de leche buttercream: In a large bowl, cream together the butter and dulce de leche with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Sift in the powdered sugar and salt and mix until the frosting is smooth and thick, about 3 minutes.
• Frost the cakes: Scoop 1 cup of buttercream onto 1 chocolate cake round and spread evenly across the top. Place the second cake round on top, pressing down gently to secure. Spread another cup buttercream evenly over the top and sides to create a crumb coat. Cover and set the remaining buttercream aside until ready to decorate. Refrigerate the cake until ready to decorate.
• Make the meringue mushrooms: Preheat the oven to 225°F (105°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Add the egg whites to a heat-safe bowl. Using a hand mixer, whip on medium speed until frothy, about 2 minutes. Add the salt and cream of tartar and beat just to incorporate.
• Add the sugar and water to a saute pan and stir to combine. Turn the heat to medium-high heat and cook without stirring until the syrup creates bubbles that are the size of quarters and the temperature reaches 248°F (120°C).
• With the hand mixer running on medium speed, carefully pour the hot sugar syrup into the egg white mixture, resting the pan on the edge of the bowl and aiming the syrup to hit the side of the bowl so it does not splash against the beaters. Whip the mixture until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat on medium-low speed until just combined. Transfer the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a ½-inch (1.24 cm) round tip.
• To make the mushroom caps, hold the piping bag upright and squeeze the meringue firmly onto half of the prepared baking sheet into disc shapes ranging from ½ inch (1.24 cm) to 1½ (3.81 cm) inches in diameter, leaving at least ½ inch (1.24 cm) of space between each cap. You should use about ⅔ of the meringue. Dip your finger in water and smooth the top of each cap. Your fingers will create natural dimples and watermarks to mimic the look of mushrooms caps.
• To make the mushroom stems, hold the piping bag upright and squeeze the remaining meringue firmly onto the other half of the baking sheet in ½-inch and 1-inch long pieces, leaving at least ½ inch of space between each stem. The number of stems should match the number of caps.
• Bake the meringue mushrooms for about 3 hours, until the caps and stems feel dry to the touch and are light beige in color. Remove from the oven and let the meringues cool completely.
• Lightly dust the mushroom caps with the cocoa powder, then use a pastry brush to brush the cocoa powder into the caps until they are a rustic brown color.
• Spread a bit of melted dark chocolate on the bottom of a mushroom cap, then press the cap onto the top of a stem. Repeat to assemble the remaining mushrooms, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate to set completely, about 10 minutes.
• Make the chocolate bark: Add the heavy cream to a small stainless steel pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
• Add the chocolate chips to a medium heatproof bowl. Pour the warm cream over the chocolate and stir until melted completely. Let the ganache cool to room temperature, about 1 hour; it should be thick and have the texture of frosting. Once cool, add ⅓ of the ganache to a piping bag fitted with a ½-inch round tip and the remaining ganache to a piping bag fitted with a 1-inch round tip.
• Make the edible moss: Pulse the pistachios and matcha powder in a food processor until coarsely ground, being careful not to process into a paste. Set aside until ready to decorate.
• Make the buttercream flowers: Divide the buttercream frosting evenly between 5 medium bowls. Add the violet, pink, yellow, avocado, and mauve food coloring to each bowl and stir until well combined. Transfer each color frosting to a separate piping bag fitted with tips to pipe flowers and leaves. Set aside until ready to decorate.
• Assemble the cake: Spread the remaining dulce de leche buttercream over the top of the cake. Using the bag with the ½-inch tip, pipe the ganache in a swirl on top of the cake, starting from the center and working toward the outer edge. Use a fork to swirl the ganache and buttercream together to make the top of the tree stump.
• Using the bag with the 1-inch tip, pipe the remaining ganache onto the sides of the cake and spread to coat completely. Use a fork to draw lines vertically up the sides of the cake for the tree bark.
• Place mounds of edible moss on top of and around the cake, then place the mushrooms around the moss.
• Use the colored frostings to pipe leaves and flowers around the cake.
• Enjoy!

CHEWY FRUITCAKE MERINGUES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Spread hazelnuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet; toast until golden and fragrant, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool slightly; chop.
• Reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees. Combine egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a mixer set over a pot of simmering water (do not let bottom touch water). Whisk until eggs are foamy and sugar dissolves (mixture should feel smooth and warm to the touch when rubbed between your fingers). Transfer to mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add cream of tartar, and beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, 7 to 9 minutes.
• Combine hazelnuts, fruits, and candied citron and peel in a bowl. Fold maraschino syrup and all but 1/4 cup of fruit-nut mixture into meringue. Drop heaping tablespoons of meringue mixture onto 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, 1 inch apart. Top with remaining fruit-nut mixture.
• Bake, rotating sheets and rack positions halfway through, until meringues have darkened slightly and are tacky on surfaces but no longer sticky, 1 hour to 1 hour, 10 minutes. Turn oven off (do not open door); let cool in oven until dry and crisp on outsides, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day. Serve, or store in an airtight container at room temperature, between sheets of parchment, up to 5 days. Lightly dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

FROSTED FRUITCAKE WITH MERINGUE MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Coat a 10-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Line bottom with parchment paper, and spray parchment; set pan aside. In a medium bowl, toss apricots, figs, and dates with liqueur; set aside. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt, and set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachemnet, cream together butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each until incorporated. Beat in honey and vanilla. Add flour mixture, and beat until mixture is just combined. Stir in dried fruit mixture and hazelnuts.
• Spread the batter in prepared pan, and bake until a cake tester inserted in center comes our clean, about 1 1/4 hours; if cake starts to brown too quickly, cover loosely with foil. Remove cake from oven; transfer to a wire rack, and let cool in pan 30 minutes. Remove ring from cake, and let cool completely.
• Spread frosting over cake, smooting top and creating swirls on side. Decorate top with meringue mushrooms.