No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible. – Voltaire
Snowflake cake.
Three layers of moist chococately chocolate cake filled and covered with fluffy and creamy mascarpone frosting. Adore with sparkly white chocolate snowflakes.
For my friends who live up North were lucky enough to experience a white Christmas but for me, who lives in South Texas, experienced a cold and miserable one.
How does a snowflake become a snowflake?
Snowflakes are conglomerations of frozen ice crystals which fall through the Earth’s atmosphere. They begin as two snow crystals which develop when microscopic supercooled cloud droplets freeze.
Due to different growth rates, patterns, humidity and temperature, no two snowflakes are alike.
Chocolate cake.
Barefoot Contessa
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Sift flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.. Mix on low speed until combined.
- In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil eggs, and vanilla.
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry.
- With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Pour batter into cupcake pans and bake for 20 minutes.
Chocolate cake always tastes better after a day or two days of refrigeration.
I wrapped each layer individually in plastic wrap so they don’t stick together. It’s an easy clean up and it’s easier when stacking them together before frosting.
Mascarpone frosting.
8 ounces mascarpone cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- In a medium bowl combine mascarpone cheese, sugar, salt and vanilla. Stir together until smooth, and set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form – don’t overdo it, the last thing you want is for it to curdle.
- Then fold the whipped cream, into the mascarpone mixture until combined.
To make white chocolate snowflakes, print out images of snowflakes on copy paper.
Melt white chocolate, tint with blue gel coloring, and put into a pipping bag. Cover the snowflake designs with parchment paper and trace the designs with the pipping bag.
Sprinkle with clear edible glitter and place into the refrigerator for 5 minutes to harden up.
