Pastel de Navidad!

Pastel de Navidad means Christmas cake! It is perfect for a simple dessert after Christmas dinner! Again, this cake is iced with buttercream icing, and virtually any cake would go well with the icing. I used a yellow cake for the one in the picture, but chocolate or maybe even a gingerbread cake would go just as well! A cinnamon icing could be used in place of the chocolate buttercream for the gingerbread cake! To get the ridges in the cake, I used a cake triangle, after spreading the icing on. The giant chocolate flower was piped on using a piping bag, and red licorice and a red M&M was used as garnish on the flower.

The following Buttercream icing recipes are from Wilton.

Yield: 3 cups of icing

Ingredients:

Chocolate Buttercream Icing

1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened

3/4 cup cocoa, or three 1 oz. chocolate squares, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract, preferably clear vanilla extract

4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (about 1 pound)

3-4 tablespoons of milk

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer.
2. Add cocoa and vanilla.
3. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often.
4. When all of the sugar has been incorporated, the icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.
5. To store, keep the bowl covered with a damp cloth, or store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Ingredients:

Cinnamon Buttercream Icing

4 cups confectioners' sugar (about 1 pound)

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), room temperature

3-4 tablespoons of milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Beat butter on low speed in mixing bowl until light and fluffy (about 30 seconds).
2. Turn off mixer, and add remaining ingredients to bowl.
3. Turn mixer back on, and mix ingredients fully together at low speed (about 1 minute).
4. Increase speed to medium, and mix icing until light and fluffy (about 1 minute).
5. If icing is too thick, add 1 tablespoon of milk, and mix thoroughly.