Santa Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Name: Santa Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 20 serving(s)
Ingredients: 1 box vanilla cake mix; 3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature; 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature; 1 lb. confectioners sugar; Red gel food coloring; 3 chocolate wafer cookies (such as Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers); Cornstarch, for work surface; White fondant; Gold food coloring spray; Black fondant

Skip the cookies—Santa wants his own cake this year!

By Anna Helm BaxterPublished: Dec 7, 2018

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Con Poulos

Yields:

20 serving(s)

Total Time:

1 hr

This impressive Santa Cake is actually made from a box mix—but looks like it's straight from the bakery!

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Ingredients

Cake

1 box vanilla cake mix

Frosting and decoration

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
1 lb. confectioners sugar
Red gel food coloring
3 chocolate wafer cookies (such as Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers)
Cornstarch, for work surface
White fondant
Gold food coloring spray
Black fondant

Directions

1. Step 1Make the cake: Prepare cake mix and bake in a 9- by 13-inch pan according to the package directions. Once cool, transfer to a serving platter.
2. Step 2Make the frosting and decorate: Beat butter and cream cheese on low speed with an electric mixer until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Increase mixer speed to medium and gradually beat in confectioners sugar until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Step 3Transfer 1 cup frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large flat tip. Tint remaining frosting red and use to frost sides and top of cake. Refrigerate cake until no longer tacky, 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Step 4Pipe a 3-inch-wide strip, lengthwise, down the center of the cake with white frosting. Place 2 wafer cookies on top half and 1 on bottom for buttons.
5. Step 5Lightly dust a work surface with cornstarch and roll out white fondant. Cut into a 3-inch square. Using a small square cookie cutter or paring knife, cut out center to make a belt buckle. Transfer to a sheet of parchment paper and spray with gold spray; let dry, 8 to 10 minutes.
6. Step 6Roll black fondant into a 9- by 3-inch rectangle and place on cake between buttons. Top with belt buckle.