Festive Forest Cake

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recipe by Kenwood https://kenwoodworld.com/

  • Time icon
    Total Time
    2hrs 40mins
  • Serves icon
    Serves
    12
  • Calories icon
    Calories
    799
based on 2 ratings

A festive chocolate log cake decorated with meringue fir trees and toadstools, sprinkled with some coloured desiccated coconut and chopped green pistachios then dusted with edible gold dust and icing sugar for that frosty 'winter in the forest' look. A stunning Christmas showstopper cake which is fun to make and decorate with children.

recipe updated Oct 18, 2023

Ingredients

  • Water icon
    Water
    270 g
  • Unsalted butter icon
    Unsalted butter
    400 g
  • Dark chocolate icon
    Dark chocolate
    30 g
  • Pistachios icon
    Pistachios
    20 g
  • All purpose flour icon
    All purpose flour
    330 g
  • Caster sugar icon
    Caster sugar
    495 g
  • Unsweetened cocoa powder icon
    Unsweetened cocoa powder
    270 g
  • Baking soda icon
    Baking soda
    ¾ teaspoon
  • Baking powder icon
    Baking powder
    1 ½ teaspoons
  • Salt icon
    Salt
    1 teaspoon
  • Instant coffee icon
    Instant coffee
    1 ½ teaspoons
  • Egg icon
    Egg
    3
  • Buttermilk icon
    Buttermilk
    270 g
  • Vegetable oil icon
    Vegetable oil
    90 g
  • Vanilla extract icon
    Vanilla extract
    3 ½ teaspoons
  • Icing sugar icon
    Icing sugar
    300 g
  • Cocoa powder icon
    Cocoa powder
    100 g
  • Milk icon
    Milk
    3 tablespoons
  • Salt icon
    Salt
    as needed
  • Egg white icon
    Egg white
    2
  • Cream of tartar icon
    Cream of tartar
    ¼ teaspoon
  • Green food coloring icon
    Green food coloring
    as needed
  • Sprinkles icon
    Sprinkles
    as needed
  • Edible food coloring dust icon
    Edible food coloring dust
    as needed
  • Unsweetened shredded coconut icon
    Unsweetened shredded coconut
    as needed
  • Edible gold dust powder icon
    Edible gold dust powder
    as needed

Tools

  • kCook icon Oven
  • kCook icon Parchment paper
  • kCook icon Cooling rack
  • kCook icon Kenwood Chef
  • kCook icon Round pan - 20cm (8")
  • kCook icon Kenwood bowl - kenwood chef
  • kCook icon Medium bowl
  • kCook icon Cake board - 25cm (10")
  • kCook icon Baking tray - large
  • kCook icon Piping bag
  • kCook icon Piping bag
  • kCook icon Baking tray - large
  • kCook icon Serving plate
  • kCook icon Small bowl

Step preview

  1. Pre-heat oven - 150°C
  2. Grease and line 3 clean round pans with parchment paper
  3. Attach Creaming beater
  4. Add all purpose flour, caster sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt to the Kenwood Bowl
  5. Mix with splashguard fitted - 30 sec, Speed Min
  6. Add water and instant coffee to a clean medium bowl
  7. Stir until dissolved
  8. Transfer content of medium bowl to Kenwood Bowl
  9. Add egg, buttermilk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract to the Kenwood Bowl
  10. Mix with splashguard fitted then scrape bowl - 1 min, Speed 2
  11. Mix with splashguard fitted - 20 sec, Speed 2
  12. Divide mixture between 3 round pans
  13. Bake until skewer tests clean - 25 min, 150°C
  14. Remove from oven and let cool - 10 min
  15. Transfer onto cooling rack until completely cool
  16. Clean Kenwood Bowl
  17. Attach Creaming beater
  18. Add unsalted butter, icing sugar, cocoa powder, milk, vanilla extract and salt to the Kenwood Bowl
  19. Mix with splashguard fitted - 2 min, Speed 3
  20. Trim the cooled sponge layers with a cake leveller or use a bread knife
  21. Place one sponge on cake board
  22. Transfer some of the buttercream to sponge
  23. Top with another sponge layer and spread with the buttercream
  24. Place the final sponge layer on top
  25. Coat the outside of the cake with a thin layer of buttercream
  26. Chill in fridge until set - 30 min
  27. Once set, cover the sides and the top of the cake with the remaining buttercream
  28. Use a cocktail stick or skewer to create the bark texture effect on the sides of the cake
  29. Refrigerate until needed
  30. Pre-heat oven - 100°C
  31. Line a clean baking tray with parchment paper
  32. Clean Kenwood Bowl
  33. Attach Whisk
  34. Add egg white and cream of tartar to the Kenwood Bowl
  35. Mix with splashguard fitted until stiff peaks form - 5 min, Speed Max
  36. Add caster sugar to the Kenwood Bowl gradually while machine is running
  37. Mix with splashguard fitted until glossy - 3 min, Speed Max
  38. Transfer one third of the meringue into a piping bag
  39. Cut the end of the piping bag, leaving a small 1cm opening
  40. Pipe 5-10 toadstool stalks and caps onto the prepared baking tray
  41. Add green food coloring to the Kenwood Bowl
  42. Mix with splashguard fitted until combined - 30 sec, Speed Max
  43. Transfer meringue to piping bag
  44. Line a clean baking tray with parchment paper
  45. Use a triangle template to use as a rough guide to create three trees of varying sizes
  46. Pipe meringue onto baking tray
  47. Decorate with sprinkles
  48. Place both baking trays, containing the meringue toadstools and tree in the oven
  49. Bake - 1 hr 30 min, 100°C
  50. Let cool completely in the oven with the oven door left ajar
  51. Remove from oven
  52. Retrieve the baking tray containing the toadstools
  53. Brush with dark chocolate
  54. Dust with edible food coloring dust
  55. Transfer sponge to serving plate
  56. Add unsweetened shredded coconut and green food coloring to a clean small bowl
  57. Stir until combined
  58. Sprinkle a little of the coloured coconut on top of the cake
  59. Sprinkle with pistachios
  60. Place three of the meringue trees on top of the cake
  61. Add some of the toadstools to the top and the side of the cake
  62. Dust with edible gold dust powder
  63. Serve
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