Santa Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

photo: Con Poulos

​INGREDIENTS

• Cake
• 1 box vanilla cake mix

 

• Frosting and decoration
• 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

DIRECTIONS

1. Make 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. Make 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. Transfer 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. Pipe 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. Lightly 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. Roll black fondant into a 9- by 3-inch rectangle and place on cake between buttons. Top with belt buckle.

This recipe is from  Anna Helm Baxter and was featured in Countryliving.com.