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MAGIC WANDS
The Good Witch of the North and the queen fairy agree that these star
wands are magically delicious. The pixies at your party will love them, too.
Send the sparkly pink wands home as party favors, or let the children deco-
rate their own with royal icing and sanding sugar. They are sure to cast a
spell on all who hold them.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

Cookie: Sugar Cookies (page 48)
Icing: 1 recipe Royal Icing
(page 15)
Decoration: pink and/or white Colors: pink liquid gel colors
sanding sugar, 6- or 8-inch lollipop
sticks for magic wands, and ribbon
Miscellaneous: half-sheet
baking pan, pastry cones, star
for decoration (1 to 2 feet per
cookie cutter
wand, depending on whether a
knot or bow is tied)

1 Bake the cookies and let them cool com-
pletely. Prepare the Royal Icing. Keep the
icing covered with a damp cloth.
4 Place 2 tablespoons of each color icing
2 Prepare the colored icing: approximately
1 cup light pink, ½ cup medium pink, ½ cup
neon pink.
3 To prevent breaking when decorating,
hold the cookie, not the lollipop stick.
Spread a thin layer of colored icing over
the entire cookie. Immediately pour white
or pink sanding sugar over the top or dip
the cookie into a bowl of sanding sugar,
pressing gently to adhere. Shake or dust off
any excess sugar.
into separate pastry cones. Cut a small hole
at the tip of each pastry cone. Pipe dots or
lacy borders around the edge of each
cookie, write the initials of the birthday
fairy, or make a design of your own. Let
dry overnight.
5 Tie a bow with long trails around the handle
of each wand.

50 Kids’ Cakes from the Whimsical Bakehouse

PLAIN+SIMPLE Pretint the cookie dough with a
few drops of pink food coloring. Cut out with a star
cookie cutter and sprinkle sanding sugar on top—no
need for royal icing.

The Enchanted Tea Party 51

 SUGAR COOKIES
This basic sugar cookie dough is strong enough to be cut into any shape,
and the cookies are durable enough to stand up to a lot of decorating. Make
mask-shaped cookies for your Halloween party, a cookie card for the birth-
day boy or girl, pirate faces for your little buccaneer, or magic wands for
your fairy princess.
Yield: approximately 24 to 30 wands, 12 masks, 20 pirate faces, or 4 cookie cards

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Have all ingredients
at room temperature.
In the bowl of an electric mixer at medium
speed, cream:
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter
²⁄ ³ cup sugar
Add and thoroughly incorporate:
1 extra-large egg
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
On a piece of wax paper, sift together:
1¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture.
Mix until the dough comes together.
Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
On a lightly floured board, roll the chilled dough
out to ¼ inch thick. Slip parchment paper under
the rolled dough and transfer it to a half-sheet
pan. Chill for 30 minutes. Cut out shapes (see
below).
If making magic wands: Cut out stars using a
star cookie cutter (2 inches to 3 inches across;
larger stars need longer handles). Arrange the
stars 1 inch apart along the long sides of the
cookie sheets. Carefully insert lollipop sticks into
the hollow created between two points of the
star about ½ inch deep.
If making a mask: Using the mask image on
page 165, cut out a cardboard template. Place
the template on the dough. Cut out the mask by
running a paring knife around the edge of the
template. Carefully slide a metal spatula under
the cookie to transfer it to the cookie sheet.
Arrange the masks 1 inch apart along the long
sides of the cookie sheets. Carefully insert
Popsicle sticks into the bottom left side about
½ inch deep.

48 Kids’ Cakes from the Whimsical Bakehouse

If making pirate faces: Cut out circles using a
3-inch round cookie cutter. Arrange the circles
1 inch apart on the cookie sheets.
If making cookie cards: Using a paring knife or a
pastry wheel, cut out 4 x 6-inch rectangles. Using
the small end of a #12 round tip or any round cut-
ter approximately ¼ inch in diameter, cut 2 circles
out of the left side of each cookie, 1 inch from
the top and 1 inch from the bottom (make sure
the holes line up). Using a cookie cutter, cut out
a heart, circle, or small shape of your choice from
the center of half of the cookies. Carefully slide
a metal spatula under the cookie to transfer it to
the cookie sheet. Arrange the cards 1 inch apart
on the cookie sheets.
When we mention half-sheet pans, we are
referring to 12 x 16-inch baking sheets
(aka jelly roll pans) that have a 1-inch rim
around all four sides. A pan that is miss-
ing a lip on at least one edge is a cookie
sheet. When working in the chocolate
method or baking cookies, either type of
sheet pan will work, but for baking cakes
you must use a rimmed pan.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Let the cookies cool on the pans for 5 minutes,
then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool
completely.

The Enchanted Tea Party 49

 Kids’ Buttercream
This classic, no-fuss buttercream is a sweet sensation with children, and I have to
admit, it is the one frosting I will lick off my fingers. Kids’ Buttercream is surprisingly
versatile: It makes a yummy filling or icing, tints beautifully, and is perfect for piping
borders or simple shapes. However, we don’t use this icing for delicate piping
applications because it has a dense and slightly gritty texture that tends to break
(instead, try Kaye’s Buttercream, page 11, or House Buttercream, page 13). —Liv
Meringue powder can be found at baking supply stores and in some
supermarkets.
Kid’s Buttercream can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for
1 week.

Yield: approximately 3 cups

In the bowl of an electric mixer at medium-
high speed, beat until creamy:
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room
temperature
Add all at once and beat at low speed until
smooth:
4 cups (1-pound box) sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon meringue powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
Add and beat until light and creamy:
2 tablespoons milk
Kids’ Chocolate Buttercream
In a bowl, combine 2 to 3 ounces melted, body-
temperature (100°F) semisweet chocolate per
1 cup Kids’ Buttercream. Mix until smooth and
completely blended, scraping down the sides of
the bowl to prevent the chocolate from hardening
and causing unmelted flecks in the buttercream.

Matt’s Fudge Icing

My uncle Matt’s delectable fudge icing had to be included, once again, in our
recipe collection—it’s that good! We love it on our Sour Cream Chocolate Cake
(page 89) or atop any of our cupcakes. When I use this at home, my son will eat just
the fudge and leave the cake.
Matt’s Fudge Icing can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for
2 weeks. To use the chilled icing, bring it to room temperature and beat at medium
speed in the bowl of an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. To speed up this
process you can lightly reheat it in a double boiler before beating. —Liv

Yield: approximately 2¼ cups

14 Kids’ Cakes from the Whimsical Bakehouse

In a small saucepan over low heat, mix
together:
¼ cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
¾ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
A pinch of salt
Whisk until the mixture is slightly thickened
and coats the back of a wooden spoon (175
to 180°F on a candy thermometer).
Royal Icing
This amazing icing is the “glue” that holds gingerbread houses together and is the colorful
frosting that you find on decorated cookies. You can tint it, pipe with it, spread it with a spatula,
adhere candies or sanding sugar to it, or thin it with water to create smooth flooded designs
(see pages 144–45).
Yield: approximately 4 cups
In a large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a
whip attachment, whip to stiff peaks:
¼ cup meringue powder
½ cup cold water
Add and mix at low speed with a paddle attach-
ment, until combined:
4 cups (1-pound box) confectioners’ sugar
Continue mixing at high speed for 5 to 8 minutes,
or until the icing is stiff.
Remove from the heat and whisk in until
melted:
8 ounces finely chopped semisweet chocolate
3 ounces (¾ stick) unsalted butter, cut into
1-inch pieces
Whisk in
¼ cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons sour cream
Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap,
and chill for 1 hour to overnight.
Add and mix on low speed until combined:
½ teaspoon strained fresh lemon juice
Cover the bowl with a damp cloth while you are
working with or coloring batches of icing, or
immediately place it in an airtight container or a
pastry cone; otherwise, a hard crust will quickly
form as it dries.
Note: If you are making a gingerbread house or
other assembled three-dimensional cookies, I
recommend adding an extra tablespoon of
meringue powder and an additional cup of
confectioners’ sugar. This will firm up the frosting,
making your structure even more stable. —Liv
The 1, 2, 3s: Getting Started 15
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