My Party File - blog

Posts Tagged ‘winter wonderland’

This looks just like a soft serve icecream, but it is actually a cupcake. Pretty cool, hey?  This fabulous cupcake was made by Jayne Harrison, and she claims they are easy to make.

How to make icecream cone cupcakes

Use a cake batter of your choice, and pour it into flat-bottomed cones - filling no more than halfway.  Then cook according to your cake recipe or packet instructions.   You may need to keep checking the cakes with a skewer to ensure the cake batter is cooked through until you’ve worked out the perfect cooking time (afterall, it will depend on the size of the cones you use).  When the cake is cooled, trim any excess (you can see she has scooped a little of the cake out before adding the icing), then pipe vanilla buttercream on top, and then push a Cadbury flake into the icing.  No more effort than normal cupcakes!

Alternative:  For some extra scrumptiousness, use a bismarck piping nozzle to pipe some jam or chocolate spread into the middle of the cake before icing it.

Here’s a “grape’ idea for a refreshing party treat on a hot day, or even a fun treat at a sleepover.  Frozen grapes are crunchy, sweet and somewhat addictive!  They do thaw quickly, but they’ll still be good.  To make frozen grape pops, you will need:

• Skewers
• Approximately 7 grapes per skewer (you may need more or less depending on the size of the grapes)
• Freezer safe bag

Wash and dry the grapes, then thread the ‘hole’ end of each grape onto a skewer.  Place the skewered grapes into the freezer safe  bag, then pop into the freezer for a couple of hours.  Frozen grapes will last between 2-4 weeks in the freezer - it depends on how fresh they are when you buy them.

To serve, place on a platter, or push the skewers into an upturned basket, a piece of foam, or into a container filled with decorator’s stone (or rice or sugar).

TIP:  You can remove the sharp point from skewers with a pair of toenail clippers.

NOTE:  Frozen grapes could be a choking hazard for younger kids.  You can let the grapes soften a little before eating.

This icecream is guaranteed not to melt, and the kids will find surprises hidden in the cone.    To make them, simply fill a cone with small lollies, trinkets and/or a message, place a little melted chocolate around the rim of the cone, then press a meringue (or large marshmallow) on top.  To make a double scoop, put one meringue upside down into the cone, spread a little melted chocolate onto the base of another meringue, then place that meringue on top.   Serve them up at your party, or send them home in a cellophane bag as a party favour.

This adorable snowman is ideal for a Christmas or Winter Wonderland party.  You can make the cheese balls a couple of days ahead, and then assemble the snowman just before serving.  To make the cheese ball,  you will need:

125g cream cheese
1/2 cup tasty cheese, grated
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1/2 teaspoon curry powder (or to taste)

1. Combine cheeses and curry powder in a small bowl.
2. Add at least enough curry powder to turn the mixture a pale yellow colour - and more if you want it hotter.
3. Beat until well combined.
4. Take more than half of the cheese mixture and roll it into a ball.
5. Roll the remaining mixture into a ball and place on top of the larger ball.
6. Wash and dry hands, and decorate the snowman with ingredients of your choice.  I used a piece of carrot for the nose, a strip of carrot for the scarf, a strip of capsicum for the mouth, pieces of sultana for the eyes, pretzels for the arms, and some peas from a bhuja mix for the buttons.  But you could use almost anything you have on hand - such as pieces of olive for the eyes or buttons, or celery sticks for the arms.

Serve with water biscuits and/or carrot and celery sticks.

This is a fantastic idea for a fun experience where you don’t have snow.  Ice-blocking is essentially sledding where the sled is made from ice and the ground is hard (e.g. a grass hill), rather than the opposite.

The ice comes in 20kg blocks with a handle frozen in and are pretty cheap - you can pick them up from ice specialists.  They can last for days, depending on the temperature.  The kids will think this party idea is very cooool!  Use it for a picnic party, garden party, a winter wonderland, or just on its own.