Snopocalypse 2019: Let Them Eat Cake

We are in the middle of a snow event in Seattle. We live in the foothills of the Cascades, just east of Seattle and we have gotten 3 feet of snow in a week. It is unusual and beautiful and it won't last. Unlike the Midwest, this snow is temporary and it will be gone in a week when temperatures rise back toward the 40s.

In the meantime, we are snowed in! We all had plenty of warning before these back to back storms and the larder is full. In fact, one of our neighbors announced she was hosting a potluck and that we should walk over to her house to share a meal. Fun!

I thought that a homemade cake would be a welcome addition to the party. And I had plastic deer and Evergreen trees to decorate it. I made Dan's favorite chocolate cake by Hershey. I made a video of me shaking the powdered sugar on the cake, posted it on Instagram (@FindDelight) and labelled it "Snow Comes to Snoqualmie."

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Using Stencils for Beautiful Cakes

It was an easy masterpiece! True, the cake and frosting were homemade (check out www.hersheys.com - search recipes for "perfectly chocolate" chocolate cake) but I can attribute the fuss my guests made to the powdered sugar design I made with a Martha Stewart cake stencil. 

A little powdered sugar goes a long way. You can find full cake (and cupcake) stencils at the craft store (in the Martha Stewart section) and online. 

Try it!

Chocolate Cottage Cake After a Buttercream Snowfall

Today, I'm baking this darling cottage cake.  I am hosting our annual family tea for my aunt, cousins and sisters-in-law and I thought that a chocolate cottage after a buttercream snowfall would be the perfect dessert.

The cake pan is called Gingerbread House and it is made by Nordic Ware.  You can find it online (the link is above) or in many specialty cake supply stores.  I just love it.

My go-to cake for this pan is Betty Crocker's Super Moist Cake Mix in Chocolate Fudge.  It fills the pan, bakes evenly and has a wonderful chocolate flavor.  The buttercream is the classic butter/powdered sugar/vanilla recipe.