Christmas Stump Cake

Votes: 1

Time: 1 hour 10 min.
Complexity: easily
Servings: 12

This Yule tree stump cake is an easier alternative to the classic Yule log. It's based on store-bought chocolate cake, but you can use your own favorite recipe if you prefer. Decorated with dulce de leche icing and chocolate bark, topped with berry mushrooms and pistachio moss, the cake looks truly impressive and realistic.

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

1 store-bought chocolate cake with two 20cm diameter layers, covered with chocolate glaze
1 can (400 g) dulce de leche
1 cup store-bought vanilla glaze
450 g dark chocolate, chopped
220 g milk chocolate, chopped
Marzipan, as needed
3-6 raspberries
3-6 strawberries of different sizes, peeled
1 cup shelled pistachios
Green liquid food coloring to color the pistachios
Yellow liquid food coloring to tint the pistachios
0.5 cup mini marshmallows
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
Powdered sugar, for dusting
Special equipment: rotating cake stand; 2 pastry bags with large round tips; serrated cake spatula; silicone baking mat; thin wooden skewers

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

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Recipes with similar ingredients: biscuit, raspberry, strawberry, pistachios, powdered sugar, cocoa, marshmallow

Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

Place the cake on a turntable or cardboard cake plate.
Decorate the top of the cake:

Combine about three-quarters of the dulce de leche with 1/4 cup vanilla frosting; transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip (this will be your dark frosting). Combine the remaining dulce de leche with the remaining 3/4 cup vanilla frosting; transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip (this will be your light frosting).

Starting in the center of the cake, pipe concentric circles of the darker frosting to form a circle approximately 5 cm in diameter. Using a spatula, spread it into a circle 8 cm in diameter.
Pipe light-colored icing around this circle, leaving about 2 cm from the edge of the cake. Using a clean offset spatula, spread it right to the edges. Smooth the entire surface with a clean offset spatula.
Place the tip of a serrated spatula in the center of the cake and slowly rotate it to create tree-like rings. When the lines intersect, carefully lift the spatula (if you don't have a spatula, you can create this effect with the tines of a fork).
Chocolate bark:

Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat and set aside. Melt the dark and milk chocolate separately in a double boiler or microwave. Pour the dark chocolate onto the prepared baking sheet, spreading it out with a spatula across the baking sheet without smoothing it out. Drizzle the melted milk chocolate over the top. Using the edge of a small offset spatula or butter knife, create vertical lines and swirls in the chocolate to create a bark-like appearance. Press down on the chocolate with varying pressure for texture. Let it set at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
Break the chocolate into large vertical pieces of varying heights to create bark pieces. Cover the sides of the cake with the chocolate bark pieces.
Berry mushrooms:

Roll centimeter-sized pieces of marzipan between your fingers, shaping them into mushroom stems and making them wider at the base so they can stand upright. Insert a stem into the hollow of each raspberry and strawberry, securing them with toothpicks if necessary. Assemble mushrooms of various sizes and shapes to give the cake a more realistic look. Insert the mushrooms into the sides and top of the cake, pressing gently to ensure the marzipan adheres to the surface.
Pistachio moss and marshmallow pebbles:

Place the pistachios in a mini food processor and add about 8 drops each of green and yellow food coloring. Pulse until the pistachios are coarsely ground and have a moss-like texture. Add more food coloring if needed. Spoon the moss around the cake on a plate.
Innings:

Combine mini marshmallows and cocoa powder in a small bowl. Rub the marshmallows between your fingers to create texture, shaking off any excess cocoa powder. Arrange the "rocks" at the base of the cake on the pistachio moss.
Sift powdered sugar over the cake to give it a snowy look.