Even Scrooge would start to sing “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer” when served a piece of this chocolate cake.

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December 2008

Product Reviews / Main Nibbles / Cookies, Cakes & Pastries

Recipe: Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer Christmas Cake

A Christmas & New Years Holiday Treat

Make ‘em smile when you bring out this Christmas cake. Everyone will break into a chorus of Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer...in fact, we’ve supplied the song lyrics at the bottom of the recipe, which is courtesy of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board. This recipe makes 8 slices. The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board has also given us this delicious Chocolate Peppermint Pie recipe.

Ingredients

Cake

• 1/2 cup dairy sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1-1/2 cups boiling water

Filling

• 1/2 cup whipping cream (heavy cream)
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Icing

• 6-ounce package semi-sweet
  chocolate pieces
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup dairy sour cream
• 2-1/2 cups powdered sugar,
  sifted

Suggested Decorations

• 16 M&Ms milk chocolate candies
  —green or blue preferred (eyes)
• 16 Rolo milk chocolate covered
  caramels (antlers)
• 4 Pepperidge Farm Double
  Chocolate Chunk Soft Baked
  cookies, cut in half (ears)
• 8 maraschino cherries (noses)

Preparation

Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.
2. In a small bowl, stir together sour cream, eggs and extract; mix well and set aside.
3. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; set aside.
4. In a large electric mixer bowl, combine chocolate, butter and water; stir with a spoon until mixture is melted and smooth.
5. Add half of flour mixture to chocolate mixture and beat on low speed of electric mixer until combined. Add sour cream mixture and beat until combined. Add remaining flour mixture and beat until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pans.
6. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool layers in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks. While cakes cool, prepare filling and icing.

Filling

1. Beat whipping cream at high speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form; set aside.

2. Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, sugar and extract at medium speed until creamy. Fold cream cheese mixture into whipped cream. Stir in nuts, if desired. Chill.

Icing

1. Melt chocolate and butter in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently. Cool about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in sour cream. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating till smooth and easy to spread.

Assembly

1. To assemble, pipe chocolate icing around outer edge of bottom cake layer.
2. Spread all but 1 cup filling inside the piped circle.
3. Place second cake layer on top. Frost top and sides of cake with icing.
4. Just before serving, cut cake into 8 slices and decorate as desired, using reserved filling, candies, cookies and cherries for eyes, antlers, ears and nose.

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer Lyrics

The famous Christmas song was written by Johnny Marks in 1949.

You know Dasher and Dancer
And Prancer and Vixen,
Comet and Cupid
And Donner and Blitzen.
But do you recall
The most famous reindeer of all?

Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
(reindeer)
Had a very shiny nose
(like a light bulb)
And if you ever saw it
(saw it)
You would even say it glows
(like a flash light)
All of the other reindeer
(reindeer)
Used to laugh and call him names
(like Pinocchio)
They never let poor Rudolph
(Rudolph)
Play in any reindeer games
(like Monopoly)

Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say
(Ho Ho Ho)
Rudolph with your nose so bright
Won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?
Then all the reindeer loved him
(loved him)
And they shouted out with glee
(yippee)
“Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
(reindeer)
You’ll go down in history!”
(like Columbus)

Recipe © Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board. Other material Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer Lyrics © Johnny Marks. M&Ms® is a registered trademark of Mars, Incorporated. Rolo® is a registered trademark of Société des Produits Nestlé S.A. Pepperidge Farm® is a registered trademark of Pepperidge Farm, Incorporated.