I got the chance to make my niece’s birthday cake this year and it was so much fun! It’s always a little challenging with December birthdays to make them special and not “overly Christmas” them but also still enjoy the flavors that make this time of year exciting. Like peppermint. Which she happens to love and made it super easy this year! I posted the recipe for the peppermint cheesecake a couple of days ago but the REALLY fun part was making this chocolate cabin as a cake topper. It was warm and cozy, incorporated a cardinal in honor of her “Greatma”, and was the exact thing we needed to tone down the peppermint flavor and make it say “Happy Birthday” instead of “Merry Christmas”.
Fun twist, these cabins are a great gift idea to fill with Hershey Hugs and Kisses as a happy little surprise when the recipient opens them up!
What you'll need:
20 ounces high-quality chocolate
6 ounces high-quality white chocolate
Candy (optional)
Cabin mold, (I bought this one off of Amazon)
Cotton gloves
Parchment or wax paper
Fluffy brush, can be purchased in the cake decorating section of most craft stores
Instructions:
Choose Your Chocolate: Begin by selecting the type of chocolate you prefer for your cabin. Dark chocolate offers a rich and intense flavor, while milk and white chocolate provide a sweeter taste. You can also combine different types for a more diverse experience. When I do molds, I always use a combination of milk and dark chocolate. For the snow on the cabin I used white chocolate.
Prepare the mold. This is a mold that you “build” so there’s minimal prep to it other than making sure it’s clean and dry. You will mold the individual walls and pieces and then “glue” it together with chocolate, similar to how you would build a gingerbread kit with cookies.
Melt the chocolate using a double boiler or microwave, ensuring a smooth and glossy consistency. If using the microwave, melt slowly in 15 second intervals stirring in between each one. Chocolate that has gotten too hot will "bloom" leaving white streaks once set. Once melted, pour the chocolate into the cavities of the mold that form the sides and rooflines.. Tap the mold against the counter to eliminate air bubbles. Because these molds have some more intricate detailing, I tap until I stop seeing air bubbles working their way up from the bottom. That will ensure you don’t have any “holes” in your finished product where a detail is missing because air was trapped. Refrigerate until set.
Once the pieces have solidified, gently remove the chocolate from the molds. I like using silicone molds for this project because it has more give then a rigid plastic mold and allows you to flex the mold while protecting the chocolate a bit (vs tapping the plastic molds against your hand or counter which can sometimes cause the individual pieces to break).
Using melted chocolate, glue the back wall and side walls together; allow to harden. Then glue the front side on. I let the base sit for about half hour just to make sure it’s stable, then, again using melted chocolate, attach the rooflines. Allow to harden completely.
As the last step, I used melted white chocolate and allowed to drip down the center line where the roof joined so that it would look like it had snowed. I also went along the edges of the roof line and created some “icicles”.
If you want to use as a stand-alone gift, wrap a piece of cardboard in foil or parchment paper. Fill with candy and then place dots of melted chocolate at each corner; place the cardboard against the melted chocolate and then quickly invert so that it’s sitting upright on the cardboard to allow the chocolate to dry.
These would also be adorable centerpieces or place settings for a special dinner during the winter months!
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