Chocolate Covered Cherry Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
For Glaze:
Royal icing
Orange food coloring
brown icing or brown food coloring for stems
Instructions:
For the Cake:
Preheat the Oven:
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Cream Butter and Sugar:
In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
Add Egg and Vanilla:
Add the egg and vanilla extract to the butter-sugar mixture. Mix until well combined.
Combine Dry Ingredients:
In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
Add Dry Ingredients to Wet Ingredients:
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing just until the dough comes together.
Chill the Dough:
Divide the dough in half, shape each half into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Chilled dough is easier to roll and holds its shape better.
Roll and Cut:
Preheat your oven again to 350°F. Roll out one disc of chilled dough on a floured surface to about 1/4 inch thickness. Use a pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter to cut out cookies and place them on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake:
Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are just starting to turn golden. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
For Glaze:
Prepare Royal Icing:
If you haven't already, prepare royal icing using the recipe and instructions provided earlier.
Color the Icing:
Tint some of the royal icing with orange food coloring. You can use gel coloring for a more vibrant color.
Decorate the Cookies:
Once the cookies are completely cooled, use a piping bag or a small spatula to spread the orange icing over each cookie, leaving the stem area blank.
Add Stems:
If using pre-made brown icing, or if coloring a small portion of royal icing brown, pipe or spread a small stem at the top of each pumpkin.
Let Icing Set:
Allow the icing to set before storing or serving the cookies. This might take a few hours or overnight, depending on the icing consistency.