Deck the Halls

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My poor kids, they get dragged along in my Hallmark obsession. For my daughter's first birthday I decided to make her a Wizard of Oz cake, just so I could put my Hallmark ornaments to some fun decorating use. I'm a beginning cake decorator so I really think that anyone can make this.

Here's what you'll need:
A cake (I used a 9" square, but any size will do)
Buttercream icing (white, yellow/gold, green, blue & pink)
Icing bags
Decorating tips (Wilton 3, 16, 47, & 233)
Icing Colors - Winnie the Pooh Yellow (or yellow & touch of brown), green, blue, red
Paper cone or ice cream sugar cone for tree

Wizard of Oz - King of the Forest, Miniature Ornaments (1997)
Wizard of Oz - Glinda, The Good Witch & Wicked Witch of the West, Miniature Ornaments (1998)

Step 1: Make your cake, let it cool on a wire rack. While your cake is cooling, make your Buttercream Icing. The recipe that follows makes three cups. You may need to make more than one batch depending upon the size of your cake. Once your cake is completely cool, place it on your serving platter.

Step 2: Ice your cake white. Decide on your layout. Using a toothpick lay out your "notes" on where to put things by drawing lightly on the icing.

Step 3: Add your yellow brick road using tip #47. (Note: Tips 44-46 would also work.) Pipe short strips of icing to form the bricks.

Step 4: Place your paper cone or sugar cone on the cake where you want your tree. Using tip #16, pull stars around the base in varying lengths. Repeat, overlapping each row until cone is covered. Pipe an upright star at tree top.

Step 5: Using tip #233, pipe your grass along the outside of both sides of the yellow brick road. I also added some grass at the corners to give a little more interest to the cake. Using tip #3, dot some "flowers" onto the grass. I used pink and blue "flowers."

Step 6: Using tip #16, add a pink star border around the top and bottom edges of the cake. Make stars by holding the bad at a 90º angle with the tip slightly above surface. Squeeze bag to form the star, stop pressure and pull tip away.

Step 8: Take twist ties, remove the paper covering. Floral wire would also work. Twist one end of the wire around the feet of your ornament. Bend the wire so the remaining amount points straight down. Repeat with each ornament.

1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners sugar (about 1 LB)
2 tbsp. milk

Cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed, until all sugar has been added. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. Icing may appear dry. Add milk and beat until light and fluffy.

Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks in your refrigerator, just whip before using.