Many of you will have seen my 'Crafty Christmas Cake in a previous issue of Weight Watchers (UK) Magazine. It was the first of my regular Slice-of-Slim feature pages!
Obviously, there's limited space in the magazine, so they've very kindly agreed to let me share more detail with you on the blog.
I thought I'd show you early so you have plenty of time to plan and make the inedible 'crafty' parts.
Another reason is so that my US followers who can't buy the magazine can also have it in time for Thanksgiving!
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Christmas can be a daunting time for a Weight Watcher, but hopefully you'll see that you can still have some fun with my whimsical idea. All these goodies are low-fat and, presented on sticks in this way, enable you to have a few treats without feeling like you are missing out.
If you are a guest at someone else's house, you could offer to bring a dessert...then present this gorgeous table centre, knowing it's not going to tempt you off plan.
My 'snow'-capped strawberries, and dancing snowmen will appeal to everyone, young and old, Weight Watcher or not!
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HOW TO MAKE
my
CRAFTY CHRISTMAS CAKE
I thought I would show you in detail exactly how I made the cake, step-by-step.
You could make a base like mine, but if you don't have the time or the inclination, the goodies look great arranged in a vase or jug!
*
THE BASE
Using florists polystyrene or oasis, create your desired base shape.
Stick the oasis onto a 'hat-box' style box, then cover it with florists' moss from a craft shop.
Open out a length of tape (sticky side up) and pop the bamboo skewer in place.
Fold the tape back over the stick. The great thing about washi tape is that it's low-tack, so if you mess up you can unpeel and restick as many times as you wish!
Cut into a flag shape.
Make as many flags as you need.
Make the miniature bunting the same way. Wrap wire around two bamboo skewers. Fold the tape over the wire and cut into triangles.
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THE FRUIT POPS
Weigh all the ingredients into separate small containers. Melt the chocolate.
Make sure your strawberries are chilled.
(The chocolate sets much quicker).
Snip the stalks off the strawberries, leaving the foliage intact.
Make a hole with the sharp end of a bamboo skewer.
Insert the flat end of a bamboo skewer into the hole you made.
(You need the sharp end to stick into your polystyrene base).
Using a teaspoon, make a thin stripe of plain chocolate about a third of the way down the strawberry.
Coat the top of the strawberry with a thin 'cap' of white chocolate.
Leave to set in glasses.
If you make a grape version, stack them in threes.
***
THE MERINGUE SNOWMEN
These are 2pp/approx.90kcal each
For 15 snowmen you need:
4 Egg Whites
(Use '2-chicks' liquid egg white if you don't want to waste the yolks. Click HERE for link)
200g Caster Sugar
Selection of decorations
(Propoints are included for these)
When making the snowmen, choose a variety of small fruity and chocolate treats for decorating. Red laces or tiny dots of black icing are great for mouths.
The tiny coloured chocolate beans I used for eyes and buttons are from the cake decorating department in supermarkets.
Half a dried cranberry or these tiny marshmallows make wonderful noses!
Whisk the egg whites until firm, then add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking until you have a beautiful, glossy mixture.
Line a baking tray with baking parchment.
Shape the meringue mixture with a teaspoon.
(Approx. 1 generous teaspoon for the head and 2 for the body).
Bake for 1 hour at 140 degrees centigrade then turn the oven off and leave to cool in the oven.
Carefully insert bamboo skewers and arrange in the 'cake' base.
Fruit Winders make fantastic scarves,but you must add these AFTER baking, once the snowmen are cool. Cut to desired length and wrap around the neck.
For a 'candy cane' effect, you can pop the skewers through stripy straws as you place them into the mossy base.
T'is the season to be jolly!
***
GIFTY TIPS:
Small, hand-tied bunches of fruit pops.
Individual snowmen wrapped in cellophane.
A box of snowmen for a special family you know!
***
PRINT INSTRUCTIONS HERE
my
CRAFTY CHRISTMAS CAKE
I thought I would show you in detail exactly how I made the cake, step-by-step.
You could make a base like mine, but if you don't have the time or the inclination, the goodies look great arranged in a vase or jug!
*
THE BASE
Using florists polystyrene or oasis, create your desired base shape.
Glue a paper napkin or wrapping paper around the cardboard base.
Tie a bow with rustic string.
Decorate with ornaments of your choice.
(I bought these gorgeous vintage-style painted plaster toadstools from a Christmas shop. I cut the wires really short so I could stick them into the polystyrene).
***
THE MINIATURE FLAGS & BUNTING
Make some little decorative flags and tiny bunting out of bamboo skewers,
wire and WASHI tape.
(You can buy this tape from gift and craft shops. If you are local to Leamington Spa, BERYLUNE on Park Street have an amazing selection. Paperchase sell it too).
Fold the tape back over the stick. The great thing about washi tape is that it's low-tack, so if you mess up you can unpeel and restick as many times as you wish!
Cut into a flag shape.
Make as many flags as you need.
Make the miniature bunting the same way. Wrap wire around two bamboo skewers. Fold the tape over the wire and cut into triangles.
***
THE FRUIT POPS
These are 1pp/approx.50kcal for 2 fruit pops.
For every 5 Fruit pops, you need:
5 Large Strawberries or 15 Grapes
8g Plain Chocolate
8g White Chocolate
2 Teaspoons Sugar Sprinkles
For every 5 Fruit pops, you need:
5 Large Strawberries or 15 Grapes
8g Plain Chocolate
8g White Chocolate
2 Teaspoons Sugar Sprinkles
Weigh all the ingredients into separate small containers. Melt the chocolate.
(The chocolate sets much quicker).
Snip the stalks off the strawberries, leaving the foliage intact.
Make a hole with the sharp end of a bamboo skewer.
Insert the flat end of a bamboo skewer into the hole you made.
(You need the sharp end to stick into your polystyrene base).
Using a teaspoon, make a thin stripe of plain chocolate about a third of the way down the strawberry.
Make sure the white chocolate overlaps the plain. Allow it to look random and wavy, like fallen snow.
Gently dip the end into the sugar sprinkles. (You only need a few).
If you make a grape version, stack them in threes.
***
THE MERINGUE SNOWMEN
These are 2pp/approx.90kcal each
For 15 snowmen you need:
4 Egg Whites
(Use '2-chicks' liquid egg white if you don't want to waste the yolks. Click HERE for link)
200g Caster Sugar
Selection of decorations
(Propoints are included for these)
The tiny coloured chocolate beans I used for eyes and buttons are from the cake decorating department in supermarkets.
Whisk the egg whites until firm, then add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking until you have a beautiful, glossy mixture.
(Approx. 1 generous teaspoon for the head and 2 for the body).
Decorate BEFORE baking.
(You could even customise them to look like friends and family!)
Bake for 1 hour at 140 degrees centigrade then turn the oven off and leave to cool in the oven.
Carefully insert bamboo skewers and arrange in the 'cake' base.
Fruit Winders make fantastic scarves,but you must add these AFTER baking, once the snowmen are cool. Cut to desired length and wrap around the neck.
For a 'candy cane' effect, you can pop the skewers through stripy straws as you place them into the mossy base.
T'is the season to be jolly!
***
GIFTY TIPS:
Individual snowmen wrapped in cellophane.
A box of snowmen for a special family you know!
***
PRINT INSTRUCTIONS HERE
