It couldn’t be easier to turn dessert into decor, thanks to our printable cake topper banners. Just download, cut, and print the banners—using our wishes or ones you write yourself. Then, tape them to wooden skewers and stick them into your favorite cake for birthdays, anniversaries, the holidays, any occasion where cake is invited.
As for the cake you put the toppers in, it can be any kind you like. We chose one that’s stunningly simple to look at but full of delicious flavors. It’s a boozy, beautiful fruit cake whipped up by our friend Jason Schreiber. You’ll find the recipe in his book,Fruit Cake: Recipes for the Curious Baker—as well as below the how-to here, so you can try your hand at making it at home.
The perfect make-ahead dessert (the “cocktail” poured over it preserves it and enhances the flavors as it’s stored), fruit cake is traditional for the holidays. Jason made this one for his sister’s wedding, so that he’d be free to enjoy the festivities of the wedding weekend. (All you need to do the day you plan to serve it is to add the icing.) It’s a cake that’s as sweet and nourishing as the wishes in the banners flying above it!
You can print banners calligraphed with the phrase “Wishing You” and six wishes to choose from (or display together): Peace, Joy, Health, Hope, Love, and Happiness. Or, print our blank banners and write any message you like, from Happy Birthday to the names and initials of a couple at their wedding—any message you’d like to see flying high.
What You’ll Need
- Cake Topper Banner template
- White paper or cardstock
- Scissors
- Tape
- Wooden Skewers
- Cake (any kind you like; see below for Jason Schreiber’s recipe for Laura and Adam’s Wedding Cake)
- How-To
Step 1 Download Cake Topper Banner template, print, and cut out.
Step 2 Tape banner cutouts to wooden skewers.
Step 3 Place skewers into cake, and dessert is served!
Jason Schreiber’s Recipe for Laura and Adam’s Wedding Cake
Pan Goo, for greasing the pan (see recipe below); you can also use parchment paper or cooking spray
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
about 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) 8 unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 cups dried apples, roughly chopped in 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups dried pears, roughly chopped in 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup pecans, lightly toasted and broken into pieces
FOR THE COCKTAIL
1/4 cup bourbon
1/4 cup Campari
1/4 cup sweet vermouth
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
FOR THE GLAZE AND SERVING
1 to 2 tablespoons whole milk, as needed
confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup vanilla ice cream, for serving, optional
1. Preheat the oven to 300°F with a rack in the center position. Line the bottom of a 6 x 3-inch round cake pan (see below) with parchment and brush with Pan Goo.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, baking powder, salt, cardamom, and nutmeg. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and dark brown sugar on medium-high speed until well combined, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl and beating well after each addition. Add the honey and beat on high speed until the mixture is foamy, about 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the dry ingredients, and mix on low speed until a very loose batter forms. Add the dried fruit and nuts, stirring to combine. It’s a lot of fruit; I know. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
4. Bake until the cake is deep golden brown and springs back to the touch, about 90 minutes.
5. Transfer the pan to a wire rack set on a rimmed baking sheet. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove the cake to the rack. Use a wooden skewer to poke holes all the way from the top of the cake to the bottom, spaced about 1 inch apart, to help the cocktail absorb.
6. Prepare the cocktail by stirring together all the ingredients in a small measuring cup. Tip a tipple, then pour over the cooling cake a little at a time, allowing the mixture to soak all the way through to the center. It will seem like a lot of booze, but that’s the point. Let the cake cool completely to room temperature.
7. Make the glaze and finish the cake the day you plan to serve it. Stir the milk into the confectioners’ sugar a little at a time until the mixture just coats the back of a spoon. Spread the glaze over the top of the cake and let it drip down the sides. Serve with vanilla ice cream, if you must.
STORAGE
The soaked cake can be stored in an airtight container in a cool spot for a very long time; the flavors will actually get better with age. If you plan to keep the cake for more than 2 weeks, mix together a similar cocktail to brush over the cake from time to time—the alcohol will serve as a preservative.
MAKING DO
If you don’t have a 3-inch-tall cake pan, you can get by with a standard 2-inch number. Line the sides with a 20-inch-long strip of parchment that is 3 inches wide, creating a collar that will contain the cake as it rises. Brush the collar with Pan Goo, too.
PAN GOO RECIPE
Makes about ¾ cup
1⁄4 cup neutral oil, such as safflower
1⁄3 cup all- purpose flour
In a small container with a lid, whisk the oil and flour together until combined. Brush onto baking pans in
place of parchment paper or cooking spray.
STORAGE
Keep it in the fridge for a couple of weeks.
