Family Features

Whether planning an intimate brunch or a formal dinner reception, here are several ways every bride and groom can add their own special touch to their wedding festivities.

Greeting Out-of-Town Guests

For a sweet way to surprise visitors, have homemade cookies, a thermos of cold milk or hot cocoa and some Hugs and Kisses waiting for hotel guests.

Make guests feel pampered by leaving a goodnight Hug and Kiss on their hotel room pillow.

Decorations and Favors With Flair

Spread Hugs and Kisses across the place card, guest book and wedding cake tables to add a sophisticated silver and gold touch.

Wrap several homemade sweets in colored cellophane or Hugs and Kisses in lace or tulle, and tie them with a satin bow to match your wedding colors.

Dessert Ideas for Wedding Festivities

For a small wedding or rehearsal dinner, make your own Celebration Cake, and decorate it with a removable centerpiece made from Hugs and Kisses.

For an extra dessert treat, set a silver bowl filled with Hugs and Kisses on the dessert buffet next to the wedding cake.

Host a post-wedding brunch for the bride and groom at the home of a family member or friend, and serve homemade coffeecakes, scones and crescents made with cinnamon chips.

CHOCOLATE ALMOND WEDDING CELEBRATION CAKE

You will need to triple this recipe to complete Wedding Celebration Cake.

CHOCOLATE ALMOND CAKE:
2-1/2 cups (5 sticks) butter or margarine,
softened
3 cups sugar
8 eggs
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups finely ground blanched almonds
3/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa
2-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
2/3 cup milk
2 teaspoons almond extract
CREAMY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING (recipe follows)

1. Prepare CHOCOLATE ALMOND CAKE. Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour one 12 x 2-inch and one 6 x 2-inch round baking pan.
2. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl of heavy duty mixer until fluffy. Gradually add eggs, beating until well blended.
3. Stir together flour, almonds, cocoa and baking powder. Alternately add with milk to egg mixture; beat until well blended. Add almond extract; continue beating until fluffy. Spoon 2 cups batter into prepared 6-inch pan; spoon remaining batter into prepared 12-inch pan.
4. Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in each cake comes out clean and cakes begin to pull from sides of pans. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.
5. Repeat steps 1, 2, 3 and 4 for second layer of 12 and 6-inch cakes.
6. Grease and flour three 9-inch round baking pans. Repeat steps 2 and 3, but divide batter evenly into prepared 9-inch pans.
7. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in each cake comes out clean and cakes begin to pull from sides of pans. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. (You will have an extra layer to freeze for another use.)
8. Prepare 3 recipes of CREAMY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING.

CREAMY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Beat 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, 1 cup shortening and 2 teaspoons vanilla or almond extract in large bowl of heavy duty mixer until blended. Gradually add 7-1/2 cups powdered sugar alternating with 1/4 cup milk until well blended. Gradually beat in 1/4 cup light corn syrup; beat on high speed until fluffy. If necessary, add additional corn syrup, one teaspoon at a time, until you get the consistency you like. About 6 cups frosting.

To assemble:
1. Prepare a cake board or use large serving platter. Place bottom layer of each tier on a cake circle or foil-covered cardboard piece cut to fit; secure each cake to a circle with a few strokes of frosting.
2. Fill and frost 2 layers for each tier. You will now have 3 frosted two-layer cakes: 12, 9 and 6 inches.
3. Place frosted 12-inch tier on cake board securing with a few strokes of frosting. Gently press 8-inch plate or circle into top of 12-inch tier to imprint circle; remove. Cut seven 3-3/4-inch lengths from a 1/4-inch diameter wooden dowel rod. Spacing evenly within circle guide, push rods down in cake to the base. 4. Place frosted 9-inch cake tier on base cake tier; top with frosted 6-inch cake. Decorate cake as desired. About 90 servings without top tier.

Wedding Cake Topper and Kisses Rosette Decorations
Completed craft is for decorative purposes only and should not be eaten.

Materials Needed:
65 each Hershey's Kisses Chocolates and Kisses With Almonds Chocolates
Low temperature hot glue gun
Floral wire
Clear cellophane wrap
2 packages white silk rose leaves, approximately 1-1/4 inches long
Floral tape
1 plastic bouquet holder with Styrofoam center (available at craft stores)
5 yards 1/4-inch wide silver wired ribbon
1 bunch baby's breath
3 yards 2-inch wide gold edged white ribbon

Kisses Rosette Decorations:
Spread glue on bottom of one foil-wrapped Kiss. Firmly press bottom of another Kiss to it. Insert a 3-inch floral wire into one pointed end of double Kisses. Wrap 4-inch square of clear cellophane around the double Kisses, twisting tightly. At bottom of rosette, place one white silk rose leaf; wrap floral tape around wire and leaf stem. Continue wrapping tape down the stem, adding second leaf approximately 1 inch below the first.

Cake Topper:
Create seven each of silver and gold Kisses Rosette Decorations. Arrange rosettes by inserting stems into Styrofoam center of bouquet holder, alternating silver and gold rosettes. Decorate with curls of silver ribbon and sprigs of baby's breath.

Cake Layer Decorations:
Wrap 2-inch wide gold edged ribbon around base of each layer. Prepare 9-10 Kisses Rosette clusters of two rosettes each (one silver and one gold) and 9-10 clusters of three rosettes each, tying each together with one white leaf and curled silver ribbon. Insert baby's breath into each cluster. Arrange on cake layers, alternating two and three cluster Kisses Rosette Decorations.

 

 

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