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Secret Garden Cake

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      Secret Garden Cake

      Baker Elisa Strauss joins Martha to craft beautiful marzipan flowers for a Secret Garden Cake. Part 1.

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      Play VideoSecret Garden Cake, Part 1

      Secret Garden Cake

      Baker Elisa Strauss joins Martha to craft beautiful marzipan flowers for a...

      Secret Garden Cake

      Baker Elisa Strauss joins Martha to craft beautiful marzipan flowers for a Secret Garden Cake. Part 2.

      Watch the Video

      Play VideoSecret Garden Cake, Part 2

      Secret Garden Cake

      Baker Elisa Strauss joins Martha to craft beautiful marzipan flowers for a...

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    Recipe courtesy of Elisa Strauss.
    The Martha Stewart Show, May 2006
    • Yield Makes one 9-by-13-inch layer cake
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    Ingredients

    • Old-Fashioned Vanilla Cake
    • 10 cups Swiss Meringue Buttercream
    • One 11 1/2-ounce package milk chocolate morsels
    • 40 chocolate wafer cookies
    • Two 2-ounce packages pretzel sticks, at least 4-inches long (about 100)
    • 1 cup candy pebbles
    • Marzipan Flowers
    • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

    Directions

    1. Place cake on a clean work surface. Using a serrated knife, trim top to make level, and split cake horizontally to form 2 layers. Place a dab of buttercream in the center of a 9-by-13-inch cardboard rectangle. Center 1 cake layer on top. Using an offset spatula, frost top of cake layer with 5 cups buttercream for the filling; place remaining cake layer on top. Frost entire cake with remaining 5 cups buttercream. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
    2. Meanwhile, melt chocolate morsels in a double-boiler or a medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water (do not let bowl touch water). Stir in vegetable oil until combined. Remove from heat. Dip pretzels into chocolate to coat, and transfer to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Let sit in a cool place until chocolate has set.
    3. Using white glue, affix cardboard rectangle to a cutting board or piece of plywood covered with adhesive-backed paper, approximately 14-by-18 inches. Process chocolate cookies in a food processor until finely ground; you will need 2 cups of crumbs. Sprinkle top of chilled cake with crumbs. Place marzipan terracotta pot in center of cake. Sprinkle candy pebbles on top of cake to form a path. Arrange marzipan flowers and garden hose in clusters on either side of path.
    4. Gently press pretzels into sides of cake, about 1/2-inch apart. Serve at room temperature.

    Recipe Reviews

    • ginastav
      27 Feb, 2008

      Where are the flower templates for the secret garden cake that Martha said were on the website? I can't find them.

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