Читать книгу Fun & Original Birthday Cakes - Maisie Parish - Страница 7
ОглавлениеRecipes
Before you can get on with the business of decorating your cake, first you need to bake it! While there are thousands of books on cake making for you to refer to, here are my tried-and-tested recipes for both sponge and fruit cakes, for the small cakes that you will find at the end of every project, and for some additional things you will need to make.
Madeira Cake
This is a very nice firm cake that will keep for up to two weeks, giving you plenty of time to decorate it. It can also be frozen. I use it because it stays firm and will not sink when you place sugarpaste characters on the top. The recipe here is for a plain cake, but you can flavour both the sponge and the buttercream to suit your own taste.
Tip
The temperatures stated and baking times given are for fan-assisted ovens, which is what I use. If you are using a conventional oven, you will need to adjust the timings accordingly.
Ingredients
For a 20cm (8in) cake
115g (4oz) plain flour
225g (8oz) self-raising flour
225g (8oz) butter (at room temperature)
225g (8oz) caster sugar
4 eggs
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 160ºC (320ºF, Gas Mark 2–3). Grease the tin and line with greaseproof paper, then grease the paper as well.
2 Sift the flours into a large mixing bowl and add the butter and sugar. Beat together until the mixture is pale and smooth. Add the eggs and beat well, adding more flour if the mixture becomes too loose.
3 Spoon the mixture into the tin, and then make a dip in the top with the back of a spoon to prevent the cake from rising too much.
4 Bake in the centre of the oven for 1–1¼ hours. Test the cake (see tip) and when it is cooked, remove it from the oven and leave it to stand in the tin for about five minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool fully.
5 Cover the cake around the sides and top with a coating of buttercream, then cover with sugarpaste (see covering cakes)
Rich Fruit Cake
This delicious cake improves with time, so always store it away before decorating it. I find it is generally at its best four weeks after baking, provided it is stored properly and fed with a little extra brandy!
Tip
Test whether a cake is ready by inserting a fine cake skewer into the centre. If the cake is ready, the skewer will come out clean, if not, replace the cake for a few more minutes and then test it again.
Ingredients
For a 20cm (8in) cake
575g (1lb 4¼oz) currants
225g (8oz) sultanas
85g (3oz) glacé cherries
85g (3oz) mixed peel
60ml (4tbsp) brandy
285g (10oz) plain flour
2.5ml (½tsp) salt
1.25ml (¼tsp) nutmeg
3.75ml (¾tsp) mixed spice
285g (10oz) dark soft brown sugar
285g (10oz) butter (at room temperature)
5 eggs
85g (3oz) chopped almonds
Grated zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon
15ml (1tbsp) black treacle
Method
1 Place all the fruit and peel into a bowl and mix in the brandy. Cover the bowl with a cloth and leave to soak for 24 hours.
2 Preheat the oven to 140ºC (275ºF, Gas Mark 1). Grease the tin and line with greaseproof paper, then grease the paper as well.
3 Sieve the flour, salt and spices into a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy.
4 Beat the eggs and then add a little at a time to the creamed butter and sugar, beating well after each addition. If the mixture looks as though it is going to curdle, add a little flour.
5 When all the eggs have been added, fold in the flour and spices. Then stir in the soaked fruit and peel, the chopped almonds, treacle and the grated orange and lemon zest.
6 Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and spread it out evenly with the back of a spoon.
7 Tie some cardboard or brown paper around the outside of the tin to prevent the cake from overcooking on the outside before the inside is done, then cover the top with a double thickness of greaseproof paper with a small hole in the centre to let any steam escape.
8 Bake the cake on the lower shelf of the oven for 4¼–4¾ hours. Do not look at the cake until at least 4 hours have passed, then test it (see tip).
9 When cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin. When quite cold, remove from the tin but leave the greaseproof paper on as this helps to keep the cake moist. Turn the cake upside down and wrap in more greaseproof paper, then loosely in polythene and store in an airtight tin. Store in a cool, dry place.
10 You can feed the cake with brandy during the storage time. To do this, make a few holes in the surface of the cake with a fine skewer and sprinkle a few drops of brandy on to the surface. Reseal and store as above. Do not do this too often though or you will make the cake soggy.
11 Glaze the cake with apricot glaze (see essential purchases), then cover with marzipan and sugarpaste (see covering cakes).
Giant Cupcake
This is the recipe you will need in order to make the Cupcake Heaven cake, using the Wilton large cupcake pan (see Suppliers).
Ingredients
500g (1lb 1½oz) plain flour
10ml (2tsp) baking powder
440g (15½oz) sugar
440g (15½oz) soft margarine
7 medium eggs
50ml (3½tbsp) milk
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 160ºC (320ºF, Gas Mark 2–3).
2 Place the flour, baking powder, sugar, margarine and eggs into a mixing bowl, add the milk. Mix together with a wooden spoon and then beat for two to three minutes until smooth and glossy. Alternatively use an electric mixer and beat for one minute only.
3 Grease and flour the tin very well and fill each cavity with the cake mixture, leaving room at the top for the cake to rise. Level the top of the mixture and tap the tin to remove any air bubbles.
4 Place in the oven and cook for 1–1½ hours until the cake springs back when pressed in the centre.
5 Remove from the oven and leave the cakes in the tin to cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Mini Car Cakes
This recipe for mini cakes is used to create the small cars in the Motor Mania cake. You will need the Wilton small egg tin (see Suppliers) – this recipe will fill one tray to make eight half eggs, which will make four cars.
Ingredients
125g (4oz) plain flour
2.5ml (½tsp) baking powder
90g (3oz) caster sugar
90g (3oz) soft margarine
2 medium eggs
15ml (1tbsp) milk
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 160ºC (320ºF, Gas Mark 2–3).
2 Place all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix with a wooden spoon, then beat for two to three minutes until smooth and glossy. Alternatively use an electric mixer and beat for one minute only.
3 Grease the tin well and fill each cavity two-thirds of the way up with the cake mixture. Level the top of the mixture and tap the tin to remove any air bubbles.
4 Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes until the cakes spring back when pressed in the centre. Remove from the oven and leave cakes in the tin to cool before turning out onto a wire rack.
5 Level the top of the cakes then sandwich two halves together with buttercream to form a whole egg shape.
Cupcakes
This recipe creates a wonderful vanilla-flavoured muffin-type cupcake with a rounded top, as opposed to a flatter-topped fairy cake. This recipe is used to create all the cupcakes featured in the book.
Ingredients
110g (4oz) unsalted butter (at room temperature)
130g (4½oz) sugar
3 large eggs
5ml (1tsp) pure vanilla extract
195g (7oz) plain flour
7.5ml (1½tsp) baking powder
60ml (4tbsp) milk
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 170ºC (325ºF, Gas Mark 3) and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
2 In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.
3 In a separate bowl whisk together the flour and baking powder. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
4 Evenly fill the muffin cups with the mixture and bake for 18–20 minutes or until nicely browned and a skewer inserted into a cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
5 Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost with buttercream and cover with a circle of sugarpaste.
Mini Cakes
These charming mini cakes are very popular and make the main cake go much further. Children love them, especially if they are made from sponge, which you can flavour to your taste. Ideally, use the Silverwood 6cm (2½in) mini pan set (see Suppliers), but if you don’t have this you can just make one large cake and cut it into individual rounds using a 5cm (2in) round cutter. Serve on 7.5cm (3in) cake cards.
Ingredients
For 16 mini cakes or one 18cm (7in) cake to be cut into rounds
250g (8¾oz) self-raising flour
250g (8¾oz) caster sugar
250g (8¾oz) butter (at room temperature)
4 eggs
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF, Gas Mark 4), and prepare the cake pans with silicone liners or with greaseproof paper.
2 Prepare the mixture as for the Madeira cake and half fill each cake pan. Bake in the centre of the oven for 15–20 minutes. You may wish to put a baking sheet on the bottom shelf to catch any drips. When cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
3 Leave the cooled cakes in the pans and slice neatly across the tops with a long-bladed knife, using the pan tops as a cutting guide.
4 Remove the pans from the base and gently pull the halves apart to remove the cakes. You may need to run a thin-bladed knife around the top edges to release any slight overspill. Place the cakes on a wire rack. Once cooled, keep them covered, as they will dry out very quickly.
5 Cover each cake around the sides and top with a coating of buttercream, then cover with rolled sugarpaste.
Sugar Flower Paste
This is a good strong paste that can be rolled very thinly. It is ideal for making delicate objects such as flowers and butterflies. It is used to make the windscreen (windshield) on the car in the Motor Mania cake.
Ingredients
3 medium egg whites (at room temperature)
594g (1lb 5oz) icing (confectioners’) sugar
20g (¾oz) CMC (Tylose) powder (see essential purchases)
14g (½oz) white vegetable fat (shortening)
Method
1 Lightly beat the egg whites in a mixing bowl. Sieve the icing (confectioners’) sugar and gradually add it to the egg whites beating well between additions until a soft peak consistency is reached.
2 Add the CMC (Tylose) powder and white vegetable fat (shortening). Beat again – it will thicken immediately.
3 Remove from the bowl and knead well for a few minutes until soft, smooth and stretchy.
4 Put into strong polythene bag immediately then into an airtight container. The paste will keep for many weeks and can be stored in the fridge.
Pastillage
Pastillage is a form of sugarpaste that dries very hard so is ideal for pieces that need to remain rigid such as the toy box and the headboard.
Ingredients
2 medium egg whites
Dust food colour in the desired shade
14oz (½oz) icing (confectioners’) sugar
10ml (2tsp) CMC (Tylose) powder (see essential purchases)
Method
1 Place the egg whites into a mixing bowl and beat.
2 Add the dust food colour to the sifted icing (confectioners’) sugar, and add gradually to the egg whites, beating after each addition.
3 When all the sugar has been added, mix in the CMC (Tylose) powder to form a stiff paste.
4 Remove the mixture from the bowl and knead into a smooth paste. Wrap tightly in a freezer bag and place in the fridge until required.
Tip
You will need to repeat this recipe five times to complete The Toy Box cake on page 52. It is best to make one mix at a time so as not to overload your mixer.
Edible Glue
This is the glue that holds sugarpaste pieces together, used in every project in this book. Always make sure your glue is edible before applying it to your cake.
Tip
To make a stronger edible glue, add an extra pinch of CMC (Tylose) to the basic recipe and mix into a stiff paste.
Ingredients
1.25ml (¼tsp) CMC (Tylose) powder
30ml (2tbsp) boiled water, still warm
A few drops of white vinegar
Method
1 Mix the CMC (Tylose) powder with the warm boiled water and leave it to stand until the powder has fully dissolved. The glue should be smooth and to a dropping consistency. If the glue thickens after a few days, add a few more drops of warm water.
2 To prevent contamination or mould, add a few drops of white vinegar.
3 Store the glue in an airtight container in the fridge and use within one week.
Buttercream
A generous coating of buttercream precedes the covering of sugarpaste on all sponge cakes. The classic version is flavoured with a few drops of vanilla essence, but you could substitute this for cocoa powder or grated lemon/orange zest to suit your particular taste.
Ingredients
To make 480g (1lb) of buttercream
110g (4oz) butter (at room temperature)
30ml (2tbsp) milk
350g (12oz) sifted icing (confectioners’) sugar
Method
1 Place the butter into a mixing bowl and add the milk and any flavouring required.
2 Sift the icing (confectioners’) sugar into the bowl a little at a time. Beat after each addition until all the sugar has been incorporated. The buttercream should be light and creamy in texture.
3 Store in an airtight container for no more than one week.
Sweet and delicious, buttercream is simple to make and is the ideal covering for both large and mini sponge cakes. Smooth on a generous layer with a palette knife before they are covered in sugarpaste.
CMC (Tylose) powder, white vegetable fat (shortening), apricot glaze and confectioners’ glaze are essential products that you will need to purchase before you begin sugarcrafting (see Suppliers).
Essential Purchases
A visit to your local cake decorating or sugarcraft shop is a must – not only can you buy all the necessary products there, you will also come away very inspired! These products cannot be made at home with any great ease, and therefore need to be purchased.
White vegetable fat (shortening) This is used for softening sugarpaste so that it can be extruded through a sugar press more easily to make hair, grass, fluff etc. If you find your sugarpaste has dried out a bit, knead in a little of this to make it soft and pliable again.
CMC (Tylose) powder Carboxymethylcellulose is a synthetic and inexpensive thickening agent that is used to convert sugarpaste into modelling paste, and also used for edible glue.
Apricot glaze This glaze is painted onto fruit cakes before adding a layer of marzipan. It is made from apricot jam, water and lemon juice, which is boiled then sieved. Although it would be possible to make your own, I don’t know anyone who does, as it is so easy to use straight from the jar.
Confectioners’ glaze This product is used to highlight the eyes, shoes, or anything you want to shine on your models. It is particularly useful if you want to photograph your cake, as it will really add sparkle. Apply a thin coat and let it dry, then apply a second and even a third to give a really deep shine. It is best kept in a small bottle with brush on the lid – this way the brush is submerged in the glaze and doesn’t go hard. If you use your paintbrush to apply it, then you will have to clean it with special glaze cleaner.
