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Cake Recipes

Before you can get on to 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 and for the small cakes that you will find at the end of every project.

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 if you are placing sugarpaste characters on the top it stays firm and will not sink. The recipe here is for a plain cake, but you can flavour both the sponge and the buttercream (see page 24) 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) round cake

* 115g (4oz) plain flour

* 225g (8oz) self-raising flour

* 225g (8oz) unsalted butter (at room temperature)

* 225g (8oz) caster sugar

* 4 eggs

Method

1 Pre-heat the oven to 160°C (320°F, Gas Mark 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 opposite) and when it is cooked, remove it from the oven and leave it to stand in the tin for about 5 minutes, then turn it out on to a wire rack to cool fully.

5 Cover the cake around the sides and top with a coating of buttercream (see page 24), then cover with rolled sugarpaste (see page 26).

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 Pre-heat the oven to 140°C (275°F, 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 if 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 above left).

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 page 25), then cover with rolled marzipan and sugarpaste (see pages 26–28).

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 personal taste. Ideally, use the Silverwood 5cm (2in) multi-mini pan set (see Suppliers, page 126), but if you don’t have this you can just make one large cake and cut it into individual squares. Serve the cakes on 7.5cm (3in) cake cards.

Tip

There are special silicone liners available for the mini cake pans, but if you don’t have them it is best to line the tins with greaseproof paper. Alternatively, grease the tins well, sprinkle them with flour, then shake off the surplus making sure all the greased surfaces are covered.

Ingredients

For 16 mini cakes or one 18cm (7in) cake to be cut into squares

* 250g (9oz) self-raising flour

* 250g (9oz) caster sugar

* 250g (9oz) butter (at room temperature)

* 4 eggs

Method

1 Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (350°F, Gas Mark 4), and prepare the cake pans (see tip above left).

2 Prepare the mixture as for the Madeira cake (see page 18) 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 For perfect cubes, 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 (see page 24), then cover with rolled sugarpaste (see pages 26–27).

Tip

The mini cakes can also be made in rich fruit cake. If you are making fruit versions it is best not to cut off the tops, so take care to fill the pans to the correct height. For fruit cakes, use apricot glaze and marzipan (see pages 25 and 28) instead of buttercream.

Cup Cakes

An alternative to the mini cakes is to use good old-fashioned cup cakes, which are simple to make and just as delicious. They can be iced rather than covered with buttercream and sugarpaste for a lighter, less indulgent treat.

Ingredients

For 12 cup cakes

* 175g (6oz) unsalted butter

* 175g (6oz) golden caster sugar

* Finely grated zest of 1 orange

* 2 large eggs

* 100ml (7tbsp) milk

* 175g (6oz) plain flour

* 7.5ml (1½tsp) baking powder

Method

1 Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (350°F, Gas Mark 4).

2 Place all the ingredients into a food processor and cream together.

3 Arrange the paper cases inside two fairy cake tins and spoon the mixture into them, filling them two-thirds full.

4 Bake for 15 minutes until risen and springy to the touch, then remove from the oven and leave to cool.

5 Ice and decorate as desired.