Fun and Original Children's Cakes. Maisie Parrish

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 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 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 27), then cover with rolled marzipan and sugarpaste (see pages 28–30).

       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.

       Ingredients

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

       250g (8¾oz) self-raising flour 250g (8¾oz) caster sugar 250g (8¾oz) butter (at room temperature) 4 eggs

       Method

      1 Pre-heat 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 (see page 22) 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 26), then cover with rolled sugarpaste (see pages 28–29).

       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 with a simple circle of sugarpaste then decorated as desired.

       Ingredients

       For 12 cup cakes

       175g (6oz) butter (at room temperature) 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 180ºC (350ºF, 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.

       Other Recipes

      Now you have your sugarpaste (see pages 8–9) and your cakes (see pages 22–24) ready and waiting, there are a few other recipes you will need in order to complete the projects in this book.

       Sugar Flower Paste

      This is a good strong paste that can be rolled very thinly. It is ideal for making delicate objects such as butterflies and stars (see pages 61 and 113 for examples). The best sugar flower paste is bought ready-made, but you can make your own from the following recipe.

      The exquisite butterflies on the Butterfly Fairy cake (see pages 58–71) were made using sugar flower paste, which can be rolled out very thinly and dries super hard so that the wings don’t flop down.

       Ingredients