Holiday Cakes and Cupcakes. Carol Deacon

bake a cake in! I have used a collection of small cans like these to bake a mass order of mini Christmas cakes. We all ate baked beans for weeks and it was a bit fiddly to do but it saved a lot of wastage cutting small round cakes out of larger ones.

      Wash the tin and rub a little butter around the insides of the can. Measure the circumference of the tin and cut a strip of waxed paper to that length and just wider than the height of the tin. Trace around the base and cut out a disc. Stand the long strip inside the tin and place the disc into the bottom.

      For the Firework on page 36, I baked a little cake in a small baked bean can. Wash the can and line it as described above. Mix up a 2 or 3-egg Madeira mix using the recipe chart (page 16) and fill the tin two-thirds full. I used the rest of the batter to make a heap of cupcakes. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 20 minutes.

      TIP: If you really can't bear lining a pan, you can buy ready made paper linings from kitchen or cake decoration equipment shops. Quick release sprays are also available. Finally, there is also silicone bakeware that require no lining and come in many funky colors.

      Shallow Sandwich Cake Pans

      When using a sandwich pan you only need to line the base. Place the pan onto waxed paper, draw round the base, and cut out a disc. Grease the base and sides of the pan and place the disc in the bottom of the pan.

      For the Christening Cake on page 30, I used two 7-inch (18 cm) round sandwich pans. Use the 3-egg Madeira mix from the recipe chart. Grease the pans and place a disc of waxed paper in the base to stop the cake from sticking. Mix the batter up in one batch then divide the mixture between the two pans. Bake in the middle of the oven at 300˚F (150˚C) for 25-30 minutes until the cakes are golden and starting to pull away from the sides.

      Tip the cakes out onto a cooling rack and peel off the waxed paper and allow to cool.

      Storing and Freezing Your Cakes

      You can begin to decorate the chocolate or Madeira cakes as soon as they’re cooled. Once they come out of the oven let them sit for a few minutes then turn the tin over and tip them out onto a cooling rack. You can either remove the paper they were baked in to speed up the cooling process or leave it in place.

      If you don’t want to decorate them straight away, cover them with plastic wrap once they’re cooled and decorate the following day. There is actually an advantage to doing this—the cake will be slightly firmer and easier to work with.

      If you wish to freeze either the sponge or chocolate cakes, bind them in plastic wrap when cool and freeze for up to three months. Defrost at room temperature for a few hours before decorating.

      Fruitcake takes a long time to cool down, anything up to eight hours depending on its size and room temperature. Leave it in the pan while it cools so it doesn’t lose its shape. Once it has cooled it can be decorated.

      If you wish to store the fruitcake before decorating it, turn it out of the pan but leave it in the paper. Pierce the top a few times with a skewer or toothpick (cocktail stick) and drizzle a couple of tablespoons of brandy over the top. Wrap the cake in two lots of waxed (greaseproof) paper and two lots of tin foil. It will keep quite happily like this for three months, its flavors deepening and maturing as it does so. If you wish you can “feed” it every week by drizzling a little extra brandy over it and re-wrapping it. Once a fruitcake has been marzipanned and iced it is then sealed and airtight. It should keep for at least a couple of months at room temperature in a cardboard cake box.

      A sponge cake that has been covered in buttercream can be frozen (unless the sponge or buttercream has been frozen already in which case it cannot be re-frozen). Bind in plastic wrap and freeze for up to three months.

      Cakes covered using fondant cannot be frozen, refrigerated, or kept in a plastic food box because these storage methods will make the fondant “sweat” and go soggy.

      If you have covered your sponge or chocolate cake with fondant you should be able to keep it for 4-5 days. Ideally, keep it in a cardboard cake box free from flies and dust.

      MADEIRA SPONGE CAKE RECIPES

      This is a simple all-in-one recipe. Throw everything into the bowl together and mix. Read the section on flour beforehand and do try to use scales. If you find the cake is not rising well because the flour you in your area is heavier, add a little baking powder to the mix to give it a hand.

      1 Grease and line your cake pan (see page 14) and preheat your oven to 300˚F (150˚C)

      2 If you are using a mixer, sift your flour into the bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix on the slowest speed to gently bind the ingredients together. Switch to the mixer’s highest speed and beat all the ingredients for a minute until the mixture is pale and smooth.

      3 If you are mixing by hand, make sure your butter is very soft (place it in a microwave for a few seconds if necessary). Then beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. Add the eggs and beat those in too until the mixture is smooth. Sift the flour and gently stir it in with a metal spoon.

      4 Spoon the mixture into your prepared pan and smooth the top. Place the cake in the center of the pre-heated oven and bake for the required time. Not all ovens bake the same so the baking times are approximate. Your cake will be ready when it is starting to pull away from the sides and you can’t hear bubbling noises. To check for sure, insert a knife or metal skewer. If it comes out clean then the cake is done. If there’s mixture on the skewer, cook for another five or ten minutes or so.

      Variations This is a very versatile recipe which lends itself to all sorts of variations. To alter the flavor, stir in a tablespoon of cocoa or coffee to create a simple chocolate or coffee cake. Add a dash of almond or mint flavoring for something unexpected. Add a handful of desiccated coconut, a ripe banana (mashed). You could even add the zest of an orange or lemon. To make a colorful cake stir in a little food coloring before baking. Perhaps add a little green food color to your Halloween cake for example. If you just stir it in lightly, your cake will have a marbled appearance when baked. Stir it in thoroughly and your cake will be one solid color. You can even alter your cake’s texture by stirring in chocolate beans or chocolate chips, raisins, or glacé cherries.

      CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPES

      This is an excellent chocolate cake for a special ocassion. It has a strong yet velvety texture that is easy to cut into shapes. You will need to use a mixer that has a whisk attachment as well as a normal beater. If you don’t possess one or simply want to make a less complicated cake, use the Madeira cake recipe but add cocoa powder to it. As it bakes, a hard crust will form on top that may scorch or crack. This is normal. Slice it off and discard the crust once the cake has cooled and before you decorate it.

      1 Pre-heat your oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Line your cake pan (see page 14) and separate the eggs placing the whites and yolks in two different bowls.

      2 Melt the chocolate in a large bowl and place to one side.

      3 Beat the butter and sugar together using the normal beater on the mixer until fluffy.

      4 Beat in the egg yolks. Tip the chocolate into the mixture and keep the bowl the chocolate was melted in. Bind the mixture together on a slow speed.

      5 Gently stir in the sifted flour using a metal spoon then scrape the chocolate mixture back into the chocolate bowl. Remove the beater from the mixer.

      6 Wash your machine’s mixing bowl. Dry it and place the egg whites into it.